Please find below the results from the 2025 DF Racing TT events, Nationals and the overall TT scores for the season. If we have an event report we will surely post it
DF Racing TT Overall scores 2025
DF95 Rankings 2025 Season
There will be several of you who are wondering whether or not you’ve done enough to qualify for the DF95 Globals in South Africa next year. It is reasonable to assume that team GBR will probably see around 8 places allocated to us and the ranking list below will give you an idea of what you might need to do to finish the season in one of the pound seats and qualify.
Rounds 13 — 14 Gosport
.For those that don’t know, the Joysways Dragon boats, the DF65 and DF95 were introduced in the middle to end of the last decade and have transformed radio sailing. There are many classes of radio yachts but the availability of new boats limited the potential for expansion of the radio yachting game. These two classes transformed all of that and have been adopted all over the world. The low cost entry, the ease of build and delivery of a boat in a box proved attractive to the many tens of thousands who happily race them. If you think this is just for hobbiest’s, ask yourself the question, why would Ken and his brother Brad Read race these boats on a regular basis at Newport Rhode Island?
There is a strong DF community in the UK and those that want to, travel across the UK to the various TT venues. 114 competitors toured some or all the following venues, West Lancs, Blithfield, Lincoln, Keighley, Dartmoor, Fleetwood, Barton’s Point and finally Gosport last weekend. Racing was fiercely competitive in a class that is totally one design.
Gosport is a historic lake recently celebrating its hundredth anniversary. When the lake was first laid down, it was open to the east and west so when the wind blew up or down the lake, sailing was in a relatively steady wind. Over the years, houses, Navy Dockyards, industrial plants were installed, trees planted and now when the wind blows down the lake, one is challenged by tricky wind shifts which was the theme for the whole weekend. The club boasts some 200 members and racing takes place every day in a variety of classes.
TT Saturday DF65
The DF65 is the smaller of the two DF’s and the trickiest to sail. The light weight and short waterline length means you have to focus on boat speed all the time. The slightest lack of concentration could see your boat head to wind and track rapidly backwards through the fleet. Whilst challenging it is very rewarding when you get it right
33 skippers arrived for the first race of the DF65 TT 13 at Gosport on 25 October.
The forecast was for 12 -15 knots out of the North West which, while not perfect, allows a long course to be set diagonally on the lake.
After a short briefing everyone decamped to the far bank while final adjustments were made to the course allowing the first of 2 seeding heats to get under way just after 10am.
Jim La Roche stormed out of the blocks to take the first seeding setting the tone for a good day for him. Jim was followed by Nigel Barrow and Paul Robson hot on his heels. In the A seeding the win was taken by John Tushingham with David Lindsay and Simon Clark taking the next 2 places.
After a quick start line adjustment to try to cater for the variable wind direction caused by the clubhouse on the opposite bank the heats got under way with the fleet jostling to get into that magic top 6 to get them up into A heat. Trying to keep racing rolling the RO, Wayne Stobbs, kept delays to a minimum calling heat onto the water as soon as the heat board was ready and setting the clock running no more than 1 minute later. Peter Baldwin and David Lindsay relegated John Tushingham to a distant 3rd.
Racing continued at pace until a short break for lunch was called at 1pm with the wind veering more northerly. At the lunch break after 4 completed races John Tushingham was discarding that 3rd place and scoring just 3 points with Nigel Barrow 4 points back and Simon Clark a further 2 points adrift, followed a further 5 points back by Paul Robson who had Jim La Roche, Nigel Brown and David Lindsay on his tail.
As this would happen the northerly shift in the wind had blown itself out and race 5 commenced with only a small line adjustment, but with the fleet being sent further up the western end of the lake to try to give the fleet some cleaner wind at the top mark. The extension at the top of the course proved to be a good move with much cleaner sailing by the course was a bit long. A quick move of the start and gate up the lake brought the course length back to where it should be for 12 minute races.
John continued with bullets in races 5 and 6 with the top 5 all turning in good scores to keep them in contention for the podium places.
