Good turnout for the second of the pop up series hosted by Lincoln, Great breeze from the North East had the fleet in A rig all day, no rain forecast no rain came. Briefing sorted with wise words from OOD Darin, and we were into the first race, 23 skippers but the start line was plenty long enough with room a plenty Tim H 134 got away with a clean start with young Hayden W 154 ,( Poss 12 years old and the future for sure) in hot pursuit along with Rob W 97, To say it was a shifty tricky beat would be understating it, and the top half of the beat was difficult m none the less Tim managed it well and took the win from Hayden and Rob, Race two and the Venti Of Roger C 30 just seemed to power away from the fleet and took the win easily from Tim H 134, Dorian C 130 another likely lad with his Brit Pop taking the third spot, Racing was tight all thru the fleet and you needed to be on you toes to A get a good start and B keep your clean air and take advantage of any shift , and trust me there were a few. After the first two races a slight change to the beat was made, so now the beat was almost the full length of the lake, not that it made things any easier. Rob W 97 and Chris E 74 took the next two races but Tim H was very consistent not really being out of the top three till race 10 where he got 18 points , and probably with the day won took his foot of the pedal a little.

A great mixture of designs on show 9 in fact and that is always good news for the class, this was in fact the second POP up event for this Winter series and certainly had great support, Austin G 68 deserves a little mention as this was his first time out with his Venti and the traveling was made well with while with his second place in what was a very strong fleet, Both Austin and Tim had three wins apiece Darin B 98 took a win with his Dated Pikanto , and Simon F 71 also took a win with his Alioth. It was a tough day that’s for sure, and many will be studying the scorecard to see what they could have done better, many will still be scratching their heads, but at the end of the day consistency is key and the three on the podium showed what it is all about, Many congratulations to the deserved winner Tim Hand and also many thanks to Darin B for his tireless work in making it all happen. A final thanks to all who participated and if you fancy another crack at it , Keep your eyes firmly fixed for the next dates .

Thirteen skippers arrived on a bright November morning for round 2 of the DF95 winter series. The light south-easterly breeze gave the race team, Kevin E and Ron A, plenty to think about but after some fine-tuning a dog-leg course was set off the east bank, beating towards the clubhouse.

It was great to welcome two new members- Ron A(884) and Malcolm Parker (31)- along with visitor Chris Kelly (no number).

Before the first race, Tim Hand was presented with the two trophies he had missed collecting at the AGM- congratulations Tim!

Racing started shortly after 10 am and Tim H (44) came out flying, taking all three wins before the tea break. Martin A (877) scored two seconds and Paul K (19) also took a second place.

After race 3, the fleet took a tea break, and at 11am everyone observed the Remembrance Sunday two-minute silence, remembering those who have lost their lives in conflict.

After the break, the competition stayed close. Mick C (46) found his rhythm with two wins and a second in the final race. Kevin E (02) improved throughout the session, taking two first and two seconds. Colin H (301) sailed strongly to claim a race win, while Martin A and Paul K each added further second places. Sam P (59) secured four third places and Jen H (69) added two thirds to her scoreline.

It was great to see Alan N (438) back on the water and Malcolm P (31) had a promising debut in this first day of DF95 racing.

Congratulations to Tim H, a clear overall winner on the day with 13 points and five firsts out of ten races, Mick C was second on 24 points, closely followed by Martin A on 25 points.

All in all, it was a great days racing- close competition and good sportsmanship. The race team is grateful to everyone who helped packing away the equipment, and a special mention to Tim for his assistance in setting the course.

Another fantastic morning of racing at Lincoln , you really could not have had a better day, with sunshine and a decent top suit breeze from the South West, it did veer slightly during the morning when a dog leg was added to the course.

Eleven skipper’s showed up, and from the start it appeared that one of the favourites was going to be out of contention with an unresolved electrical problem with his Venti, a couple were late at the start, but this was no concern to Mick C 46 who stormed away to take the first of his three wins on the day, Roger C always a threat with his Venti came in 2nd and Martyn sailing his Alioth took third spot. The Venti’s outnumbered the other classes today, but were still unable to break the strangle hold of Tim H 134 and his Brit Pop who after the first race put a truly consistent series of races. The racing was extremely competitive and close racing was to be had where ever you were in the fleet. Sam P 59 is getting to grips with his Venti and was showing some great touches coming second to Tim H 134 in race three.

In fact in race five Tim had quite a healthy lead going in to the leeward gate for the last time , but unfortunately cut it a bit tight, and touched the mark . Micky boy 46 was on the mistake like a dog with a bone and the with the final beat to the finish it was neck and neck ,with Mick just to weather, it looked like Tim was an inch or two ahead as they came to the line very close to the bank end and the finishing Buoy, Looked for all intense and purpose a one two but Tim again hit the mark and Mick took full advantage to take the win, by the time time had done his turns, Sam came blistering through followed by Roger C and so Tim had to be content with fourth place, that is basically how tight racing was this morning, The breeze stayed pretty constant all morning, and the club got 10 long races in by 1pm .

Massive congratulations to Tim for the win well 5 wins out of ten races ,and also doing the main OOD duties, also a great deal of thanks to everyone who made this a very enjoyable and competitive mornings racing.

Just a quick heads up that the next I.O.M racing at the lake with be an extended day and open to visitors . and the date for your diary is the 15th November , yep just two weeks time.

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