Nacra 15 Winter Training Camp 2 at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

 

Nacra 15 Winter Camp 2, took place at WPNSA over the weekend on November 16/17. With this being the first camp after the World Championships in Barcelona, all teams were ready to reflect on lessons learnt as we prepare for the international events upcoming in 2025.

Both the British Youth Sailing Team squad and Class group were met in the morning by their respective coaches: Theo and Jas Williams. After gaining an insight to what the weekend would hold the groups split off into squad and class and discussed the different activities we would complete; with the main focus of the weekend being around starts.

Everyone launched at 11.45 on Saturday with the Class doing a couple of tuning runs, up and down wind whilst making our way out of the harbour avoiding any 29er and Feva racers.

On the Sunday, the Squad and Class trained together with their first activity being a decision mark to help us focus on decisions being made going upwind. Every boat had to pass the decision mark before they got to the windward mark. Decision mark was seen as a gust or a lift. After completing a few of these activities we moved onto a series of racing, where again many boats took the lead at various points in the afternoon.

We all enjoyed a fun blast reach back into the harbour and are looking forward to our next camp at Weston Sailing Club on 30th November/1st December.

Vendée Globe Race - Day 12 - Keel problems and fast ride ahead to the Southern Ocean

 

Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) continues to lead the Vendee Globe Race for the second successive day.

He appears to be clear of the Doldrums which have concertinaed over the past 24 hours and how seem to be much more extensive than over the past 24 hours when there were pathways through the normally windless zone.

On the Predictwind weather routing, Goodchild is showing some low windspeeds, but not less than 5kts.

His colleague in TS Racing Thomas Rouyant (Vulnerable) is 2° of longitude to the west of Goodchild, putting him further away under the distance to sail to the finish method of running the event leaderboard, favoured by the Vendee Globe organisers. However using Predictwind's weather routing facility, Rouyant and Goodchild are predicted to arrive in about 8.5days at the virtual way point set between the Cape of Good Hope and the virtue Ice Gate surrounding Antarctica.

Both are calculated by Predictwind to have some firehose sailing coming up, with Goodchild forecasted to spend 83% of the route reaching, with winds in the 8-20kts range for 49% of the route, and 20-30kts for 51% of the remainder of the leg to the Southern Ocean.

Vendee Globe organisers have announced that Fabrice Amedeo racing in 34th place due west of the Cape Verde Islands has been sailing in safe mode at a reduced speed since yesterday evening after developing a keel problem. He is actively looking for a solution to resolve his problems. More information is expected when Race Control staff arrive later today.

P&B Steve Nicholson Memorial Trophy 2025

 

Northampton Sailing Club is delighted to announce the annual Steve Nicholson Memorial Trophy event will be back again in 2025. It will take place on Saturday 25th January, with headline sponsor Pinnell & Bax.

This popular winter regatta is raced in aid of the Asthma & Lung UK charity in memory of Steve, who was a popular, well-respected sailor and member at Northampton Sailing Club.

The event, which has been held on an annual basis since 2002 is a handicap event for single and double handers with a reputation of providing great racing. It is raced in two separate fleets with an overall winner of the title.

Lawrence Creaser from Hollowell Sailing took home the trophy in 2024, after an excellent performance in his ILCA7/Laser. No doubt the trophy will be hotly contested amongst the double-hander fleet in 2025.

Entry fees are £30 for double-handers and £25 for single-handers.

Briefing for all fleets takes place at 10:00am.

Single handers: 2 races, with a 10:30 start

Double handers: 2 races, with an 11:30 start (approx)

You can register now on the Northampton Sailing Club website :-

 webcollect.org.uk/nsc/event/steve-nicholson-annual-open

Royal Lymington Yacht Club Thursday night racing sponsor extends

 

Spencers have been the sponsor of the Thursday night racing since 2019, and this extension will see the deal go on until at least 2026.

The club hopes that this sponsorship will enable the club to host an inclusive and competitive series, open to both club members and non-members, fostering a dynamic sailing community on the South Coast.

Club commodore Michael Derrick said: “We deeply value the relationship with Spencers and are excited to see the Thursday night races continue to thrive.

“Our combined high standards help us create memorable experiences for everyone involved.”

The Thursday night racing series has become a highlight of the sailing calendar in the region, drawing a diverse range of participants and promoting camaraderie within the local sailing community.

This renewed sponsorship will hope to further strengthen the event, ensuring that racing remains accessible and enjoyable for all.

Sam Pascoe Tops the Musto Skiff 2024 UK Series

 

After 12 events in the 2024 Musto Skiff UK series, Sam Pascoe has won the 2024 Southern Circuit and the overall UK Series title. This comes after a flawless performance that saw Sam clinch the UK National Champion Title in June, followed by the coveted World Champion Title in July.

