Birkenhead IOM Xmas Open 2025 at Birkenhead Radio Sailing & Power Club
by Peter Baldwin 17 Dec 2025 15:53 GMT
13 December 2025
This year's IOM Xmas Open attracted a decent fleet of 18 sailors including 4 of the GBR Team for the 2026 IOM Worlds, so it was always going to be a difficult day to get a good result.
The forecast was for a SSE backing to S around midday. This theoretically might give us a breeze diagonal across the lake, but we were fortunate that the breeze was nearly straight down the lake from the Clubhouse with a strength that was low to middle of Top suit.
After a short briefing by Peter Baldwin standing in for the Sailing Sec, we got started on time at 10:15 and completed five races before a short drinls break. This first session was doominated by Brad Gibson (first in every race) and Graham Elliott, who took second in the first three and then a third in Race 5, with Darin Ballington picking up a couple of thirds, Josh King two seconds in races 4 and 5, with Peter Baldwin and John Brierley a third each. There was some close racing throughout the fleet, with errors in the middle bunch being penalised by plenty of lost places it was so tight.
John Tushingham had an unfortunate early bath after gear failure before the start of Race 3 and Robbie Mac lost three races in this early session with gear problems.
In the second session a further four races were completed and it was now Graham's turn to give a better performance with three win's to Brad's single win. The podium spots were once again filled by similar names as in the first session, with Josh, Darin, Martin and Peter all picking up at least one decent score. However, by the time we stopped for lunch, the breeze had dropped and also backed, so that it was more over the houses and a little more of a lottery as to who might get the breeze along the race course.
Lunch taken, we sailed an additional seven races, but with only 17 starting as John Brierley also had un-fixable gear failure ending his day. Starts were interesting as we could be fetching, reaching or running off the line. Surprisingly, considering the conditions, very few General recalls were called and only an occasional single OCS by someone who was well proud and visible to the Start Line Judge.
Unsurprisingly, the same names figured as race winners, with Brad taking four more and then the remainder in the hands of Josh, Graham and for the final race Paul Middleton. Most of the same names as before figured in the remaining podium spots, with the addition of John Smith taking a well deserved second in Race 15.
Overall a decent days racing with some close competition and some tricky close finishes to call for our Line Judge in training. Not surprisingly, Brad Gibson took the day, with Graham Elliott in second and Josh King in third.
Brad thanked the Race Team (Dave Williams, Steve Miller and Judith Baldwin) and Joss Watkinson who did a sterling job in the galley, keeping everyone supplied with hot drinks and tasty snacks.
The Birkenhead IOM Winter Series continues as an Open Series on Saturday 3rd January for a full list of events see birkenheadrspc.co.uk with visitors always welcome.