The RO tried to keep races ticking over fast to reach the 2nd discard but in the end we just ran out of time with the A heat still on the water as we passed the cutoff time for any race to start, so we called it a day after 7A.
The final scores were John on 8 points, Nigel Barrow on 17, followed by Buzz Coleman on 29 and Simon Clark on 29 after a boat failure in the final race of the day. Peter Baldwin took 5th and Dave Adams 6th. In 9th place overall Nigel Brown was the best placed Gosport skipper and took home some glassware to add to his collection.
A big thanks to all the Gosport volunteers as well as Judith Baldwin and Sharon Plested for managing the Fleet Board as well as they always do.
Our thanks go to Wayne and the team. Without your help these events would never happen
Richard Filer – boat man
Chris Durant – Scorer
Philip Hampson – Assistant RO
Judith Baldwin and Sharon Plested – Heat Board
Joshua Motts – runner
TT Sunday DF95
The DF 95 is the larger of the DF stable and is notably fast downwind because of the clean lines of the hull. Racing is fast and furious.
Sunday saw 33 skippers register for the DF95 TT at Gosport where the wind had, as forecast, more west in it enabling the race team to set a course from the clubhouse bank which, although the course was still from the south-eastern corner of the lake up to the north western corner, would allow for faster turnaround between heats and less disruption when the forecasted wind moved left later in the morning.
Racing got under way at 10:05 with the first of the two seeding heats and it was immediately apparent that the fleet favoured the left hand side of the course, keeping out of the dirty wind in the shadow of the clubhouse. The wins were taken by Peter Baldwin and John Tushingham, with some other top skippers struggling to master the conditions.
Racing kept up a good pace with minimal interruptions and by the time that a short lunch was called at 1pm with 4 races complete John Tushingham was leading the field having turned in 3 wins and a 4th place. The rest of the top 6 were highly packed and the order changed regularly.
As the wind had backed towards the west the course had been adjusted, bringing the gate more central on the lake and the top mark moved out, the course should have been an easy beat up and full run down but as is ofter the case at Gosport, the wind up near the top marks had a mind of it’s own and the fleet struggled to make clean rounding, made more difficult by an unavoidable restriction of the control area making it not possible for the skippers to get closer than around 50m from the top of the course.
With 5A being the first heat after lunch we saw Peter Baldwin and Dave Adams start to turn in some strong results putting pressure on Paul Robson who held 2nd place at the lunch break. The RO kept racing turning over quickly as there was some uncertainty of how much daylight would be left under the clouded skies because of the clock change which had happened overnight, helped by very few general recalls.
At the start of Race 8 it was looking like John Tushingham was going to clean sweep the day having 7 firsts and a fourth to his name but luck was against him, picking up leaves on his fin in race 4 allowing Peter Baldwin to take the win and John coming home in a distant 8th.
They say lightning never strikes twice but in the last heat of the the day, 9A, John once again picked up leaves allowing Nigel Barrow to take the win, a good end to what had been a challenging day for Nigel.
With the final race ending 10 minutes before the final cutoff the fleet headed to the warmth of the clubhouse for prize giving where prizes were handed out to the top 6. Buzz Coleman on 46, Paul Robson on 35, Nigel Barrow on 34, Dave Adams on 27, Peter Baldwin on 20 and John Tushingham on 10. An additional prize was awarded to Nigel Brown at the top local skipper having finished in 10 place.
As this event was the last event of the 2025 DF TT prizes were also handed out to the winners of the series. With 8 of 14 events to count the TT prizes went to:
John Tushingham on 800
Nigel Barrow on 785
Peter Baldwin on 759
Buzz Coleman on 680
Paul Plested on 655
Paul Robson on 644
Additionally Simon Clark on 577 was the highest “newcomer” in 11th place overall.
Full results for all the races and overall series can be found on the DF UK Association web site.
Round 12 – DF95 Nationals – East Kent RSC
DF95 National Championship 2025 at East Kent Radio Sailing club (Barton’s point,
Isle of Sheppey). Author Nigel Barrow.