This year's UK series included six events for the Southern Circuit, five events for the Scottish & Northern Circuit (which was won by Euan Hurter), and a UK National Championship hosted at Filey Sailing Club. With a weighted scoring system, awarding 100 points to the event winner and then descending scores based upon fleet size, the series counted three circuit events (north or south) and the non-discardable UK Nationals. What was amazing to see was that ten sailors scored above 300 points—an incredible performance and testament to how close the racing has been this season in the GBR fleet.

We had 83 individual competitors in the UK series this year, representing 59 different sailing clubs, which was an increase on an already bumper 2023 season. Seven different winners over 12 events shows how closely fought our fleet has been this series and what a great average turnout we've had compared to other high-performance boats. This just goes to show that the Musto Skiff really is the people's adrenaline hit of choice.

As well as some great events across the UK, this season has also seen some very successful training events run by professional coaches and volunteers alike, which were once again sponsored by Noble Marine and Ovington Boats. The class has a fabulous record for an open exchange of information and training, and it continues to go from strength-to-strength every season with the standard developing fleet-wide.

While the circuit has now finished, there is still the 2024/25 Selden SailJuice Winter Series title for the class to defend. Over the years, the title has been won by Musto Skiff sailors, including Sam Pascoe, who is the current title holder. For this reason, it is likely to be eagerly contested, and with many of the GBR fleet heading to Sydney in January for the Musto Skiff 2025 Worlds, it will be a prime opportunity for a final tune-up and some extra regatta training.

This will also lead us nicely into our new season, which will start with the Southern Circuit at the Ovington Inlands in mid-March.

The following dates and venues have been confirmed...........

Southern Circuit :-

15/16 March - Ovington Inlands, Grafham Water Sailing Club

5/6 April - Stokes Bay Open, Stokes Bay Sailing Club (Skiff event)

10/11 May - Castle Cove Open, Castle Cove Sailing Club (Shared with K1)

21/22 June - Restronguet Open, Restronguet Sailing Club (Club Skiff Open)

13/14 September - East Coast Piers Race Weekend, Marconi Sailing Club (Magellan Trophy)

October TBC - Brightlingsea Skiff Fest, Brightlingsea Sailing Club [Provisional. Event to be confirmed]

8/9 November - Itchenor Firecracker Weekend, Itchenor Sailing Club

Scottish & Northern Circuit :-

26/27 April - Daffodil Regatta 2025, Ullswater Yacht Club (mixed class)

17/18 May - Musto Skiff Open, Largs Sailing Club (Musto Skiff's only)

7/8 June - ELYC Regatta, East Lothian Yacht Club (Northern and Scottish Nationals #1)

5/6 July - Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy 2025, Ullswater Yacht Club (mixed class)

2/3 August - Chanonry Open, Chanonry Sailing Club

6/7 Sept - Loch Lomond Open, Loch Lomond Sailing Club [Provisional. Event to be confirmed]

27/28 Sept - Dalgety Bay Open, Dalgety Bay Sailing Club (Northern and Scottish Nationals #2)

Musto Skiff UK Nationals :-

18 to 21 September - UK National Championship 2025, Hayling Island Sailing Club

Vendée Globe Monday afternoon update: Breakout Denied!

2025 Bailey Bowl for Illusion class at Bembridge Sailing Club

 

Great to see 21 boats out on Saturday 16th November for the first day of the Bailey Bowl Regatta. Conditions were very light first thing so the decision was taken by the Race Team to take the fleet outside the harbour the race course was set just off Silversands beach. It took a bit of time for the sailors to get from the harbour to the committee boat which meant we had to delay the start by 20 minutes to allow for the stragglers to catch up.

It was fantastic to see so many Illusions racing over the weekend, a total of 44 over both days. Mark Downer claimed victory in the overall results, with Raymond Simonds second and David Russell-Jones rounding out the top three, fourth was Rory Morrison and fifth Oliver Morgan. No racing next weekend, but the Bills Barrel Regatta takes place the weekend after (30th November & 1st December).

