What a scorcher of an event! The 2026 Dart 15 Nationals were held at Stone Sailing Club on the beautiful River Blackwater in Essex last weekend. Forty-two entrants arrived to the type of hot weather and warm water that you would expect in the Mediterranean but without the hassle of flying. Friday was the hottest day of the weekend with temperatures in mid to high 30s for much of the day. At the briefing, Stone Sailing Secretary, Phil Longley, welcomed the fleet and Events Secretary, Jenny Ball, outlined the schedule for the weekend. Race Officer, Neil Fulcher, outlined the racing plan for the day which was to keep the sailors ashore until he had a race course set with a reasonably settled wind direction to avoid sailors drifting around on the water in the heat. The fleet rigged and were ready to go when notification came from the Race Officer that all was set. A light to medium westerly breeze had come in and despite concerns that a sea breeze might cancel it out in the heat, the breeze held out to enable the scheduled three races to take place. The Race Officer deployed the U Flag from the get-go and the fleet were accordingly very disciplined. Or saved from themselves by a strong ebb tide keeping them back from the line, depending on your point of view. The first race got away with a clean start and Liam Thom (Shanklin) and Rob Bailey (Thorpe Bay) established an early lead up the first beat to round the windward mark first. The fleet followed the usual square course, reaching down to mark 2 off the south shore, then running out with the tide to mark 3, before reaching back to mark 4 and turning back through the Committee Boat gate each lap. On the second lap, some of the fleet tacked off to the right towards the north shore and, in theory at least, slacker tide. Although the ever growing Thirslet Spit was a key consideration on that side. Gains were to be had here benefitting Jenny Ball (Marconi), David Ball (Marconi) and Ed Tuite Dalton (Draycote). At the end of the second lap, Liam held the lead with Rob second and Jenny third. Angus Cook (Castaways) rolled the dice and tacked for the line at Mark 4 instead of standing on to the layline to the Committee Boat. This paid massively and he took 4th place with Ed, George Love (Carsington) and David following. Race Two got underway promptly with similar breeze and a strong tide still running. This time, there was more of a split in the fleet with a larger number opting to head right towards Thirslet Spit. Of the ones who headed left, those who banged the far corner fared better than those who tacked up the middle. The pressure seemed slightly stronger on either side of the course which were both closest to land vs the middle of the course. At the windward mark, those from the right came in first with Angus followed by Christophe Clarke (Marconi) and Kevin Kirby (Marconi) with Jenny, Yvonne Pike (Shanklin) and Rob coming hot on their heels from the left. On the downwind leg, Jenny made gains to catch up with race leader Angus. It was nip and tuck for the remainder of lap one and lap two with Jenny and Angus both heading right towards the Thirslet shore. After battling round the second lap, Jenny managed to hold on to the lead by no more than a boat length from Angus. Rob came in third, followed by Yvonne, David, Ed and Liam. Race Three also got underway promptly and the tide had noticeably slowed which was just as well as the wind also got a little softer during the course of the race. This time, those who went right did not fare as well as those who went left. Rob reached Mark 1 with an already comfortable lead, followed by George, Liam and Jenny. On the second lap, Rob and George headed again to the left hand side of the course. Jenny tacked across to the right and Liam elected to follow and cover. This time, the right hand side paid and when the boats converged, Jenny and Liam had caught Rob up at the windward mark and managed to sneak past him on the reach. On the downwind leg, Rob managed to get back in front of Liam. Jenny went on to take the win, with Rob second. Liam tacked at Mark 4 but standing on paid this time so George came in third followed by Liam, Paul Tanner (Shanklin), Angus and Keith Persin (Thorpe Bay). The fleet headed home following possibly the hottest day of sailing they had experienced in UK waters. Kevin Kirby even deployed an umbrella to provide much needed shade for the sail home! It had already been decided to postpone the AGM to the following day due