Mark, I totally agree. I remember the AP show when it was merely for class associations. A sort of rally for sailing enthusiasts. In many ways, it still is. But subsequently, commercial interests moved in. And finally, the RYA itself. The RYA is obsessed with the Olympic challenge. They have a saili...

Congratulations to Draycote Water SC!

At the 2024 Dinghy and Cat Show, the RYA awarded its Club of the Year to Draycote SC.

This is a great honour and well deserved. It is especially pleasing to note that Ed TD and his fleet of Dart 15s have been a part of the club’s success.

Soggy Moggy, 861 has been sold to Ed T-D and Derek James at Draycote SC. It couldn’t have gone to a better home. After 20+ years in the class, I have decided to hang up my wetsuit boots. You know how it is. You get to a certain age when you retire and you buy a keelboat in the country! That is wha...

Thanks for letting me know, Jenny.

It is a long time since I saw anyone wearing a Dart 15, or Sprint 15, sweat shirt. The last I heard was the venerable Gordon Goldstone carrying bags of them from event to event!

Does the Association still sell sweat shirts? And if so, from whom can they be obtained?

That sounds a good idea. Namely, a roundup from the clubs for each edition of Darticles. Just a few lines on comings and goings.

We don’t all meet friends/owners at open meetings. But we like to hear news of them!

Hear hear!

It’s so lovely to receive a magazine made of real paper! I can’t abide reading online. There is too much of it in this world. Imagine reading Darticles on kindle. Awful!

I also remember Nick’s performance at a nationals prize giving. He was in his element on such occasions. If someone collided with another boat, he would make sure the offending helm received a prize. Namely, a roll of duct tape. I remember Paul Smith receiving a prize at Netley. He wasn’t very w...

I remember Nick for his many expressions. At championship briefings, he would stand beside the race officer and announce that “a gentleman knows”. Hearing this for the first time, I asked “knows what”? There were guffaws of laughter around the room, most notably from Ray Gall. Nick would exp...

I’m not attached to one boat, but to one class! Not just the boat. The people that sail them are my lifetime friends.

32 entries. That’s good!

How do I get an entry form?

A combination that works very well is two youths sailing together: one helm, one crew. This can be competitive because they’d have a jib. They’d sail under the same handicap as a single adult with one sail.

I never visited ODC, principally because cars don’t suit. (They get in the way of my drinking arrangements). So unfortunately, I never met Alan. Anyhow, it is good to hear from Bob, our revered Dart 15 sailor. We all miss you! It is nice that you visit the forum from time to time. Likewise Gordon ...

Will Windsport be the agent for the Dart 16 as well?