Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard brokerage
Product Feature
Hyde Sails Solo Mainsail 7L
Hyde Sails Solo Mainsail 7L

2017 Dinghy Rope Solo Midland Series - Mid-Season Report

by Nigel Davies 5 Jul 2017 14:29 BST 5 July 2017
(l-r) Chris Brown, Nigel Davies and Ian Ingram currently 1st 2nd and 3rd in the 2017 Dinghy Rope Solo Midland Series © Nigel Davies

We are now in the Summer break after holding seven of the eleven events in this year's Dinghy Rope Solo Midland Series. I'm pleased to say the series is going well with well-run events and good turnouts, averaging 26 boats per event.

Title sponsor this year is Dinghy Rope, they will give the first 23 series qualifiers a £25 gift voucher to use in their online shop. Dinghy Rope sell all types of rope, chandlery and clothing so there will be plenty to spend your voucher on.

Fernhurst Books are sponsoring the Vintage Boat prize. At each event, the first boat with a sail number under 5000 receives a free Fernhurst Book.

There will also be series prizes proved by the Solo Class Association.

Now onto the racing, getting to the top of the fleet seems to get harder each year as the turnouts and the quality of the sailors goes up. So far there has been a different winner at each event. The ability to sail in all winds and lake sizes will be the key to winning the overall series.

After some close racing in all conditions currently Chris Brown is in first place followed by Ian Ingram and myself Nigel Davies in third.

Stand out moments so far this year has been the big fleets for the Midland Areas at Draycote, the joint event at Carsington, the big winds of Northampton, heat at Shustoke and the quality of the food and Cakes at all events.

2017 Dinghy Rope Midland Series: (top ten after 7 events)

1st Chris Brown
2nd Ian Ingram
3rd Nigel Davies
4th Bob Suggitt
5th Richard Blunt
6th Paul Bottonley
7th Brian Fisher
8th Oli Wells
9th Kev Hall
10th David Badger

Richard Blunt in 5th is leading the Fernhurst Books Vintage Boat Category.

The Midland events and information are posted on the Solo web page and on Facebook group ‘Solo Midland Area’ so please take a look and come and join us, we are in the middle of the country so none of you have far to travel!

The next event is Notts County on the 2nd of September and I look forward to seeing you there.

Related Articles

Solo Vintage Championship
Leigh on Sea Sailing Club turned on the Essex magic Leigh on Sea Sailing Club turned on the Essex magic for the Vintage Championship, supplying champagne conditions which even Lake Como would have struggled to match, North Berwick, venue for the Solo National Championship in three weeks take note! Posted today at 7:25 pm
Solo Western Series at Porthpean
Impeccable organisation on and off the water by the team of volunteers On Sunday 6th July Porthpean Sailing Club held its first Solo open meeting as part of a doubleheader with Torpoint Mosquito. Both events are part of the Western series sponsored by P&B and Dinghy Shack. Posted on 9 Jul
Solo Vintage Championship preview
Leigh-on-Sea has the biggest fleet in the world Leigh on Sea Sailing Club is home to the largest fleet of Vintage Solos in the World and on Sat 12th July will host the seventh running of the Vintage Championship. Posted on 8 Jul
Dell Quay Centenary Solo Open
The wind blew, the sun shone and the seals watched The clouds cleared and the sun shone for Dell Quay's breezy Centenary National Solo Open on 28 June 2025. As the 25 boat fleet crossed the start line a curious seal took in the stunning sight from the windward mark. Posted on 7 Jul
HD Sails Scottish Solo Travellers at Loch Venachar
A seriously breezy event amongst the beautiful Trossachs hills In the lead-up to this event in the HD Sails Scottish travellers series I was worried that sailing on an inland loch amongst the beautiful Trossachs hills in mid-summer meant that we would struggle with light and shifty winds from every direction. Posted on 1 Jul
Solos at Chipstead
20+ knots blowing down the lake for the Southern Series and Thames Series event Four races took place over the day with clear blue skies, in, gusty, shifty wind conditions 20+ knots blowing down the lake. Posted on 30 Jun
Xalient Solo Nation's Cup at Lake Como Day 4
The final day of racing at Circolo Vela Bellano So, to the final day of racing and there would be three races planned before a prize-giving reception which would be held at the Palasole Pavilion later this evening. Posted on 25 Jun
Xalient Solo Nation's Cup at Lake Como Day 3
Social evening proves universally popular with every seat taken Before I get into the action from day 3, first a quick recap on the previous evening's Italian themed Solo social which took place in the shaded area of the nearby Palasole Pavilion. This must have been a popular choice as every seat was taken. Posted on 25 Jun
Xalient Solo Nation's Cup at Lake Como Day 2
Pin end starts and taking the left the order of the day The night had been sultry, and not in a Monica Bellucci kind of way, though I would have happily discarded my pyjamas in her presence. The skies had become overcast as the sun fell between the mountains on the western horizon. Posted on 24 Jun
Xalient Solo Nation's Cup at Lake Como Day 1
Sunshine in Italy after a storm hits on the day before I awoke to the unfamiliar roar of an engine turbine as it throttled up, the local ferry utilising a hydrofoil system that, from the estimated weight of the beast, required as much thrust as the flux capacitor could give her to hit 88 miles an hour. Posted on 23 Jun