East Kent Radio sailing club at Barton’s Point is a gem of a venue on the NW corner of the Isle of
Sheppey just west of Sheerness. The surrounding countryside is flat without trees, and the
prevailing wind runs straight down the lake. It is one of the few venues which has a spit of land
on which to house a control area which means you can sail in just about any wind direction.
There are ample launching points, and the best news is there is no weed to catch the unwary fin
and spoil competition.
The lake has locked, quiet overnight parking for motorhomes, a café which sadly closed on
Sunday and a selection of hotels and restaurants to retreat to after racing to share stories and
the successes of the day.
This was the venue for the DF95 National championships. 52 competitors arrived for registration
on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and after a thorough briefing by Wayne Stobbs the
PRO who introduced the race team and the course, the seeding races got underway shortly after
10 am.
Racing under the Heat Management System the fleet was split into 3 heats of 17 boats for one
round of seeding races. Your finishing position determined which heat you would be
subsequently sailing in and to spice things up, in each heat there were opportunities to be one
of the top or bottom 6 to be promoted up or demoted down from one heat to another. There was
drama from the start. In the C seeding race, which was the first on the water, there was
confusion by one of the two favourites Craig Richards as to which heat he was in and with 30
seconds to go he was pulling his boat off the water. After realising he was in the heat, he literally
threw his boat on the water and charged to the start line to round the outer mark 20 yards
behind the last boat. Like a man possessed he charged through the fleet and had passed half
the boats by the windward mark, and it was no surprise to see him take the win at the finish. It
was astonishing to watch his constant progress around the course. The other winners of the
seeding races were Colin Honour and Dave Adams. The other main favourite John Tushingham
was 5th in his seeding race.
After the seeding races the heat board was set and the main racing of the day got underway. C
heat first, then B and A. After three races the two favourites hit the top of the leaderboard
closely followed by Tjakko Keizer (Netherlands), Derek Priestley and Peter Baldwin. With the
wind in the south, racing took place opposite the café and car park. The slightly elevated banks
gave good visibility for both the competitors and the spectators. The only niggle for the race
officer was the wind flicking from left to right by 30 degrees, but Wayne kept his nerve and
maintained good courses and start lines based on the average wind. By the end of day one after
6 races, Craig Richards was top of the leaderboard and led John Tushingham by three points
followed by Peter Baldwin, Derek Priestley and Tjakko Kaizer who made the trip over from the
Netherlands. On day two the leaders battle continued and by race 9 John Tushingham had
closed the gap and was level on points. In the next race, he took a 2-point lead setting up a
battle royal with Craig Richards in the last race. Craig won that but John held his nerve to finish
second and win the championship.
The other story of note on Sunday was the wind. Early on it held Southerly nicely for us to
continue racing opposite the café but as the morning went on and as per the forecast it shifted
from South to Southeast making setting a course off the café impossible, so we all moved to the
point about 100 yards from the café. The course was set and the first C heat successfully got
round the course but then come B heat the wind backed meaning the fleet laid the first mark in
one, so the race was abandoned. The course was shortened to get a better beat and marks set
to starboard and of course with a short beat and marks to starboard there was carnage at the
first mark, and the race was abandoned. The wind then died suddenly as forecast but then filled
in again from its original southerly direction meaning a course off the café was perfect, so back
we all shuffled. After a quick course reset, we were able to get two more heats before close of
play.
Wayne Stobbs as PRO did a marvellous job keeping cool and managing the variability of the
wind. These events are only made possible by the help of our volunteers. Some are East Kent
club members, but several came from afar. It’s funny how the same names appear over and over
again. Thank you all for sacrificing your valuable time. Thanks to you this weekend went so
efficiently without any kind of a hitch as far as the author could see.
