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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.

The Dart 15 Winter Series continued with its fourth Winter TT at Datchet Water Sailing Club.   The February TT does not have a great track record – with several years lost to either Covid or storm force winds and last year’s event only just managed to take place in a mere 3 to 4 knots and freezing temperatures.  So the fourteen competitors were delighted to arrive at Datchet to a decent breeze and mild temperatures.

10 travellers joined 6 home boats. Team Marconi turned up in force and it was good to see recently new travellers Lee Garton and Christophe Clarke visiting Draycote for the first time in the series. Iain Taylor had had a car malfunction so messaged us to say he would try for races 2 and 3.

We had the predicted weather of blue sky 5-10 mph wind and very bright sunshine.

The race officers Tim Case and Richard Cowell gave their briefing and as they have been regular ROs for the fleet and the fact Dart 15 sailors are a friendly bunch the questions were brief.

The second event of the Dart 15 Winter Series took place at Rutland Water on Sunday 10th December.  Despite the 50 knot winds on the Saturday, there was a weather window in the forecast for Sunday which encouraged ten competitors to turn up and take part in the event.

With a forecast of variable (5-10 mph) winds and sunshine, a pleasant day was on the cards for the nineteen entries to the first Dart 15 TT of the Winter Series.

The Dart 15 annual racing calendar comprises 5 Winter TTs, 2 National Championships and 5 Summer TTs.  This year’s summer events took place at Marconi, Rutland, North Devon, Carsington and Grafham.

Unsurprisingly, given the nature of our sport, the weather was a key feature of our Summer Series events again this year.  Last year, prolonged drought meant the tide was well and truly out at some of our reservoir locations which impacted that latter end of our summer season.