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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 the last few years lost to either Covid or storm force winds.   So it was with some irony that competitors monitored the forecast in the prior week showing a hefty 1-2 knots.  However, by Thursday the forecast was showing 5-7 knots and that was enough to entice 9 visitors to turn out for the event

Sailors from Marconi, Grafham, Draycote, Yorkshire Dales and Shanklin Sailing Clubs gathered on the start line to commence the first race. Race officers for the day were Tim Case, Richard and Steve Pell. After a timing malfunction the first race start was repeated with all boats hot to trot on the start line for a competitive start, with much shouting for “water”. The fleet screeched up the beat with some notable super human hiking from Liam, Jason and Jen as they tussled for the prize of first boat to the windward mark. 

Stewartby sailing club hosted the first round of the Sprint 15 2022/2023 winter series. Thirteen visitors and 7 home boats were greeted by very unseasonal conditions, with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine.

After a quick briefing from race officer Richard Hargreaves, the sailors prepared themselves to head out onto the water.

With just 30 minutes until the scheduled start time, event organiser Scott Wilcox decided it was perhaps time to get his boat ready, unfortunately it was still packed up on the trailer from the previous event. With help from all the Stewartby sailors the quickest rigging of a Sprint 15 ever was witnessed.

After a challenging Summer season in 2021, where we just about managed to hold a full Summer Series, despite Covid considerations – we hoped that the 2022 Summer series might be a little more straightforward.   Little did we suspect that Mother Nature was going to throw some different challenges our way in the form of the weather!   With hindsight, the early indications were there as we lost our January Winter TT to fog and our February Winter TT to Storm Eunice.  But adverse weather does not affect Summer Events, right?   Well, it nearly did but for different reasons!

The Inland Championships and final Summer TT of the year is always a popular event in the Sprint 15’s year-round events calendar.  Historically, this always takes place as part of the Grafham Cat Open – where the Sprint 15s make up the largest fleet at the event.   But this year, the weather intervened and the effects of the drought meant that Grafham did not have the capacity to host all the fleets it would usually invite to the Cat Open.  As such, the Sprint 15s found themselves without an event with two weeks to go until Rutland Sailing Club stepped in and saved the day at very short notice.

Forty-Four Sprint 15 sailors registered to race and gathered at the home of the North Devon Yacht Club at Instow on Friday the 30th September for the Sport Nationals – the three day regatta for single-handed Sprint 15 catamarans with main, jib and trapeze.

This was the highest turnout in over 14 years for the Sprint 15 Sport Mode Nationals, with 4 youth sailors taking part.  As the boat is to be rebranded the Dart 15 for 2023, the health and quality of the fleet is in good shape looking forward.

Fourteen travelling competitors from far and wide and ranging in age from 10 years old to 70 plus joined the one home boat of George Love to compete a six race card over two days at the idyllic setting of Carsington Water in Derbyshire.

This year, the Sprint 15 fleet headed to a very special destination for their 2022 National Championships.   We were delighted to be hosted by Windsport International and Restronguet Sailing Club – the home of where the class began 44 years ago.  A total of 45 competitors plus lots of family members were treated to a weekend of sunshine sailing and social events on the beautiful Carrick Roads.

The weather conditions for the Draycote TT could not have been better, sun and a steady south westerly forecast for the day saw travellers from Marconi, Shanklin, Stewartby, Carsington and Grafham sailing clubs attend the mid summer TT event at Draycote SC with the prospect of  champagne sailing on the cards.