Reading Sailing Club Members

A great turnout for the club’s AGM on Friday. With a great chance to thank both the committee, and all the other members that give up so much of their time to keep the club running smoothly.

Afterwards, prizegiving was held for the series races. Newton had almost a clean sweep, winning:

Frostbite Handicap

Spring Pursuit

Spring Handicap

Commodore’s Cup

Gillette

Summer Handicap

Summer Pursuit

Cobley Pursuit

The were only two series won by others: The Frostbite Pursuit was won by Chris H & the Cobley Handicap, won by Will S.

There were 8 different winners of the cup races, held throughout the year.

The committee prizes were awarded to:

Helm of the Year: Newton

Endeavour Cup: Tatiana

Perseverance Trophy: Aileen

Almost Trophy: Joel W

The Kimble Trophy: Steve S

Novice Racer: Kate Waters

Young Racer: Molly S

Well done to all our winners, we look forward to seeing you all out on the water during the year ahead

A shifty force 3 for the latest rounds of the Frostbite series on Sunday.

Despite the floodwaters lapping at the edge of the road, 13 sailors made it out for the start. Tatiana set off first in her topper, with the rest of the fleet close behind.

A lull around the windward mark bunched everyone together, with Steve S (Blaze) & Hugh (ILCA7) getting out in front. Further back, it was close racing between the ILCA6’S of Will S & Richard S, whilst Newton & Ralph were having a battle of the Solos.

The fleet bunched up once again at the windward mark, with James P (ILCA7) getting past much of the fleet.

At the finish gun, Steve S was 1st, James P 2nd & Will S 3rd.

All boats stayed out for the Handicap race, with Steve once again getting away.

Mark B (AERO7) & Will S were next around the first mark. Will missed and then hit one of the bouys, losing valuable places.

Hugh and James meanwhile had passed Mark, who was fighting off Rick.

Further back, most of the fleet was battling together, with Newton uncharacteristically towards the back end of the fleet.

Back towards the front, Hugh’s outhaul came off, allowing James & Rick to pass him. Hugh managed to gain the places back on the final lap.

The race looked like it was going Steve’s way, but a patch of weed and lull thwarted his progress.

Steve crossed the line 1st, with Hugh 2nd and Rick 3rd.

On handicap, Hugh won, with Chris H 2nd & Rick 3rd.

Well done to all competitors for sailing in such challenging conditions.

A big thank you to Darren & his team for running the racing & providing support for launching and recovery in the flooded conditions.

After the race, there was a choice of Christmas Dinner or Spicy Sweet Potato soup, made by Ann.

We’re back on Sunday for the next rounds of the Frostbite Series.

Little to no wind for the latest rounds of the Frostbite Series on Sunday.

After two weeks of no racing due to the lake being frozen, it was great to see 13 boats out despite the lack of wind.

A nice short course for the pursuit race, with Ron setting of first in his Mirror, making good progress before the rest of the boats started.

The Comets of Chris H & Aileen were next off, with Chris getting ahead and setting off in pursuit of Ron.

Meanwhile, further back, Roland & Newton (Both Solos) were having a close fight with eachother. Meanwhile, Hugh (ILCA7) and Steve S (Blaze) were trading places, with Hugh gaining on the runs, and Steve gaining on the beats.

Towards the end of the race, Newton hit a buoy and had to complete penalty turns, this allowed Hugh & Steve to catch up.

Chris H was way out in front, but it became a 5 way race for the final podium positions.

Steve got a good lift on the windward leg, passing both Hugh & Newton. Whilst Roland managed to pass Ron.

Overall Chris H finished 1st, with Roland 2nd & Ron 3rd.

Most boats remained out for the handicap race, the course adjusted to the changing wind direction.

Hugh got an early lead and sailed clear, followed by James P (ILCA7) and Roland.

Steve S got ahead and sailed clear in his faster Blaze, remaining ahead for the rest of the race.

Roland and James meanwhile had caught up with Hugh on the second beat.

Further back, Chris H & Aileen were having a close battle, trading places each lap, with Chris managing to pull out a two minute lead over Aileen by the end of the race.

Steve crossed the line 1st, with Hugh 2nd and Roland 3rd.

On Handicap Steve S was 1st, Roland 2nd & Hugh 3rd.

A big thank you to Rick and his team for running the racing on Sunday.

After the race, there was Bacon & Lentil Soup, made by Kate.

We’re back on Sunday for the next rounds of the Frostbite Series.

Official racing was cancelled on Sunday due to the lake being frozen, that didn’t stop several members heading out for the unofficial “Will’s Cup” once the lake had started to thaw.

6 boats made it to the start line, with Hugh (ILCA7) taking an early lead, he was closely followed by Rhys (ILCA6), with Chris H (Comet) 3rd.

Aileen (Comet) caught up and overtook Chris, both of whom were trading places for the rest of the race.

Hugh crossed the line 1st, with Rhys 2nd and Chris H 3rd.

On Handicap, Rhys & Chris H were joint winners, with Aileen 3rd.

At the start of the second race, Rhys was over the line with less than a minute to go, not noticing the display Z flag. This meant he had a 20% penalty added to his time and was in no biased against the fact his sibling was on the OOD team.

Hugh got away with an early lead, closely followed by Aileen. Rhys, having completed penalty turns, had his work cut out chasing Aileen, eventually passing her.

Hugh crossed the line 1st, with Rhys 2nd and Aileen 3rd.

On Handicap, Hugh finished 1st, with Aileen 2nd & Kate 3rd.

