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Allen Solo Midlands Series event at Draycote Water Sailing Club

by Nigel Davies 9 Jun 07:46 BST 7 June 2025
Allen Solo Midlands Series event 4 at Draycote Water © Nigel Davies

Draycote Water Sailing Club, Act 4 of the Midland Big Lakes series hosted its Solo Open Meeting on Saturday 7th June, supported by CB Trailer and Covers, welcoming a strong and competitive fleet of 14 boats from clubs across the Midlands and beyond.

The day served up classic inland sailing conditions, with a brisk north-westerly breeze ranging from 12 to 18 knots and some sizeable shifts that kept competitors on their toes.

Before the first warning signal had even sounded, local sailor Chris Brown added a bit of early drama by capsizing on the way to the start line. Whether it was a last-minute check on water temperature or just over-eagerness, he quickly recovered and went on to deliver a solid performance on home waters.

Racing was tight throughout the day, with four races. Jonathan Swain from Carsington SC showed impressive pace and control in the testing conditions, posting three race wins and discarding a fifth to take the overall win on just 3 points.

Behind him, it was a closely fought battle for the remaining podium spots. Harry Lucas (Grafham Water), Andrew Wilde (Ogston SC), and Chris Brown (Draycote) all ended up tied on 8 points. Lucas secured second overall on countback with a race win, while Wilde and Brown finished third and fourth respectively.

Nigel Davies (Draycote) sailed consistently to finish fifth, followed by Richard Instone (Chase SC) in sixth.

Post-race banter focused heavily on how tricky the beats had been—comments that raised a few grins as they came from Jon and Andy, whose home clubs (Carsington and Ogston) are both legendary for their unpredictable wind.

Thanks to the race team for slick organisation and to the galley for keeping everyone fuelled. A classic day of inland Solo racing!

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1st6055Jonathan Swaincarsington1‑5113
2nd5746Harry LucasGrafham‑51528
3rd6125Andrew WildeOgston2‑4248
4th6135Chris BrownDraycote Water‑32338
5th6108Nigel DaviesDraycote Water SC43‑6613
6th6076Richard InstoneChase SC‑664515
7th5897Andy BownesBarnt green8‑97722
8th5210Neil WilkinsonShustoke SC‑978823
9th4784Harry MarlowShustoke10109(DNC)29
10th6111Robin WarrenDraycote water78(DNC)DNC30
11th4434Cameron NorrisShropshire SC‑121211932
12th5740Mike CosseyShustoke SC111110(DNC)32
13th5342Richard BaylissShustoke‑1313121035
14th5266Paul RoeDraycote Water(DNC)DNCDNCDNC45

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