Bartley Beast Series 2025/2026 Round 1
by Mark Reddington 12 Nov 13:07 GMT
8 November 2025
Bartley Beast Series 2025-26 Round 1 © Mark Reddington
With 38 single handers, 14 double handers and 18 junior single handers, the first round of the 2025/2026 Bartley Beast saw a great turnout with a wonderful atmosphere. With plenty of water in the reservoir and wind some interesting sailing was guaranteed. Format for the day was for two handicap races with the double handers off first.
The wind for the first double hander race was a steady WSW with a constant breeze of around 12 knots and some slightly fierier gusts. The first race started with a fairly square line and a mixed fleet lined up. Two albacores were over enthusiastic and from about ten seconds to go were always going to overshoot. They came back leaving a clear run for Mark Reddington in his Merlin off the line. Adam Whitehouse in the 200 had clear wind up the other end. Mark led around the first mark but was soon hunted down by fellow Merlin sailors Steve and Gill Lenley and James Wells and Anna Aylward who went on to get first and second with the GP14, Michael and Alex Homer 3rd.
The second race started in milder winds which were fickler. Places changed dramatically throughout the race and corrected times were close at the top, but Paul Hollis and Karen Beston in the Merlin, took the win with only 35 seconds between them and the 5th place boat.
James Wells & Anna Aylward took overall victory in the two-race event with Steve & Gill Lenley taking second with Paul Young and Rachel Forbes taking 3rd in the Enterprise. With only 4 points separating the top 4 boats it makes it's all to play for with a further 3 races in the series.
A very competitive junior race saw 18 boats on the start line including 15 toppers. With the junior fleet starting just behind the double-handers it was a great sight to see the younger competitors getting to grips with the tricky conditions. The first race saw Ollie Davis lead the way in the ILCA 7 followed by Jake Day in a Topper and Audrey Yang in third place also in a Topper.
With softer conditions for the second race Ollie Davies continued his good form to take line honours again in the ILCA 7 followed by Jake Day in the Topper for another second-place finish with Sophie Forbes claiming third place in her Topper.
After the handicaps were calculated Jake Day won the day with Audrey Yang second and Sophie Forbes third, with 3 events to go this is sure to be a very closely contested junior event.
With 38 single-handers including boats from 11 different fleets made the start line a very interesting place to be. Some wanted to be early and sit on the line while others preferred to arrive late resulting in a general recall and re-start under black flag.
With conditions fairly light but blowing down the lake all boats made it off the line at the second attempt. Some preferred to play the shifts up the bank while others headed out left for more wind. On the water it was the Phantom of Jim Hopton who led, followed by the ILCA7 of Steve Thomas, then Solos of Gareth Wilkinson, together with two K1s; Chris Swallow and Jeremy Hudson also mixing it were two Supernovas of Colin Ricketts and Mike Gibson. At the front the racing was close, particularly at the marks. At mark Zero Gareth managed to touch resulting in a 360 turn. The racing was competitive as John Ling in the ILCA 7 found out when trying to overtake!
The Phantom disappeared into the distance, followed by the K1s to finish well ahead, but then the handicaps were calculated, the K1s of Chris Swallow and Jeremy Hudson took 1st and 2nd with the Phantom of Jim Hopton in 3rd moving Debbie Degge in her Comet up to 4th.
Race 2 kicked off with a similar pattern; general recall and re-start under blag flag. In the lighter conditions it was a struggle to get away into clear air. However, Jim Hopton in his Phantom and Mike Gibson in the Supernova did manage to gain some distance from the rest of the fleet. Also, well up the fleet again were the K1s and the Solos from race 1 but this time joined by Jamie Cuxon also in Solo.
Again, as in race 1 the handicaps came into play Debbie Degge finishing 1st, Jamie Cuxon in his Solo 2nd, and another Solo Steve Hawley 3rd.
After the first of four events, in the lead is Debbie Degge, 2nd Chris Swallow in his K1 and 3rd Steve Hawley in a Solo.
What will happen in the next event; well, it's on Saturday 6th December, will it be beastly? We'll have to see.