to the heat. So once ashore, all the fleet had to do was enjoy a fantastic dinner provided by Stone Caterers – with the added bonus that the clubhouse had air conditioning! The fleet arrived for the briefing on day two slightly bleary eyed. Not from too much partying – but because the heat overnight had made sleep very difficult. That and the mother of all thunder storms in the early hours of the morning meant most were pretty sleep deprived. Another hot day – around 30 degrees – the wind today was not due to come in until the afternoon from the south – with the hope that this might eventually fill in as a nice sea breeze from the east. Accordingly, the Race Officer postponed a decision on racing until 1pm. The fleet used the time to hold the AGM so they could be sailing late into the day if needed. During the AGM, the Peter Mayne Trophy for outstanding contribution to the class was presented to Liam Thom for his long standing and sterling efforts managing the Association website – a key and central component of the Class. By 1pm, a breeze had filled in from the south in line with the forecast and the Race Officer and his team headed out to assess the conditions and set the course. The fleet were duly released from the beach and headed out to the start area over towards Thirslet. This time, the outgoing tide was pushing the fleet over the line, so the U Flag took on even sharper relief. Nevertheless, Race 4 got underway with a clear start. David and Angus tacked off on to port to hunt down the stronger tide as the windward mark was the other side of the channel in the bay. For those continuing out to the left, the breeze then filled in with a lift that benefitted those who had started at the Committee Boat end. Jenny reached the windward mark first, with George in second and the rest of the fleet close behind. The wind shift made the first reach tight and the fleet also had to account for the tide as they ran across the channel to mark 3. The final reach to mark 4 was also deep due to the wind shift so lots of different tactics required from the day before. The Race Committee subsequently adjusted the windward mark and mark two and the breeze was sufficiently strong to enable three laps. The front of the fleet managed to establish a gap from the rest of the pack and set about chasing down Jenny and George. At the end of lap three, Jenny held on to the lead despite big gains by Liam. Angus was third, David fourth and Rob Forrester (Weston) came in fifth. Another quick turn around and Race 5 was underway in slightly lighter breeze. Again, a few of the fleet decided to tack onto port early to cross the river – this included Jenny, David and John Ball & Ollie McHugh – our youth sailors sailing Two Up. Clearly the same tactical thinking runs in the family. Liam tacked across about half way up the beat to keep tabs on Jenny and a good chunk of the fleet followed a similar route. The wind headed slightly along the south shore which favoured the front runners who had stayed out to the left and came in on port including Paul, Rob and Jack Tindale (Stone) who was making a welcome guest appearance in the fleet. By the end of the first lap, Jack was chasing Liam at the front, with Paul and Rob chasing hard and a battle in the group behind including Angus, David, Scott Wilcox (Stewartby), Yvonne, Christophe and others making for an interesting and busy rounding of mark 3. At the end of lap 2, Liam took the win with Jack in second. Jenny followed Paul and Rob round Mark 4 and rolled the dice tacking for the mark – just managing to pip Rob on the line to take fourth place. Angus followed in sixth, with Scott, George and Yvonne behind. Race 6 was the final race of the day in yet lighter breezes and the tide slackening off as it approached low water. Liam and Rob got another great start and the fleet set off with a fairly even split of those who tacked off and those who stood on. Liam and Rob got round the windward mark first which then became very busy when the two parts of the fleet converged. In the lighter winds, those buried in the pack found it harder to get clear air and find an advantageous lane. Jack did a great job working his way up the fleet on the downwind leg to give chase to Liam and Rob. On the second lap, Angus tacked off onto port and made good gains putting him back in touch with Liam and Rob who were comfortably in the lead. On the final mark, Angus repeated his tactic from the day before of tacking on Mark 4. The wind