Registration & general help Debbie La Roche & Kath Hounsell
PRO & start line Wayne Stobbs
ARO, finish line & organiser Jim La Roche
Finish recorder & heat board Judith Baldwin
Finish recorder Sharon Plested
Finish recorder & scorer Richard Jones
Judge Rob Owens
Course & recovery boat Rob Owens/Ed Coxon Saturday
Jamie Blair/Ed Coxon Sunday
Observer Marshal Ralph Wilkinson/Andy Nicholls Saturday
Ralph Wilkinson/Spencer Pope Sunday
Lunches were provided by Sheppey Sea Cadets.
A Derek “In it to win it” raffle for various items donated by sponsors was held before the
prizegiving. Everyone then left looking happy with the weekend.
Rounds 10 & 11 – Fleetwood
With a forecast of heatwave conditions for the weekend and some light winds to boot it was a great weekend to head back to Fleetwood for a summer TT event. Friday afternoon followed a familiar pattern of arrivals, sailing, chatting and a lovely meal with friends followed by some late night refreshments in balmy conditions.
After a good nights sleep it was a light breeze from the pump house that greeted the 30 odd competitors and after a briefing from Uncle Derek we all set off on as a single fleet on a monster start line for the first of 12 races at a leisurely pace with each race followed by a ten minute break.
Tushy showed his intent right from the start with a win from Nigel Barrow and Jerry Ibberson who, as it turned out, were the eventual top three finishers. Mick Chamberlain took the second race from Tush with Jerry in third spot again. Tush then went on to win the next five races with Jerry, Nigel, Olly Murray, Dave Burke, Simon Clark and a few others taking the seconds and third spots.
Race eight saw Paul Plested take the top spot from Tush and Fleetwood’s own Harry Balderson. Race nine saw John Sharman hold off Olly and Nigel Brown to take the win. Ten was Tush and Nigel Barrow with Dave Burke in third. Eleven saw Nigel Barrow sandwiched between two Simon’s. A Scottish Thomson on the top step and a Cornish Clark in third. The final race saw Paul Plested take another win from Simon T in second with Tush in third.
And that concluded the day’s racing with Tush finishing top with 14 points, Nigel Barrow was second on 36 with Jerry third on 71.
Fleetwood club then does what it does best and put on a great BBQ for all the competitors with Pimms and GnT to boot. The stragglers left at around 2200 after watching some overly watered campers on the prom having an argument and a fire engine coming to put out an errant BBQ. Retirement to the North Euston beckoned and we were treated to an amazing Elvis tribute act.
Sunday looked like a bust at the beginning, however the wind soon sorted itself out and made an appearance from the clubhouse end of the lake to A rig strength which pleased the 41 competitors. The larger number and the larger boats dictated that two fleets were the order of the day and we duly got on with the seeding races which were won by Nigel Barrow and Tushy.
Race two saw Tush from Nigel with Jim La Roche in third. Jim repeated the third in race three with Martin Roberts in second and John Brierley taking the win. Race four saw JB take another win from Ken Binks in second with Tush taking third spot. The fifth race was Nigel Barrow letting us know he was still sailing well with Paul Plested and Martin Roberts in second and third. Race six was a race between two pink boats and was won by Jen Hand. This was Jen’s first ever TT race win and the gathered skippers were generous with their applause as she crossed the line. The second pink boat was that of Tim Long, third spot was a red boat belonging to Paul Middleton
Race seven was Simon Thomson from Nigel Barrow and Poole’s Paul Robson. The final race of the day saw Tushy remind us all that he can sail quite well from Nigel Barrow, notching up another low score with Ian Sinclair from Fleetwood showing us that home skippers know the water well.
At the end of the scoring it was Nigel Barrow who topped the table by a few points from Tushy with John Brierley in third spot, just a few points behind.
As ever the Fleetwood club provided an immensely fun, well run weekend for us all to enjoy. The weather obviously helped but without the dedication of the club members it wouldn’t be so slick. Peter Iles on rescue boat, mark laying and BBQ duty stands out as a sterling helper. All of the other volunteers made the weekend run smoothly too.
