2026 Wanderer Inland Championship at Grafham Water Sailing Club

Colin Gilbert and Geoff Floyd during the 2026 Wanderer Inlands at Grafham Water © Paul Sanwell / OPP

Six Wanderers made their way to a sweltering Grafham Water for their 2026 Inland Championships. We were sharing with the Wayfarer fleet who were holding their Nationals over three days, and were fortunate not to sail on the Friday which was the hottest day of the weekend.

We started the Saturday at 11:00 with a nice force 3 South-South Westerly blowing, but it was still very hot. Grafham also seemed to have a considerable ladybird population - shades of the hot summer of 1976?

The Wayfarers, all 26 of them, started each race first. To ensure we all finished together and no fleet had to wait around, we were set a two lap sausage/triangle course, while the Wayfarers did 3 laps triangle/sausage/triangle.

Grafham also uses spreader marks at the end of the beats to prevent boats bearing off into the path of those still going upwind. Not everyone noticed this part of the sailing instructions.

Race 1 started with Colin and Sally Gilbert in 1819 right by the committee boat with Richard Maltby just below them in 1561. Maltby had more speed, which resulted in some rather un-Wanderer like luffing and the Gilberts being forced to tack off.

We hoped to use the Wayfarers to show us the way, "which side did Mike McNamara go" was the question we asked ourselves. It was not immediately obvious however as the Wayfarers split tacks Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell in 1004 went left while most of the rest of the fleet went right. This paid for them. There was a huge lift on the starboard lay line, Richard Maltby in 1561 found himself reaching in as his crew had not spotted the lift. Most of the rest of the fleet followed them too far right enabling Ian and David in 1004 to just nip round the mark in front. Unfortunately, they had forgotten to read the bit about the spreader mark in the Sis, and headed off on the run. A quick call from 1561 alerted them to this - we Wanderers are a gentlemanly lot. Colin and Sally Gilbert in 1819 rounded in third.

Richard and Adam in 1561 were able to pass Ian and Dave on the run by not initially gybing. A wide leeward mark rounding however allowed Ian and Dave back into first.

A nice windy pair of reaches saw the lead boats carry their spinnakers to the finish. Steve and Alex Nott in1841 unfortunately retired from the race as they had sailed the course the wrong way round - doing the triangle first.

Richard Elliott and Amanda Shakir in 718 from Arun Yacht Club were first non-spinnaker boat in fourth.

Richard Elliott and Amanda Shakir during the 2026 Wanderer Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Paul Sanwell / OPP

Race 2 started after a wait while the Wayfarers had a general recall. The wind had gone lighter than in the first race making for a soft and shifty first beat. There was no obvious way to go, but the big lift on the starboard lay line was still there. Ian and David in 1004 rounded first followed by Colin and Sally in 1819 and Richard and Adam in 1561.

On the second beat the leading pair tacked off. Richard and Adam in 1561 continued right. This was not so much a cunning plan, more "we might as well keep going this way - I've not got any better ideas" from the crew. The wind promptly filled in on the right. We can thus only claim luck and not skill when 1561 rounded the first mark a good 100 meters ahead of Colin and Sally in 1819. Ian and David in 1004 were stuck in light air to the left.

With the wind now building quite strongly 1561 had the margin of lead to not bother with the spinnaker. Neither did Colin and Sally in 1819, but it did them no harm and they still finished ahead of Ian and David.

Richard and Amanda in 718 were again fourth.

Race 3 started with a very port biased line. The wind had gone left and it looked like the bulk of the Wayfarers had gone that way as well.

Richard and Adam decided to follow them left. At this point the wind veered back to the right. Richard and Amanda in 718 had spotted this and tacked off at the committee boat end to lead the fleet out to the right. Those who had gone left were now rather stuck. It looked very much like 718 would lead at the first mark, however they had not quite made the lay line and were trapped under Ian and David in 1004. 718 was forced to tack and duck and rounded in third, behind Colin and Sally in 1819, and in front of Richard and Adam in 1561.

Richard and Amanda in 718 didn't have a spinnaker, thus allowing 1561 to pass on the run. We were sure we heard singing as we passed - Richard Elliott runs a Sea Shanty group in Sussex and his crews are expected to join in during races!

The second beat went soft again, but try as they might Richard and Adam were unable to pass Ian and David in 1004.

Colin and Sally decided not to hoist spinnakers on the first reach. Richard and Adam did to catch up with Ian and David in 1004 who also hoisted theirs. 1561 was able to roll 1004 despite Ian luffing them at the gybe mark. Luffing with spinnakers doesn't seem to work well in a Wanderer. Having seen this Colin and Sally decided to hoist theirs on the second reach.

The lead three boats all finished very closely together, with Colin and Sally in 1819 taking their first win.

