Dinghy Racing

Dinghy Racing

The Club has a number of keen racers within its membership and promotes dinghy racing activities through a number of events:

10 Hour Relay Race – Frensham Pond Sailing Club

This event is held during a summer day at Frensham Pond Sailing Club. The race is open to teams racing the Club boats.

Match Racing – Frensham Pond Sailing Club

yKzH7SCGbrd-1v5IlEKN9IWoEsenmWXOh9avyH-xFbo[1] (1)

We normally try to hold two series of match races, one in the spring or early summer at or near the end of the Level 1+2 course and one in the late summer after our summer camp. Both of these series use the Club boats on Frensham pond usually on a weekday evening and are open to all members. The racing is competitive, but not too serious and is an ideal introduction to club racing. Each series usually culminates in a race afternoon held at the weekend usually coinciding with a social event (Summer Social in July and the Late Summer Social in September). The races are usually held on an individual helm basis and trophies are awarded for best helm and best novice helm.

Summer Camp Regatta

A highlight of the Clubs annual camp is the Regatta, usually held sometime during the middle weekend. The day consists of races in a number of different categories. There is a handicap race open to all and a ladies helm race as well as races for the coveted ‘GP’ and ‘mirror’ trophies.

Bart’s Bash

Bart’s Bash is a charity event to raise funds the help transform the lives of young people through sailing. We are looking to put teams into the next race in the Autumn.

Winter Series – Frensham Pond Sailing Club

The club Comet Trios are available to Dinghy Section members and there are handicap series on both Saturday and Sunday.

Comet Trio Nationals

The club boats can be taken to any Comet Trio Open Meeting and Nationals. Any Comet Trio rigged as our boats are, with the sails from the standard sailmakers and just as they are can be taken to any Comet Trio event and it’s in class. That also means that you can race our Comet Trios in any handicap race as well, and it’s within class and ready to go.

Pictures of our boats at the Comet Trio Nationals in 2015 with thanks to Mike Rice.

trio_nats_15_133 trio_nats_15_139

Round Isle of Sheppey Race Notes

A good sail is the longest dinghy race in Europe, and the notes for the race will help future explorers enter this race without making the mistakes that we made on our first year.

Recent Posts

Summer Camp 11th August – Upriver

Posted on by

The wind was forecasted to be from the East F3-4 early on Monday morning, and so 7 boats took to the water at 06:30 on a Monday morning in a raging spring flood current to sail and float upstream.

  • Trio Debbie, Mel & Steve
  • Trio Donna, Alan, Joshua, Lewis
  • Trio Rob and Stephen
  • Laser 2k David and Martin
  • Weta Chris & Adri
  • GP14 Mike & James
  • Trio Anna & Simon

The objective was to enjoy the nature of the early morning drift, so we chose not to use engines, instead choosing to paddle. The bright morning began with the predicted Easterly which powered us nicely for the first 30 minutes and the destination of Landshipping seemed secure. Then the wind dropped and we drifted with the current for a while, before the wind set in again, and this pattern of a small bit of wind and then flat calm repeated itself during the four hour cruise. We turned at 08:30 when the tide turned, about half a mile short of Landshipping.

Many of us then risked the challenging manoeuvre of landing on the jetty at Rudders Boatyard for some of the best bacon rolls, sausage rolls, croissants and excellent coffee. We stayed a long while until we were shoo’d off the jetty (and to be fair, we had stopped eating and drinking by then) and dashed across the ebb to arrive back at camp.

Approximately 10Nm sailed or drifted over about 4 hours will not break any speed records, but being on the river in the early morning light, and seeing the nature going about it’s business was a treat.