Afternoon folks, I hope this post finds you safe and well. Lockdown rules around the UK are somewhat different from country to country, no sailing in England currently but here in Wales we had a club outing yesterday, the first in more than a month. It felt good to get back on the water.

Lots of exciting vaccine news over the last few weeks with the potential to begin the huge task of getting us all stabbed in the arm in the not too distant future.

So, what does this mean for our 2021 calendar? In truth it doesn’t mean a lot for probably the first half of the new season. Planning is well underway for the two National Championships, the 95’s will remain at Fleetwood, the 65 venue may change and as soon as we have more to tell you we will let you know the details.

As for the TT series it’s a tough one. It would be tough to arrange a whole raft of events only to have to cancel them as we did this season. So we have taken the stance that we’ll see what the lay of the land is as the vaccine is hopefully rolled out and once we are confident that being stabbed in the arm is the answer to the problem then we’ll get on and put a race calendar together. I think you should expect that it’ll be a May / June onward affair which might make for a busy second half to the season, but hey, that’s no bad thing having being sat at home for the thick end of a year.

Many events have passed this year without taking place, I for one have stood next to the fridge looking at the calendar on the wall thinking I should be racing this weekend but the van hasn’t been packed, the hotels have been cancelled and boats have remained in park ferme. Luckily the calendar is near the fridge and I’ve been able to indulge in a sad snack whilst contemplating what might have been. I’m sure I’m not alone.

One such event was the DF65 Globals which was scheduled for the beginning of September. Obviously it was cancelled and we’ve heard from the organisers that the new event will not take place in 2021 but it has been scheduled for May 2022 which hopefully gives the world chance to get back to some sort of normality. It’s a while off yet but it’s worth an entry into a phone to remind you.

There is no Dinghy Show in 2021 either, the new venue of Farnborough was something to look forward to however after some consultation with the RYA and exhibitors it was decided to postpone until 2022. There is a virtual show but we’re not sure of the value to us so we’ll probably give it a miss and plan for 2022.

Not much other news to report currently but we hope that you’re all safe and well.

And to finish, here’s a picture from Sue Brown to cheer you all up.

So, with an air of inevitability we have had some news from Fleetwood letting us know that Not the 95 Nationals has, unfortunately, been cancelled.

With tighter restrictions coming into force this week it was always going to be a stretch to get the event run even though the MYA / RYA guidance allowed the event to go ahead.

A very tough decision for Derek & the club to have to make but one that is probably sensible and correct.

For a full statement on the cancellation please head to the event page.

It looks very much like that will be that for the foreseeable future, we’ll keep you up to date with things as they develop.

We are currently awaiting some news on this event from the Fleetwood club who are also waiting on guidance from the MYA and RYA. Currently the event is due to run as scheduled. As soon as we have more info we will post it up here and if you’ve signed up to the event then you should probably expect an email from the club with an update.

Morning Folks, I’ve had the latest up to date entry list from the chaps up at Fleetwood and we have reached our 28 skipper limit. You can check out the entry list here

However there is a note from Bob @ Fleetwood as follows –

“We are sorry to inform you, that the entry list for the 95 event is now fully subscribed, however still please enter and your name will be taken, and put on the waiting list, and if any positions become available you will be notified in due course.

Please do not pay any monies at this time, until if and when you are updated.

We will endeavour to let you know as soon as possible if any positions become free, so as to help with you making your arrangements.”

So there we have it, Not the 95 Nationals, fully booked.

Morning folks, it’s been a while since we’ve had much to tell you and it looks like the last thing we wrote about was the cancellation of the DF65 Nationals back in May. It’s now August and after a lot of chat between the DF Racing UK committee we have decided to cancel the rest of the 2020 TT season.

Whilst the situation has improved since we last posted there is still an awful lot of uncertainty about what the next few months hold in terms of the pandemic and how it evolves. For us to hold the remaining events puts a certain amount of pressure upon skippers to attend and perhaps puts people outside their comfort zones and, to be frank, that’s not what we’re about.

So the remaining two events in September and October at Fleetwood and Birkenhead have been cancelled so that’s the DF95 Nationals and the final TT event. A great shame, however there is some good news. Derek up at Fleetwood is determined to hold an event for DF95’s this year. With that in mind we have “Not the 95 Nationals” scheduled to take place on the same weekend of the 25th – 27th September. Obviously there is a possibility that the event may not go ahead but there is an good amount of confidence that we’ll get to the start line again this season with the DF95!

Please find the NoR by clicking here, filling in the form and submitting it. It’s really easy to do I promise…..

95’s @ Fleetwood 2019 – Photo – Sue Brown

So, we need to start looking towards 2021 and how that will work and after some discussion we have decided to try, where possible, to re run the 2020 calendar as it was. Obviously there will be one or two changes to make it work for the clubs but we are hopeful that we will not see another year as terrible as this again and we can go boating!

As well as the above there is now a good amount of socially distanced sailing going on at clubs all over the country.  Clubs are dealing with the reality of getting back to sailing on an individual basis and are following both local, National and MYA guidance as appropriate to their location.

Registrations have been strong throughout the last few months too, there has been a surge of dinghy clubs and yacht clubs around the UK taking up one or other of the DF Racing classes which is an encouraging direction not only for the DF Racing UK Class Association but also for Radio Sailing as a sport. Wayne will be along with a newsletter on the subject soon.