Final thanks go to Uncle Derek for inviting us all to Fleetwood and for his work over the two days as PRO. He would also like me to remind you all of the upcoming ND IOM Championships at Weecher on the 17th August. If you have an IOM and you’re a ND skipper then you should get along. Details here.
Rounds 8 & 9 – Dartmoor
Reports on both days from Keith Simmons with results below
.Nineteen boats started the Df65 Open knowing that the weather forecast predicted some typical Dartmoor weather. Hopes were high that the Met office had got it wrong as the whole fleet started sporting A+ rigs when the promised weather suggested B or even C rigs would be in order. The wind direction gave sufficient space for a long startline which allowed a single fleet to sail.
The mean wind direction was pretty steady, but in typical Dartmoor fashion gusts were swinging about 20 degrees from the mean, so being at the right end of the line was always key.
John Tushingham had a tricky start to the day as Paul Plested was looking consistently strong. But around race five, the promised weather arrived, everything became a lot less predictable. As the rain began to fall in earnest, so the wind grew, especially in front of the rain squalls. At any moment, one of four different rigs could be favoured as helms struggled to find the right compromise. Badly timed gusts could mean a missed tack or even a missed mark and results started to get most jumbled. Suddenly John was the most consistent helm as he started to reel in the rest of the fleet and pull away to an impressive win.
The weather continued to worsen throughout the day, gradually shrinking the fleet until only thirteen boat were present for the final start. A number smaller that the willing helpers from DMBC membership stood dripping on the bank!
It wasn’t an easy days sailing but impressive nonetheless. As an organising club, we were incredibly impressed by the sportsmanship and good humour of the fleet. These little boats stand up so well to difficult conditions, which certainly put a strain on their owners.
Thank you to all competitors for your commendable attitudes, we look forward to welcoming you again in the future.
Sunday Looked like a much more promising day for our 29 starters of the DF95 TT Event.
Sadly Mickey Boy Chamberlain was unable to sail, which was to the benefit of Derek Priestly who had unfortunately left his rigs at home. The fleet was split into two fleets and some excellent racing began, characterised by orderly and closely fought starts with a minimum of recalls, both general and individual. Like the previous day, choosing the correct end of the line and being in phase with the gusts was key. As is usually the case at Dartmoor, the wind in cantankerous at the weather mark and a port hand approach was always fraught with danger.
Right from the off, it was clear that Derek’s confusingly painted boat and borrowed sails were the combination to beat as he reeled off a string of consistent results.
Conditions meant that it was almost impossible to play it safe or cover and avoiding pitfalls was really the way to success. One had to feel for Martyn Aspinall, who had the pace to win three races of eleven (one less than the eventual winner and one more than second place), but couldn’t find consistency.
The minute hand robbed the fleet of a twelfth race. In the end, Derek Priestly had done enough to keep the chasing John Tushingham at bay.
After a taxing weekend we were pleased to have witnessed another display of good sportsmanship and even tempers. Sailing is a self-regulating sport and it is great to see how many of the Df sailors take penalties without complaint or hesitation.
We have to thank the twenty or so DMBC members who gave their time in preparation and on one or two days of the event. The Df fleet helped make it enjoyable for them, despite Dartmoor being Dartmoor and we hope to welcome you back at our lake again in the future.
Rounds 6 & 7 – Keighley
A fine weekend of racing up on the moors saw lots of racing as expected in some great breeze.
Results below.
Round 5 DF65 Nationals – Lincoln RSC
Report below from Nigel Barrow who also took the photos unless it says otherwise in whcih case they were taken by Chris More.
Where do I start with such a perfect weekend of sailing. The only thing that was missing was Mediterranean temperatures.
The organisation was impeccable. From the time I arrived in my camper on Friday, parking pitches were organised as close to the race centre as possible. The race team were on site to greet us, a course was laid out to practice on, banks were neatly trimmed, there was easy access to all sides of the race course and free tea and coffee available all weekend. What more could we ask for.