Overall Results :-

Posn Sail No Helm R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Pts

1 164 Mark Downer 2 6 1 1 2 1 7

2 165 Raymond Simonds 3 1 2 7 1 2 9

3 155 David Russell‑Jones 4 2 8 5 6 11 25

4 120 Rory Morrison 5 3 3 2 20 15 28

5 169 Oliver Morgan 10 4 6 3 10 10 33

6 68 Bill Daniels 8 5 9 6 11 8 36

7 152 Mike Issaias 9 13 4 9 13 4 39

8 142 Mike Toogood 12 7 13 14 5 5 42

9 170 Colin Simonds 1 11 11 8 12 12 43

10 166 Jo Downer 7 14 12 4 9 14 46

11 67 Caroline Simonds 11 10 7 11 8 20 47

12 163 Tim Lyle 14 9 10 16 16 7 56

13 160 Owen Pay 22 22 22 13 3 3 63

14 149 Andy Christie 13 17 14 17 14 6 64

15 106 Matt Solan 6 8 5 24 24 24 67

16 147 Monty Irwin 22 22 22 10 4 13 71

17 15 Alexander Shaw 22 22 22 12 7 9 72

18 136 Simon Birchenough 15 15 16 18 136 17 81

19 12 Robin Ebsworth 16 19 15 19 17 18 85

20 80 Olly Laughton ‑ Scott 22 22 22 16 15 19 94

21 138 Ian Prideaux 19 18 19 21 18 23 95

22 91 James Row 17 21 17 23 22 22 99

22 150 Will Lowe 20 16 21 22 21 21 99

22 156 Richard Ambler 22 22 22 20 19 16 99

25 27 Andrew Eddy 21 12 20 24 24 24 101

26 83 Charlie Egerton‑Warburton 18 20 18 24 24 24 104

First event of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series

 

Online entry closes on Tuesday night for Event #1 of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash

It's looking set for a windy start to the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, with a strong forecast in store for the 90 boats already entered for the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash this weekend, 23 & 24 November.

If you're wondering whether or not join for what looks set to be an epic weekend of small-boat action, you've got until 1159pm on Tuesday night, 19 November, to decide. How many other events can you line up with possibly a hundred or more dinghies?

Please note that there is NO entry on the day, so you need to enter online at :-

 www.SailJuiceSeries.com

There are 44 different classes already on the entry list, from some of the slowest to some of the fastest on handicap.

THE EVENTS

The following events are in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series 2024/25 :-

Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, Draycote Water Sailing Club - 23 & 24 November 2024

Sailing Chandlery Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water Sailing Club - 7 & 8 December 2024

Polar Chase, Chase Sailing Club - 14 December 2024

Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey, Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club - 27 December 2024

Gill Grafham Grand Prix, Grafham Water Sailing Club - 29 December 2024

GJW Direct Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club - 11 January 2025

King George Gallop, King George Sailing Club - 18 January 2025

John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club - 1 & 2 February 2025

Zhik Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club - 15 February 2025

Prizegiving at RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, Farnborough - 22 February 2025

You can find out more about the Series here :- www.SailJuiceSeries.com

Vendée Globe Day 8 Afternoon Update - new leader, why VMG & VMC are impo...

Third DBSC Turkey Shoot Race sees 72-Boat Fleet Set Sail for the Muglins

 

The third race of the AIB DBSC Turkey Shoot series featured the strongest winds of the series so far, with some sunshine thrown in for good measure.

The fleet sailed a course that took them south from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to the Muglins Rock on the southern tip of Dublin Bay in north winds of up to ten knots.

Now in its 24th year, the AIB-sponsored series is co-hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour and aims to facilitate all-comers in short sharp races.

A progressive handicap on a time-on-time basis is used, and results of the third race will be published shortly.

Season opening SailGP Dubai event to feature newbies Mubadala Brazil and Red Bull Italy teams

 

For the opening SailGP event of the season, the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas, 23-24 November 2024, the global racing championship will comprise of eleven F50 race teams.

Racing for the first time will be the new Italy SailGP Team – Red Bull Italy SailGP Team – Led by SailGP legend Jimmy Spithill as CEO.

Also expected to race in Dubia will be the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team

If they make it to the start line this will be their first time, led by double Olympic Gold Medalist Martine Grael, the first woman to ever drive for a SailGP team.

Teams racing in the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix 2024 :-

Spain,

New Zealand,

Australia,

ROCKWOOL Denmark,

Emirates GBR,

United States,

Switzerland,

Canada,

Germany

And the two new teams, Mubadala Brazil and Red Bull Italy.

Medway Yacht Club Sonata Fleet Promo

Club completes 24-hour sail for Children in Need

 

Members at Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington, Hampshire, were hoping to raise £9,000 by sailing around Eight Acre Pond non-stop for a full day.

The club, which is run by children, has been holding the sponsored sail for 25 years and hopes to bring its running total of donations to £200,000 with this year's efforts.

Boats were launched at 16:30 GMT on Friday and the challenge ended on Saturday afternoon.

The club is run by young people aged under 16, who have invited all local schools to take part in the fundraiser.

Members, former members known as Old Salts, and friends of the sailing club also joined.

Before the event, Holly from the club's junior committee said the event would be "loads of fun as there is plenty of camaraderie among the team".

Club member Clodagh opted to take on the night shift, sailing in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"We aim to get through it by being in pairs and taking on half hour shifts each," she said.

"We will also take a lot of sweets and chocolate to get through it but hopefully we will stay warm and get enough sleep."

Children from nearby schools were due to take over later in the morning, with Olympic sailor Hannah Snellgrove joining to support the event.