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DF95 Summer Series – Round 1 – 12th April 2026
Thirteen skippers turned up on a bright and blustery morning for the opening round of the DF95 summer series- and what a cracking days racing it turned out to be. The moderate gusty south-westerly made life easy for the race team -Kevin E and Ron A- who set a course off the east bank.
A long beat towards the clubhouse in a single leg to a windward/spreader mark, followed by a downwind run to a leeward gate in the northeast corner of the lake, and then a second beat to the finish line between the windward and spreader marks. The blustery conditions saw all skippers opting for B rigs for the day. Great to see both Alan N (438) and Mike W (76) back out on the water
Racing got underway shortly after 10 am, with Rob W (97) taking the honours in the first race, closely followed by Mike H (22) in second. Wins in the next four races before the tea break were shared by Paul Kelly (19), Jen H (69), Mike H (22) and Martyn A (877) showing there was no single skipper dominating the results.
Plenty of cake was on offer at the tea break, with two skippers, Colin H and Kevin E both celebrating birthdays during the previous week. Colin H came out flying after the tea break, taking wins in races 6, 7 and 9. Mike H kept up his strong form with victories in races 8 and 11 while Kevin E claimed race 10.
Both Mick C (46) and Malcolm P (01) experienced boat or electrical problems but hopefully they will be resolved for the next round.
Seven different skippers secured race wins on the day, with the points reflecting just how close the competition was and how hard fought the battles were throughout the fleet.
Congratulations to Martyn A, winner on the day with 22 points (1 win and 5 seconds), closely followed by Mike H second on 26 points (3 wins and 1 second) and Paul K very close behind in third on 26 points (1 win and 2 seconds).
All in all, it was a great day’s racing- close competition and good sportsmanship throughout.
The race team is grateful to everyone who helped pack away the equipment.
Race 1: IOM Summer Series – April 5th 2026.
With a gaggle of Lincoln boats competing at the Datchet Nationals we had a reduced fleet today of 8 happy skippers.
It was windy, so B rig was the call for the day. In fact by the last race at 1pm C rig may have been the best option, with many boats being over powered down wind and putting their rudders in the air!
As always, the orientation of Lincoln’s lake came into its own, with a 150m windward leeward course being set along the length of the west bank, parallel to it.
The good news was, the marks were never far away, the bad news was, there was an awful lot of walking involved (almost running at times today).
Congratulations go to Rob Wilson and his Brit Pop, our winner today, closely followed by Roger Crates and his Venti with equal points but a final race worse discard.
On occasions Sam Parker found very good speed as did Mike Holmes, Colin Helliwell and Kevin Evison with only 2 points separating the 3 of them.
It just goes to show, every place counts.
Although bringing up the rear, Ron and Mark both commented on how much fun they had had, and how much they had learnt by sailing in such strong conditions.
All in all, everybody enjoyed themselves which of course is why we go sailing.
See you all again, in two weeks
IOM Worlds 2025: The Best Radio Sailors on the Planet Converge on Datchet
Datchet Radio Sailing are hosting the biggest event of the radio sailing world in May next year, the IOM World championships. Competitors from 20 plus countries will participate and the spectacle of the best in the world racing is not to be missed.
(more…)IOM sailing in the Midland District over the winter.
Following on from the success of the IOM pop up events held at Lincoln Radio Sailing Club, the Midland District has agreed to trial a new format for the 2025-26 IOM winter series.
What’s different?
Well, all rounds will be hosted by the Lincoln Radio Sailing Club (LRSC) and held at the Scotland Farm Lake near Lincoln for a start. Also the race team will be made up of club members who will be sailing as well, with one of the more experienced skippers being assigned as Race Officer for the day.
It is hoped that this trial will encourage further clubs to get involved in the future, with the organisational load being shared amongst the skippers and giving other clubs the confidence to offer their lake.
The series will be about fresh air and sailing over the winter months and we welcome any MYA member, from any district, and all abilities. As with every visit to LRSC a warm welcome will be assured and experienced skippers will be on hand to give any help required.
The dates below have been compiled to coincide with LRSC IOM race days and to avoid the Northern District IOM series dates, hopefully encouraging skippers to travel.
The racing format will be standard across the series:
– 9.45am briefing, 10.00am start, with no race to start after 3.30pm.
– The urn will be on for hot drinks (bring your own cup) and entry will be £5.00 per head.
– Prizes will be token, as the reward will be the fresh air and friendship.
– Entry will be via the MYA online entry system with payment on the day.
– Series scores will be kept by the MD and published on the MD website.
Dates:
Rd1 – Oct 2025 –(already held)
Rd 2 – Sunday 16th Nov 2025
Rd 3 – Sunday 4th Jan 2026
Rd 4 – Sunday 15th Feb 2026 (Micky C’s Big Birthday Bash- possibly cake available!)
Rd 5 – Sunday 15th March 2026
More details and the Notice of Race can be found here: IOM Midland District Pop-up Events
Also:
Keep an eye out on the Midland District website for other IOM events being hosted by district clubs over the winter months, plus the MYA calendar for IOM Open meetings around the country.
Date for the diary: Midland District Champion Skipper Round 1- March 8th 2026 to be hosted by Bournville RS&MBC
Lincoln Radio Sailing Club 