Our thanks must go to the organisers Judith and Sharon on the heat board, Colin the scorer, Mary Ann and Mike on finishing and other jobs, and Tim Hand the ARO (in the boat) and of course Jen Hand who brings everything together at the club. Mick Chamberlain was in his ambassadorial role and sadly did not commit to making bacon sandwiches for breakfast this year. The team’s tireless efforts meant we experienced a faultless weekend of racing topped by a superb performance of our race officer Wayne Stobbs, who kept the two heats sailing at a pace acceptable to all. The Lincoln team should be proud of how they have developed their club and prepared for the weekend.
Photo – Chris More
The conditions could not have been better. The club is sited on a trial, squarish gravel pit who sides face roughly North, East, South and west. On the Saturday the wind conveniently blew down the East bank and on Sunday shifted to the South bank so the course could be its maximum length and rounding marks would not be an eyesight test. Conditions varied through all the ranges of the DF65 rigs from A+ to C as the wind varied from light to 20+ MPH gusts.
The DF 65 is one of the smallest radio sailing boats, produced in China and shipped all over the world. It is a marvellous design and has spawned many clubs and sparked interest in radio sailing across the globe. Rumour has it, the numbers sold are in the tens of thousands. The boat comes in a box, is simple to rig and only a few hundred pounds to put on the water. There are four rigs. A light weather rig called the A+ for conditions up to 10mph, a slightly smaller A rig which has a very narrow wind band of a few miles an hour, then a smaller B rig for 12-18mph and a C rig for windier conditions. Interchanging the rigs can be done in seconds.
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and while I took breakfast in the van at 7am, I could watch Tim Hand, moving marks and prepping the course for the day.
Photo – Chris More
Competitors were out early checking rigs, boat tuning, analysing wind shifts and testing the course. At 9.30 ish, the call was made for boats to be removed from the water for a 9.45 briefing by our race officer. The event was great practice for Wayne Stobbs, who later this year will be running the DF95 Globals (world championships) in South Africa on a lake a couple of hours from Cape Town.
Racing started promptly at 10am. There were 31 boats entered so racing was run under the MYA Heat management system. The fleet is split into two and sorted by the current ranking of competitors so there is a mixed set of abilities in each of the two seeding races. The top six from each seeding race go into the heat A and the rest in heat B. Heat B races first and the top six are promoted into heat A. Heat A then race and the bottom six are demoted into heat B and racing continues like that until the end of the championships. This system allows up to 80 boats to race as one fleet.
The seeding and subsequent 3 races were sailed using the biggest A+ rigs. Nigel Barrow and John Tushingham won their respective seeding races and after 4 races with one discard at lunch Nigel had a lead over John with Peter Baldwin, David Burke and Simon Clarke making up the top 5. However, that was to change as the wind built over lunch and the fleet changed down to B rigs.
With the increased wind, John stamped his dominance on the fleet and won all 5 races in the afternoon. His experience was telling and reflected the fact he has his name on the trophy whenever he entered the event. He is also the key designer behind the boat which must help. Nigel had a hiccup after lunch with a 10th, and he and Peter put together a string of top 5 results to be separated by 6 points at the end of the day. Dave Burke was 4th and Derek Priestley climbed up to 5th place.
On Saturday night we all went to the Railway Inn for dinner of excellent pies containing either chicken, steak or veggie with crispy chips and peas. Quality food, hot and tasty. Two competitors shared their birthdays, Nigel Barrow and Paul Plested so they were each given cake and card and all sang happy birthday.
Sunday dawned bright and windy, conveniently down the south bank of the lake and there was much discussion over whether to use B, or the smallest C rig and after the briefing from Wayne, most elected to use their C rigs.
John continued his dominant form although in one epic race he was beaten into second place by his wife Liz. Barrow might have challenged for the lead if he learnt how to tack in a chop. He demonstrated good speed upwind but lost ground with several failed tacks in each race. Ah well there is always next year.
After 7 races on Sunday, we had completed 16 races overall which brings in a 3rd discard and after a fleet vote, we decided to leave for home early and forego the last race.