Following on from our last communication we have now had word from Coalhouse Fort RYC who have now taken the tough decision to cancel this year’s DF65 UK Nationals.

This should give everyone time to cancel travel plans and hotels. The club have offered to hold the 2021 Championship.

Full details on the club website, click here

Sounds very much like a British Rail announcement doesn’t it? Anyhow, short and sweet today, just to let you know that the DF Racing TT event at Keighley has been cancelled and the event at Eastbourne has been postponed. The guys at Eastbourne may try and put the event on in the later half of the year if there is enough time and space in the calendar.

The RG65 Nationals, also at Keighley have also been cancelled and will not be rescheduled for later in the year.

In line with current Government and MYA guidance we have no plans to restart racing anytime soon. Maybe we’ll get the DF65 Nationals at CHF but we haven’t had word from the club….fingers crossed.

So there we are, sorry there is nothing better to report but I hope you’re all safe and sound and staying alert, or at home, or at work or wherever you’re supposed to be….

Throwback to DF65 Nationals 2019

Hello folks, hope you are all well. It’s been a little while since we posted anything up here, mainly because there has been very little tell you, however today we have some news!

The forthcoming DF65 Globals, scheduled for September in Sweden has been postponed for a year and will hopefully take place in September 2021, giving you a chance to further hone your DF65 skills! A genuinely tough decision to have to make but in the current crisis a very well thought out one that still sees the championship take place.

Full details of the announcement are available on the event website – clicky here

In other events news the UK TT series is still on hold with all upcoming events still cancelled. We would hope to have a clearer picture of how our season might recover and enable us to hold some events later in the year. In reality it is unlikely that these will be TT events, more like popup events around the country. We are working on it and will let you guys know as soon as we have some sort of plan to move forward.

The Lake Garda event has been cancelled too, if you had entered you’ll have had an email from the organisers I’m sure. It is unlikely that this event will be rescheduled for later in the year, but you never know.

There isn’t really any other news, but I’ve been in touch with our registrar Wayne who has given me the following interesting info about registrations for both classes.

So far we have 1650 registered DF65 yachts in the UK, these are spread over 33 clubs. 2020 has so far seen 73 new boats registered with the Association.

The DF95 now has 791 registered boats in the UK spread over 29 clubs. 2020 has seen 59 new registrations with the Association.

The Gosport club has very strong fleets of both classes and there are 253 owners who have both a DF65 and a DF95 registered.

So even in these very odd times the two classes are still continuing to grow at a healthy pace. When we are able to sail once again it will be great to welcome these new skippers to the fleet.

Stay safe.

With new Government restrictions announced last evening we have some news regarding upcoming events on the DF Racing calendar. Please see the information below which clarifies the DF Racing position and updates the status of the next TT event.

“You will all be aware of the significant risks and disruption caused by the Coronavirus COVID-19.

This situation is very fluid and countries are taking drastic action to slow down the spread and impact of the virus which include travel and social interaction restrictions as well as advice on personal protection.

The DFRacingUK NCA Committee have discussed this topic at length and agree that the advice of the UK Government, the MYA and the host Clubs will determine the fate of upcoming TT Events.

Following updated guidance issued by the authorities earlier today we have discussed the upcoming TTs events with the respective host clubs.

Following discussion between the event organisers from Gosport MYBC and the DFRacingUK committee it has been decided to cancel round 3 of the TT in Gosport this coming weekend to protect the participants, organisers and public as much as possible.  Gosport MYBC will be in contact with the current entrants very soon.

A further discussion is being held with Lincoln regarding the event in April and we will issue an update on that soon.

A final decision on the event in Garda scheduled for mid May will be made during April and communicated at that point.  The Andrew Simpson Foundation who are the organisers are not opening their offices until early May due to the Italian restrictions, this being subject to change based on local guidance, and will make the decision based on local advice.

Current estimates and predictions would suggest that we should expect some events to be disrupted and we will inform you as and when this happens.

One last point to note is that the decision to attend an event or not is up to the individual participant.  If you are already entered into an event and feel that you no longer want to attend then please make contact with the organising club, and while at an event you should take all necessary precautions.

We also ask that anyone who believes that they may have been exposed to the virus to stay away from the event to help protect others.

Please stay safe everyone.

Sincerely

DFRacing UK NCA Committee”

If you had an entry in for the Gosport event this coming weekend then you should have had an email from the club, if you haven’t had it then please find it copied below.

“Hi Sailors,

We have tried our best to host Round 3 of the DF65 TT at Gosport this weekend.

Unfortunately, the latest advice from the UK Government that came out today asks people to avoid Travel as well as Social Interaction where possible.  Many of you are travelling some distance and will come into contact with a lot of other people.  This is also the advice from the DF Association, and, as we have a duty of care to you all, we are cancelling the event.

The Association will try and reschedule the event for later in the year subject to there being space in the club’s calendar and life having returned to normal.

Kind Regards,
Paul Heaney”

So we are less than two weeks from the next DF Racing UK TT event, this time held at Gosport on the South coast. It is sure to be a great event as usual and with a new Travelodge in the centre of town it seems that everything is now within walking distance of the pond….great news!

Entry for the event closes on Thursday 12th March, and along with an entry you’ll also need to have made payment of your entry fee.

There is an unusually low entry so far for this event, with only 27 entries for the weekend so far. If you fancy a great weekend of racing interspersed with some equally fun social then be quick and get an entry in for the DF Racing Gosport TT event.

For more details please take a look at the event page by clicking here.