Reading Sailing Club Members

A lovely force 4 with some strong gusts for the latest rounds of the Cobley series on Sunday.

13 boats made it out for the pursuit race, with Paul W setting off first in his Morbic, followed by the rest of the fleet. There was action at the windward mark, with Dave & Ann (Leader) & the two Solos of Darren and Newton making contact. (There was a lot of discussion about the racing rules afterwards).

This action helped Will S (ILCA6) take the lead of the race, but the rest of the fleet was close behind, with Rick, Adrian F (Both ILCA7) and Dave & Ann all having a close battle with eachother.

Mark B (AERO7) meanwhile was making his way up the fleet and was just behind the Solos.

On the final lap, Mark managed to pass the Solos who were having a close fight on the run. At the finish gun, Will finished first, with Mark 2nd & Newton 3rd.

Several boats returned to the shore & the wind eased slightly, leaving 10 boats for the Handicap.

The racing was tight as the fleet neared the leeward mark, almost completely hidden at Buoy 1. Rick got hit with a gust and managed to avoid a collision with most of the fleet, but the delay pushed him back down the order.

Newton had an early advantage over both Darren & Will, who was ahead for the first lap. Newton subsequently hit the windward buoy, and lost out on a place to Darren. Once again, both Darren and Newton became embroiled in a fight on the run, allowing Will to pass them on lap 3.

Elsewhere, Rick had caught up with Adrian and Dave & Ann, and were having a close battle in the midflet.

Will crossed the line 1st, with Darren 2nd & Newton 3rd. The positions remain unchanged after Handicap.

We’re now over halfway through the series, with Newton leading the Pursuit & Will leading the Handicap.

A big thank you to Aileen and her team for running the racing on Sunday.

After the race, there were bacon rolls made by Ann.

We’re back on Wednesday for the next rounds of the Cobley Series.

Four of the Youth and Juniors took part in the Junior Competition at the Eric Twiname Team Racing Championships over the weekend of 11/12th October.

Teams from around the country descended on Oxford Sailing Club for what was supposed to be two days of exciting and competitive team racing action. The Junior competition is raced in the RS Feva with each team having two boats per team. Boats are provided and teams change in and out of boats throughout the weekend while following a schedule of races which will ultimately determine the winners.

Unfortunately the weather did not play the game! Saturday was spent sitting on the side of the reservoir waiting for the wind. An attempt was made at racing but was abandoned after only 6 races being sailed, unfortunately none of which included the Reading Team.

Optimistic for Sunday we all arrived bright and early to be greeted with fog! Another morning sitting on the side of the reservoir but this time the girls were prepared and had bought their homework with them, the boys were glued to their phones but it definitely wasn’t homework they were doing!

Finally with much excitement the fog cleared and soon after, around midday, the wind filled in and racing commenced. Another 54 races were completed before 4pm each team participating in 6 races.

Dubious umpire decisions (according to one of the helms) and races against some of the top teams were a challenge for the Reading sailors but they sailed extremely well and were in with a chance in all of their races. They took the win against Seaford Blue with a 1,2 and also had a 1,4 against Derbyshire which although a loss was a great achievement.

Well done to the team – Will, Ilya, Phoebe and Molly and thanks to the parents and Karen for supporting them at the event.

Very light winds for the latest rounds of the Cobley series.

Just 8 sailors made it out to the start, with a nice short course.

Paul W (Morbic) set of first in the pursuit race, with the rest of the fleet following close behind. Chris H (Comet) overtook and built up a lead which none of the other boats could challenge, finishing 1st. Aileen (Comet) was 2nd, & Nigel (ILCA7) close behind in 3rd.

There wasn’t any improvement on the wind for the Handicap race, but the short, square course allowed for 4 laps of racing before the final gun went off.

Nigel lead for the whole race, crossing the line 1st. Dave & Ann (Leader) crossed the line 2nd, with Chris H just behind in 3rd.

On Handicap, Chris H was 1st, with Nigel 2nd & Dave & Ann 3rd.

A big thank you to Mark B & his team for running the racing yesterday.

After the race, there were bacon rolls, made by Ann.

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

Some very strong winds for Sunday’s rounds of the Cobley series.

Despite the conditions, 14 boats made it out for the pursuit race, cheered on by a large number of onlookers who opted to keep both feet on dry land.

Darren (ILCA6) led the way in the pursuit race, having quickly passed the slower Toppers and Morbic. Newton was close behind in his Solo.

Further back there was a close battle for 3rd. With 7 boats finishing their first lap within a minute of eachother.

Darren crossed the line 1st, with Newton 2nd and Richard G (AERO5) 3rd.

Only 7 boats remained out for the Handicap race. The wind built further, & Darren once again led the way. Richard G was close behind in 2nd, but opted to retire.

Newton was next and crossed the finish line 2nd, with Adrian F (ILCA7) 3rd.

On Handicap, Darren was 1st, with Newton 2nd & Adrian F 3rd.

Well done to all who went out and braved the conditions.

A big thank you to James P & the rest of the team for running the racing on Sunday & providing excellent safety cover.

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

The extra practice session squeezed in just before the end of the summer was on Sunday afternoon. The rain of the morning cleared up but sadly the wind did not improve. Despite hardly any wind, 13 very keen members took the opportunity to get out on the lake.

Thank you to everyone who helped on the day.

Very light winds for the latest rounds of the Cobley series today.

10 boats made it out for the start of the pursuit race, with the Toppers of Elissa and Tatiana & Rob in his Mirror first to set off.

Suddenly becalmed, the rest of the fleet, consisting primarily of Comets & ILCA6’s set off in pursuit.

Aileen (Comet) was first around the windward mark, followed by Will S (ILCA6) & Chris H (Comet). Aileen was ahead for the first lap, before being overtaken by Will. With just a few minutes until the final gun, Aileen once again took the lead.

Elsewhere in the race, Tatiana (Topper) managed to pass Ron (Mirror), who had stalled at the beginning of his second lap.

Ian H (ILCA6) hit the windward mark, and in doing his penalty turn, capsized. The lack of wind provided no resistance for clambering back into the boat, and spectators were treated to a triple capsize before Ian managed to sail on.

At the finish gun, Aileen was 1st, with Will S 2nd and Chris H 3rd.

The wind built slightly, maybe even to a full knot for the Handicap race, with most boats getting a good start. Mike & Alé (470) took an early lead, followed by Will & Aileen. Aileen & Karen managed to overtake Will on the 3rd leg, having both noticed the wind shift before him.

With the wind dying, the race was a one lap wonder, with Mike & Alé crossing the line first, followed by Aileen & Karen.

On handicap, Aileen was 1st, with Karen 2nd & Mike & Alé 3rd.

A big well done to all the sailors who went out today and persevered in the trying conditions.

Thanks to Hugh & his team for running the racing today.

After the race, there were bacon rolls, made by Ann.

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

Congratulations to the latest cohort of trainees that have passed their RYA level 2 course.

A big thank you to our volunteer training team for giving up their time to run these courses.

This is our final course of the year, with training dates for 2026 to be released in due course

Jewels & Ron Vass were at the Mirror Nationals at Netley. Despite the difficult conditions, Jewels came away with 1st singlehander.

4 sailors went to the ILCA open at Frensham Pond, with Will S achieving 3rd & Rhys P 5th in the 6 fleet. Hugh finished 3rd in the 7 fleet.

Make sure to send your travel experiences to us so we can share them.

A perfect wind for our final Junior Regatta of the year.

11 sailors made it out in a steady force three from the north east. Despite, the numerous wind shifts, the young sailors improved throughout the afternoon, with 5 short races.

Our instructor & coaching team were on hand to offer support and advice to the more novice members as they worked their way around the course.

A big thank you to Karen & her team for organising the event & to Newton & Jess for running the races.

There are plenty of further opportunities for our junior racers, with the Eric Twiname Team racing event coming up in October, along with our regular Pink Fleet & Sunday morning racing.