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DF65 & DF95 Social Racing 2025 – 29/10/25

DF65’s

School half-term week attracted just 7 DF65 sailors …. which is strange since I can’t think of any regular sailors who are young enough to have school age children …. unless everybody was on grand parents duty instead … although nobody took the option to bring the grand children to Gautby Rd which might have provided some unplanned entertainment!

Those that did attend had an enjoyable morning with A+ rigs, 10 races and a (mostly) NW wind with regular puffs from a more westerly direction ensuring that the usual Gautby Rd jeopardy was in play in every race. The course comprised of a beat to the windward mark, around a spreader, back down the lake to a single leeward mark and up to the finish. There was no set pattern to the beats …. sometimes it paid to take a single port tack to the far bank while at other times it paid to take a hitch on starboard and hope to pick up one of the port lifting puffs. Downwind was just a case of being in the wind.

Charles lodged his complaint that racing was going to be dominated by James and Andrew while we were still rigging …. and then made himself look foolish by winning 2 out of the first 4 races. James decided to use his 2 discards when his main sheet came off the winch in race 2 but returned in time for race 4

After the first 4 races, Charles’s prophesy did come true with James and Andrew fighting for the top places while everybody else battled behind. James came out on top winning the last 4 races helped by Richard taking out Andrew in race 7, and some incompetent mark rounding by Andrew while leading  in race 8.

Many thanks to Dave for being RO for most races and getting some photos in as well.

  1. James Douglas 11pts (6 wins)
  2. Andrew Potter 15pts (2 wins)
  3. Charles Legg 19pts (2 wins)
  4. Richard Walker 30pts
  5. Phyl Fanning 38pts
  6. Andy Mearn 41pts
  7. Dave Williams/Stuart Mearn 43pts

DF95’s

With plenty of folks away on grandparent duties, there were only 5 DF95’s for the afternoon of racing, and only 4 made it to the water after Phyl Fanning had issues with his Transmitter/Receiver not talking to each other.  As both Stuart and Andy Mearns were launching their 95s for the first time the racing was extremely relaxed with no results recorded.  Paul Plested was on hand to help with the usual ‘just rigged teething problems’ of the new boats, as was Neil Westbrook for a while. Neil even took Steve Miller’s boat out for a spin in one race, giving Paul a run for his money.  Also well done to Steve Miller who managed to cross the line first in one race, with Paul unable to chase him down after an infringement.
Despite the small fleet, with the sun shining and the wind blowing straight down the lake most of the time it proved to be an enjoyable afternoon of sailing, unfortunately with no pictures to show what you all missed.