Richard and Amanda in 718 were yet again fourth. The evening was spent sitting outside the clubhouse at Grafham eating lasagne with the Wayfarers while watching the local Swift population deal with the ladybirds.

Sunday dawned much cooler, and also windy - with 20kt gusts forecast. The wind had veered a little but the course area and direction was broadly the same as Saturday.

There was some crew shuffling. Sally Gilbert teamed up with Steve Nott in 1841 and Geoff Floyd stepped into her place in 1819. We think this may have been a cunning plan on her part. Colin and Geoff were first to launch, and we were surprised to see them recovering from a capsize as we passed on the way to the committee boat. It was not to be their last!

Sunday start during the 2026 Wanderer Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Paul Sanwell / OPP

Race 4 - The RO set us a 3 lap course this time - triangle/sausage/triangle. It seems at Grafham that odd number lap courses sail the reach first while even numbers sail the run first. This made the first beat somewhat exciting as we had to pick our way through 26 Wayfarers all running downwind with spinnakers up.

Richard and Adam decided to depower by partially furling the jib. This was then let fully out on the lay line to the first mark when lighter winds and the need for pointing made it necessary.

The starboard lay line didn't work as well as on Saturday. The mark was a bit closer to the shore and the lift disappeared with about 50 meters to go. This benefited Colin Gilbert in 1819 who led in from the left side of the course.

Colin and Geoff in 1819 led Ian and David round the first mark. No one put their spinnakers up on the first two reaches. Richard and Adam were struggling to depower, even with a part furled jib.

Colin and Geoff had a missed tack at the start of the second beat which allowed Ian and David to pass them, however they had recovered back to first by the end of the beat.

Richard and Adam in 1561 hoisted the spinnaker on the run and were able to take back almost all of the distance back on the leaders.

By the third beat the Wayfarer fleet had now caught us up, and things were getting interesting as you had to pick your way through a line of them if you came in to the windward mark on port.

None of the Wanderers carried their spinnakers on the second set of reaches, and a fair few of the Wayfarers kept theirs in the chute as well.

Colin and Geoff in 1819 won, from Ian and David in 1004 and Richard and Adam on 1561. A spinnkerless, but still musical, Richard and Amanda in 718 yet again came fourth.

The last mark did not prove good for Steve Nott and Sally Gilbert in 1841. They hit it, and in doing their penalty turn they allowed Andy and Seth King in 1751 to slip past into fifth place.

Race 5 - The RO set our course back to a 2 lap sausage/triangle. With the wind building this came as a relief. Andy and Seth King in 1751 along with Steve and Sally in 1841 decided to sit the last two races out.

Ian and David led the beat from Colin and Geoff in 1819. 1004 was however low on the lay line, the port shift at 50 meters from the mark was still there. They thus had to tack and duck Colin and Geoff and rounded in second. Richard and Adam in 1561 were third. As before 1561 was the only boat to carry the spinnaker on the run. It made up some ground on the first two, but not enough. Once again though they were struggling with power on the beat, even with partially furled jib, and the distance to the lead pair opened back up.

On the last reach Richard and Adam noted that it was both lighter under the trees and also that the wind had freed, so they elected to carry the spinnaker. This allowed them to take a great chunk out of the lead of the first two boats. It was also a good cunning ploy. Looking behind them the lead two boats elected to hoist as they gybed while Richard and Adam dropped. This led to both 1004 and 1819 struggling to hold, and then drop, their spinnakers on the tighter second reach. It was not enough for 1561 to pass them, but it was close. All three leading boats finished within a few meters of each other. Colin Gilbert in 1819 won again, followed by 1004 and 1561. Richard and Amanda in 718 were yet again fourth, and they then decided to sit out the last race.

Race 6 - By now Colin Gilbert had won with 3 firsts, and the only possible place change would be for second and third.

The start was somewhat starboard end biased, and a strong gust sent Richard Maltby in 1561 heading down the line for the wrong end. With that in mind 1561 carried on on starboard tack in hope of a lift in to the mark on port. The other two boats tacked. Colin and Geoff in 1819 had some problems and were seem floundering by the committee boat. A tack and the jib not releasing had nearly sent them in.

Ian and David in 1004 thus led from Richard and Adam in 1561 with Colin now in third. None of the boats elected to fly spinnakers on the run.

Colin and Geoff were able to catch Richard and Adam on the second beat and looked like overtaking them. Once again problems with the jib releasing on a tack caught them out and they capsized. A quick recovery with a self-draining boat followed, but the places were to remain as they were.

Ian and David in 1004 won the last race, followed by Richard and Adam in 1561, with Colin Gilbert third.

With three first places Colin and Sally Gilbert and Geoff Floyd had done enough to win the Wanderer Inlands.

Prize winners in the 2026 Wanderer Inlands at Grafham Water - photo © Paul Sanwell / OPP

Overall Results: