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On Saturday, 6th June, Draycote Water Sailing Club welcomed 17 Dart 15 sailors to the club. Special mention goes to Liam Thom and Yvonne Pike, who crossed the Solent to join us from Shanklin Sailing Club, and Ian Mounce and Keith Heason, who traveled up from Instow to represent North Devon Sailing Club.

The weather gods were with us, and a fresh westerly force four greeted everyone, with the promise of conditions picking up a little more throughout the day. Once set up, everyone was welcomed to the club during the race briefing managed by Race Officer Pete Slater, ably assisted by Steve Pell. Pete explained that there would be four 45-minute back-to-back races, with three to count around a square course. After wishing everyone luck, the sailors took to the water, and the fun began.

Minutes of 2024 AGM

Date: Friday 7 June 2024 at 18.00 hours

Venue: Spinnakers Suite : Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

A stellar weekend of champagne sailing at the home of British Olympic sailing – the 2024 Dart 15 Nationals sponsored by Noble Marine insurance really were a weekend to remember!

Forty five competitors competed in nine races over three days, in winds ranging from 12 to 25 knots from remarkably consistent westerly direction.  The event attracted its usual wide range of competitors geographically from Scotland to the Isle of Wight and various places in between and the age range was from 12 years old to mid-seventies.  Of particular note were the 13 entries from Marconi Sailing Club on the Essex East Coast and a number of competitors competing in their first ever Nationals, including several who were very new to the class.

A game of two halves

29 boats entered the second of the Dart 15 Summer Series events with six sailors coming from across the Solent.

There were very light and shifty winds for the first race which started just after noon on Saturday the 18th.  A right handed rectangle course was set by race officers Keith Newnham and Alan Howie-Wood which became a running start as the fickle breeze shifted round.  Those sailors who chose to start on the left hand, shore side of the line were rewarded with their own zephyr whereas those by the outer mark were left stranded in no wind.

The day saw near perfect non-sailing conditions with a frosty start and next to no breeze at all for the 2024 Chris Black Icicle.  However a bunch of enthusiastic & optimistic travellers arrived in good time to prepare themselves for a day afloat with a somewhat diminished local Grafham Water Dart 15 fleet, making on the day attendance 11 boats from 16 entries.  Nigel & Fiona Denchfield along with Grafham Laser sailor Pete Windsor were our race officers for the day ably assisted by the efficient mark laying team supplied by GWSC.  A trapezoidal course was set that also enabled club racing to have a windward/leeward course where all boats converged on mark 4, making for interesting mark rounding.