When the scores were added up, John’s lead over Nigel was 18 points who 9 points ahead of Peter Baldwin. Simon Clark was 32 points behind Peter and Dave Burke 7 points adrift of Simon to make up the top 5
At the prize giving, our PRO who had worked with a fluey cold all weekend, thanked the club and organisers who delivered an exceptional weekend.
Top six skippers – Photos Chris More
The next event at Lincoln is the IOM Nationals which if the wind delivers will be a stellar event.
The next DF TT event will be at Keighley over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th May.
Rounds 3 & 4 Blithfield SC
Blithfield Sailing Club held its 3rd ever radio sailing event and 2nd TT event over the 8-9th March 2025. The weather gods were kind and greeted the 37competitors for DF65and 36 for the DF95 classes with unseasonable but very welcome sunshine and a goodbreeze offering up to 18 knots on both days.
To supercharge the weekend from the outset, Darin Ballington showed his Race Officer experience by constructing a course to not only provide a fair start line but also help launch the fleet further offshore to minimise the wind shadow effects from the shoreline. Both days saw a full and uninterrupted schedule take place with only minor delays as the home team sorted out a very single-minded and recalcitrant race mark(our lucky number is not 4). Ultimately put down to a steep gradient on the reservoir bed, it was eventually coaxed into staying put.
For the Saturday DF65 races, the wind came from the notoriously fickle ENE corner of the reservoir which filters its path around the Clubhouse in a way that sees the wind direction on the bank subtly different from that at DF masthead height. As the day progressed, the wind built with a gust of 18 knots at lunchtime which produced some spectacular nose dives. Several skippers chose to change to A Rig for the afternoon session though the majority toughed it out with the A+. A full complement of races was completed by 1530 and with nothing less than a 2nd over 8 races (how I long to be able to discard a 2nd), John Tushingham was 1st with Simon Clark and Ken Binks 2nd and3rd respectively.
The Sunday DF 95 programme saw a near identical ENE wind direction, proving the wisdom of leaving the buoys out overnight. There was a little more breeze early on butthe A rig was the choice of the day and no skippers were seen to change from that. Justas in the full-size racing at this venue, if you think you are handsomely laying the windward mark in this wind direction, do not bear away too early, you will regret it! This was evidenced by the frequent cry of ‘contact’ at the windward mark. The heats continued at their usual fast and furious pace throughout the day with carefully scheduled breaks to allow the full scale Club fleet to launch and recover.
The day concluded at 1540 hours after 9 races each. John Tushingham was again masterful(albeit did have to discard a much more reasonable 6th amongst his scores) and came1st with Peter Baldwin and David Burke, 2nd and 3rd.With a galley crew keen to show off their newly refurbished workspace, Blithfield’s home team provided a quality option for both breakfast and lunch, designed to beserved across a wide period of service to meet the unrelentingly quick pace of these races. To finish the day with a warm sunset and a refreshment of your choice just addedto the impact of the location and occasion.
In accepting the winners prize, John thanked the club and race team along with a wish to return again to the venue. The home team were grateful for the many plaudits from the visitors and their unmistakable sense of wishing to return to Blithfield.
The images and report are by Alastair N C Reid, Rear Commodore Blithfield Sailing Club. Sent to us by Nick Woodhead.
Results below.
Rounds 1 & 2 West Lancs YC
It was a great kick off to the 2025 season with 30ish skippers each day braving the chill wind which presented itself parallel to the bank outside the clubhouse which made for easyish work for the PRO’s each day and also great racing from the skippers who didn’t really have course vision excuses.
One of the skippers Nigel Barrow posted a couple of great reports that I’m not going to try and repeat.
Check it out the DF65 report by clicking here.
Check out the DF95 report by clicking here.
DF65 Results below
DF95 Results below
We head to the Midlands and Blithfield SC for the next rounds of the TT series over the weekend of the 8th and 9th of March.
DF Racing UK Class Association 
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