Strabane sailors meet for first time at major yacht race

TWO former pupils who attended Strabane Grammar School 22 years apart have met for the first time as crew members on a boat competing in the 50th edition of the world’s largest offshore yacht race.

John Campbell, formerly from Bowling Green, Strabane, was a pupil at the Tyrone school from 1964 to 1969, while Gareth Russell, formerly from Ardstraw, attended from 1986 to 1993.

Both men now live in East Yorkshire. John is a retired BT engineer and Gareth is head of Business Development, at Associated British Ports (ABP) on the Humber.

Despite their connection to the local school, which has since amalgamated with Strabane High School to form Strabane Academy, the pair only met for the first time this month as they prepared to crew the sailing yacht, CatZero, which is taking part in the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race.

Beginning in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the boats sail around the remote Fastnet Rock, off the coast of Ireland, and finish in the French port of Cherbourg, a total of more than 720 nautical miles.

Based in the city of Hull, the CatZero yacht is run by a charity that gives young and disadvantaged people the opportunity to embrace challenges in their lives through the experience of sailing.

The entry in the Fastnet Race is a fundraising event for the charity.