had shifted which allowed him to lay the finish gate in one and he snatched the win with Liam second and Rob third. Jack came in fourth, followed by Yvonne, Rob Clay (Marconi) and Keith. Elsewhere in the fleet, John and Ollie posted a sixteenth – a particularly respectable position given light winds do not always suit the Two Up configuration. The fleet headed home to enjoy another fabulous dinner from the Stone Catering team and enjoy a few drinks in the sunshine. The forecast tomorrow was for quite different conditions – temperatures “only” to reach 27 degrees and a medium to strong breeze right from the start of the day. Every expectation was that the final three races would be completed in the morning without any need to delay the schedule. Sunday morning dawned with the promised breeze coming from the south west and the Race Officer warning that wind over tide would make the conditions pretty lumpy until the tide turned around lunchtime. The course was set a little further away from the club to avoid any overlap with club racing. The start area was down towards the vessel Ross Revenge, the home of Radio Caroline, who has been anchored in the river from many years now. It quickly became apparent that it was going to be a “lively” day. The wind was gusting around 20 plus knots and the sea state was very challenging with big waves for a fifteen foot boat. The trouble was that the gusts pushed the bows into a wall of water causing various people to pitchpole or capsize before the racing had even started. The Dart 15s are not a faint hearted fleet but twelve competitors decided discretion was the better part of valour and head back to shore. A further six retired from the first race due to capsizes or, in the case of Rob Clay a dismasting, and decided to sit out racing for the rest of the day. The safety boats were kept busy! After a re-start, Race 7 got underway and the fleet shot off across to the left hand side of the course, thinking mainly about staying upright and not colliding with anything or anyone. With the exception of Jack who tacked onto port and ducked various boats because he obviously prefers life on the adrenaline side. Especially as he was sailing his Dad’s boat. Steve Sawford (Rutland) reached the windward mark first with Paul, David, Jack, Liam, Jenny, Ed and Daren Fitchew (Thorpe Bay) in hot pursuit. The reach to mark 2 was epic and the run allowed the fleet to get their breath back and the salt water out of their eyes. The reach to mark 4 was nothing short of wild with big waves hitting the fleet at forty-five degree angles claiming a few casualties as a result. The final leg was the most interesting. A boat that rounded in reasonably clear air could pinch and clear the bow of the Committee Boat on port. A boat that rounded behind others was obliged to tack onto starboard to pass through the gate and that often obliged the boats behind to do the same. And tacking was somewhat messy in those conditions! Paul and David sailed across the bows of the Committee Boat, Steve and Daren tacked obliging Jenny and Liam to do the same. It all got very busy. Paul and David held on to their lead to take first and second. Jack took third and Liam snuck a place from Jenny on the final leg from mark 4 to the finish, with Angus sixth, Daren seventh and Donald Sloan (Felixtowe Ferry) in eighth. By now the fleet was reduced to about half and the conditions were no less lively. The Race Committee wasted no time in getting Race 8 underway. Towards the end of the start sequence, the wind started to head and those who started down at the pin end were getting bent further and further left. Further up the line, Jenny tacked off onto port, ducked a couple of boats and found herself pointing at the windward mark already. She rounded mark one first, followed by David with Jon Pearse (Marconi) a little further back and the rest of the fleet chasing hard. By the end of the first lap, David had closed the gap on Jenny and they both cleared the bows of the Committee Boat and kept right towards the north shore. As they approached the layline, the wind headed so they both tacked and the wind then promptly headed back again. But Jenny was able to squeak round the windward mark whilst David was obliged to put in an extra couple of tacks. The fleet behind got caught by both headers which increased the gap between them and the front pair. Jenny held on to take the win with David second. Jack took third and on the final leg, Liam put in a stellar