ILCA Open at Reading Sailing Club
by Hugh Leach 21 Jun 16:32 BST
20 June 2026
Reading Sailing Club ILCA Open © Stephen Day
Thirty-one boats made up the fleet for Reading Sailing Club's first ILCA open. A great turn out 12 visitors joined 19 club members for a great day of racing, for many of whom this was their first open event.
In the 4's. Just two sailors made up the fleet, with Ethan Pillinger from Papercourt winning all 4 races, having recently made the move from Toppers into ILCA's.
In second was Kate Waters from Reading, who was competing in her first open.
Will Sadler from Reading won all 4 races in the 6 fleet, with just one visitor making up the 10 boats in the fleet. There was a 3 way battle between Karen Smailes, Chris Kilshaw and Jess Bertram (All from Reading). Jess finished 2nd, with Chris 3rd.
The 7 fleet was the biggest, with 19 boats. There were 4 different race winners, with Chris Nash & Gary Bullock (Both Maidenhead, Neil Crosby (Bowmoor) & Andrzej Bojarski (Aylesbury) all with a bullet. Gary Bullock came out on top, with Chris Nash 2nd & Hugh Leach (Reading) 3rd.
On the water, RO's Newton & Dan provided a great course and efficient racing, managing 4 races across the day. Off the water, Ann & her team kept everyone fed throughout the day, with a fantastic Chilli & Banoffee Pie. After racing, visitors were treated to a Paella, cooked by Chris, Riccardo & Toby.
With thanks to Hugh for organising the event, the volunteers and all the sailors who came to take part.
The event is part of the Thames Valley GP series, you can find out more about the series, including future events here.