Overall, Hugh wins Will’s Cup, Aileen was 2nd and Rhys 3rd

A big thank you to both Wills & the rest of the OOD team for running the racing on Sunday, and to Newton & Steve for providing coaching to the less experienced members.

We’re back on Sunday for the next rounds of the Frostbite Series.

A big thank you to all the members that braved the cold for our Monthly Work Party on Saturday.

We were able to complete some essential maintenance and tidy up the club.

We also cleared some overgrown bushes to allow a more consistent breeze to the model yachting area.

Our work parties are held on the first Saturday of every month from 10am & are vital to keeping our club running. If you can spare some time, then please come along and help where you can. Hot drinks and cake are always provided

A steady force three for the final races of 2025 on Sunday.

It was a tad chilly, so only 10 boats heading out for the Pursuit race.

The OOD team took no prisoners, DSQing Riccardo (ILCA6) for starting at the wrong time and Ron (Mirror) for sailing the wrong course.

Chris H & Aileen, both in Comets took early leads, with Newton & Darren, both in Solos close behind. The course went close to the Buoy line, leading to quite a few hails for room to avoid obstructions.

Newton got ahead of Darren, passed Aileen and set off to catch Chris H. Who both had a close fight for the top spot. Further back, Aileen was trying to keep Darren at bay. James P (ILCA7) meanwhile had caught up, giving a three boat race for the final podium place.

At the finish gun, Newton was ahead, Chris H 2nd & Darren 3rd.

The Handicap race had a great start, with almost every boat right on the line, James P, Newton & Darren were the first around the windward mark and had a close fight for the remainder of the race. Chris H was close behind in his slower Comet.

Further back, Aileen, Ian H (ILCA6) & Riccardo were having a close fight, before Aileen pulled away.

On the final lap, Darren dropped back and Newton sailed clear of James, crossing the line first. James was 2nd & Darren 3rd.

On Handicap, Newton was 1st, Chris H 2nd & Darren 3rd.

A big thank you to Hugh and his team for running the racing on Sunday.

After the race, there was Soup & Banoffee Pie, made by Ann.

We’re back on New Year’s Day for the New Year’s Day Pennant.

A great turnout for the first of Newton’s Theory sessions today.

An in depth look at the 5 Essentials & the use of boat controls, not just on when to use them, but also on the physics behind why they are important.

A big thank you to Newton for running an excellent session.

Sunday Theory will return next week for a look at Upwind Sailing & Dirty Air

A shifty northeasterly wind for the Boxing Day Pennant race.

Despite many having indulged in far too many Mince Pies the day before, 14 boats took the the water for the hour long race.

Hugh (ILCA7) was first around the windward mark, closely followed by Rhys (ILCA6). James P (ILCA7) overtook Rhys and was fighting Hugh for the lead.

Further back, Rhys, Joel & Will P (All ILCA6) were trading places along with Richard W (ILCA7).

Further back, the Solos of Roland S & Newton were having a close battle with Richard G in his 2000, who had chosen Kate as his latest victim to crew for him.

The wind picked up towards the end of the race, as Hugh increased the distance between himself & James, whilst Rhys had caught up with James.

Hugh crossed the line first, with James P 2nd and Rhys 3rd.

On Handicap, Rhys wins the Boxing Day Pennant, with Joel 2nd & Hugh 3rd.

A big thank you to Adrian and his team for running the racing yesterday.

After the race, there was Root Vegetable Soup, made by Ann.

We’re back on Sunday for the next rounds of the Frostbite Series, followed by Newton’s inaugural talk on improving boat speed.

Light winds for the latest rounds of the Frostbite Series on Sunday.

15 sailors made it out for the the racing in force one and a bit winds.

A short course was the order of the day, which allowed racers to get several laps in, despite the calm weather.

Ron was off first in his Mirror, with the rest of the fleet close behind. The wind filled in slightly and most of the boats met at the windward mark, with Aileen (Comet), Roland (Solo) & Will S (ILCA6) getting ahead.

3-5 business days later, Mike & Alé set off in the 470, attempting to catch up with the rest of the fleet.

After the first lap, Ron was still layed, but was quickly passed by Roland who took the lead.

Will S, Hugh (ILCA7) & Darren (Solo) were close behind but unable to overtake him.

Further back in the midfleet, there was plenty of places being traded & a close fight between Newton (Solo)& Chris H (Comet).

At the finish gun, Roland was 1st, Will S 2nd & Hugh 3rd.

Most remained out for the Handicap, a short start line allowed plenty of tussling for space between boats.

Steve S (Blaze), Will S & James P all had great first beats and shot into the top three places, with the remainder of the fleet fighting for space around the windward mark. At the front, Steve managed to sail clear of Will, who both ended up racing by themselves for the remainder of the race.

Further Back, Hugh & Roland had caught up with James P and we’re battling for the final podium position.

Elsewhere, Newton and Darren were having a close battle In their Solos, whilst Nigel & Will P were changing places, both in ILCA6’s. Fresh on the water in his new Solo, Ian H had caught up with both of them, passing Nigel in the process.

Steve S crossed the line 1st, with Will S 2nd & Hugh 3rd.

On Handicap, Will S was first, Roland 2nd & Chris H 3rd.

A big thank you to Karen & her team for running the racing on Sunday.

After the race, there was Soup, sausage rolls, mince pies, brownies, banoffee pie & mulled wine. All organised by Ann & Sally.

We’re back on boxing day for the Boxing Day Cup.