performance taking several places in the final knockings to come fourth. Jon was fifth, Kevin was sixth and Jeremy Franklin (Draycote) took seventh. Race 9 saw a couple more retirements where people called it a day, including Gerald Sverdloff (Thorpe Bay), who also dismasted with a broken forestay. By now the tide was on the turn which proved tactically decisive when picking the route to the windward mark as the tide was no longer favourable. Jack, Liam and Steve got a strong start and headed left with most of the fleet. Jenny tacked off with a view to staying in weaker tide but did not stand on long enough and was obliged to put in two extra tacks to round the windward mark due to the tide. By the end of the first lap, Liam had the lead and went on to take the win with Steve in second, David third, Ed fourth, Jenny fifth and Jim Bowie (Thorpe Bay) in sixth. The most impressive performance of the day though was the junior Two-Up team of John and Ollie who completed all three races in very challenging conditions, stayed upright and, as the Race Officer noted, always had smiles on their faces. It would appear that Haribo is a very effective sailing fuel in heavy weather. When half the fleet called it a day, it is extremely impressive that these two youngsters successfully completed all three races. Definitely ones to watch for the future. The fleet now did the long beat home against the tide although mercifully in flatter waters. The Marconi contingent landed, put their trollies on the bows and sailed back to Marconi whilst everyone else de-rigged and loaded their boats onto trailers. The prizegiving featured our usual wide range of prizes and glassware, sponsored by Noble Marine Insurance. First up were the Individual Prizes awarded for individual instances of mishap or endeavour. Lucky recipients received a Noble Marine cap and a Fernhurst Book voucher who publish a wide range of sailing publications to make us all better sailors. Recipients were as follows: David Elias (Stone) as first place in Sail No. League <1800 – coming 15th overall. Alan Grant (Thorpe Bay) as first place in the Sail No. League 1800 – 1899 coming 14th overall Keith Persin (Thorpe Bay) as first place in the Sail No; League 1900 – 1999 coming16th overall Steve Sawford (Rutland) as first place in the Sail No. League 2015 plus coming 13th overall. Rob Clay (Marconi) for dismasting in Race 7. Gerald Sverdloff (Thorpe Bay) for dismasting in Race 9. The annual Jim Bowie award was presented to Jim Bowie – this year, amongst other things, for wearing a drysuit in 37 degrees on Friday. The important silverware was then presented by Jenny, Events Secretary as follows: Erling Holmberg Youth Trophy & Two Up Cup– John Ball & Ollie McHugh, Marconi Young Gun Trophy (age 19 – 25) – Kyle Tibbs, Marconi 50 Plus Cup – Liam Thom, Shanklin 60 Plus Cup – Paul Tanner, Shanklin 70 Plus Tankard – Kevin Kirby, Marconi 80 Plus Bandit Trophy – Pete Richardson, Marconi Ladies Cup – Jenny Ball, Marconi Heavyweight Cup – Christophe Clarke, Marconi Pro Am Trophy – Jan Elfring, Draycote – supported by his Pro, Paul Tanner, Shanklin. Most Improved Wendy House Trophy – Christophe Clarke, Marconi Most Persistent Paul Smith Trophy – Rob Wilson, Marconi Classic Boat glass – David Ball, Marconi
The final prizes and rankings then followed: 12th Place – George Love, Carsington 11th Place – Christophe Clarke, Marconi 10th Place – Kevin Kirby, Marconi 9th Place – Yvonne Pike, Shanklin 8th Place – Ed Tuite-Dalton, Draycote 7th Place – Paul Tanner, Shanklin and winner of Race 7 6th Place – Jack Tindale, Stone 5th Place – Rob Bailey, Thorpe Bay 4th Place – David Ball, Marconi 3rd Place – Angus Cook, Castaways and winner of Race 6 2nd Place – Jenny Ball, Marconi and winner of Races 2, 3, 4 & 8 National Champion – Liam Thom, Shanklin and winner of Races 1, 5 7 9 Our thanks go to everyone at Stone Sailing Club for hosting us both on and off the water. Thanks to Noble Marine Insurance for sponsoring our event and to Fernhurst Books for supporting our additional prizes. Thanks also to Dave Clarke for producing our polo shirts and to Sally Wilson, Jason Clarke and Nick Champion for great photos. And finally, thank you to all the competitors who made our 2026 National Championships such a great event. Jenny Ball Events Secretary, Dart 15 Association. Pictures by Jason Clarke and Sally Wilson    Results:Click for: Full Results with all Sub-Competitions
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