Wanderer Open at Cotswold Sailing Club
by Leonie Milliner 13 May 18:26 BST
9 May 2026
Race one, with W1004 flying its spinnaker on the last lap to overhaul W1795 during the Cotswold Wanderer Open © Rachel Exley
Cotswold Sailing Club is now a firm fixture on the Wanderer Class Owner's Association race circuit, having hosted the Wanderer Inland Nationals 2023, offering close racing at one of the most beautiful inland sailing clubs in the Cotswolds.
The club's expert race officer Ray Workman got the fleet off to a prompt start at midday on Saturday 9th May, and with a brisk easterly wind and strong sunshine, set a short trapezoid course, aiming to complete four races in the afternoon's regatta.
A last-minute change to the windward mark to accommodate the rapidly shifting wind direction challenged both visitors and home fleet to locate the correct buoy at the start of the first race, with Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell in W1004 making a clean start and rounding the windward mark ahead of Cotswold's home sailors Lindsey Weatherly and Neil Weatherly in W1795. In fourth place, Richard Eliot and Chris Taylor in W 718 took the opportunity of the tight downwind leg, too tight to fly a spinnaker, to close the gap, overtaking Cotswold Sailing Club's former Commodore Leonie Milliner and Neil Delmas in W1800 as both boats approached the penultimate buoy of the first lap. By the end of the first lap W1004 and W1795 were dominating the race, pulling away from the rest of the fleet to exchange leading position twice. A strong beat in the second lap with a favourable shift saw Milliner in W1800 overhaul W718, an advantage that was sustained enabling Milliner finish the race in third place. By the end of the first race Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell's dominance of the one-day event was confirmed with a solid win, followed by Lindsey Weatherly and Neil Weatherly in W1795 in second place.
Race two got under way quickly with a favourable change of course, and again Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell in W1004 pulled away and rounded the first mark in first position, with W1795 chasing, lengthening the gap between W1800 and W718, repeating the results of race one.
After a well-deserved break with plenty of tea and home-made lemon cake, race officer Ray Workman, ably assisted by assistant race office Rachel Exley, moved the start line into a more central location on Cotswold's 55-acre lake to make the most of the now- limited breeze.
Race three saw the closest racing of the afternoon's regatta, with all four boats jostling to exit the downwind buoy in lap two in first position. W1795 managed to round cleanly, with W1800 taking a penalty and dropping back into third place. The longer downwind leg allowed race leaders W1004 and W1795 to fly their spinnakers and ease away to clinch first and second place respectively.
In race four Milliner in W1800 finally managed to capitalise on her home fleet advantage and after a strong start and favourable first beat, put a significant distance between her and the rest of the fleet to round the windward mark in first place. As the wind slowly eased, the advantage was not sustained, and after a series of close tacks, Weatherly in W1795 managed to overhaul W1800 to take the lead. Unusually, Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell in W1004 struggled to fly their spinnaker, and after languishing in a patch of poor wind, watched W1795 and W1800 glide towards the finish line on the lightest puff of air.
Huge thanks to Cotswold Sailing Club for hosting the Wanderers, and to all the volunteer safety boat and onshore duty crews.
Overall Results:
1st Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell in W1004
2nd Lindsey Weatherly and Neil Weatherly in W1795
3rd Leonie Milliner and Neil Delmas in W1800
4th Richard Eliot and Chris Taylor in W 718