CB Dinghy Chandlery Solo Inland Championship 2026 at Grafham Water Sailing Club - Preview
by Will Loy 29 Aug 10:42 BST
5-6 September 2026
Richard Pye leads the fleet in 20025 © fotoboat.com
Grafham Water is the venue for this very special 70th Anniversary edition of the Inland Championship and with just under two weeks to go, we have 43 pre entries. A healthy number but the Solo fleet are well known for deciding at the very last minute whether to go or not, I would assume that like three planets orbiting the Earth, favourable weather forecasts, a clean bill of health and a surplus of brownie points will align on the 4th of September and we will hit the 80 boat barrier.
CB Dinghy Chandlery's Chris Brown is a long time Solo sailor and is generously sponsoring the event with an array of prizes including very nifty mainsheet jammer watch holders and the Ultimate Hikers, all of which will be raffled at the prize-giving so please do attend or the number will be re-drawn!
This year we hope to trial a two fleet system, the majority will be classed as the main fleet with a second fleet for the vintage category and this will also include those less experienced who really do not want to mix it in the larger fleet races. We already have some vintage entries, David Goudy in his beautiful Gosling 4040, Brynn Morum in his Miles 4443, Simon Hoult in a Miles 4214 and Alan Wright in 4761. Both Mike Barnes in 'Top Drive' and Brenda Hoult in the Miles 4217 are listed in the main fleet racing but I do hope they opt to race against the other vintage hulls, I may need to provide an additional incentive!
Andy Davis has won the most titles with 6 victories spanning fifteen years, 2004-09-15-16-17-19, initially utilising the Speed hull (now Winder Mk 2) for his first two wins before switching to the Winder Mk 2 hull and his own HD sail. Andy has a sublime sailing style and has the ability to read the fleet better than most, avoiding mark pile-ups and concentrating on shift patterns and boat speed, a combination everyone should learn from.
Geoff Carveth has 5 title belts 83-84-90-91-99, (maybe the NSCA should investigate actually presenting these handy and subtly visible awards) I watched his second win from the bank at Queen Mary, an almost windless event but he still won at least one race by 5 minutes in the legendary 'Bungler' 3286 which was powered by the Proctor C and Batt sail. Carveth borrowed the late Roy Barnes Solo 3252 for his 1990 win before swapping to the Gerry Ledger built 3776 for his fourth title, a stinking 116 entries is still a record. The fifth was won in the Miles hull, the last time a timber hull would win an Inland Championship.
Jim Hunt also has 5 wins, the first in 1995 utilised the Severn Sailboats composite hull, Superspar M7 and his own Hunt Sail before switching to the Gosling hull/Speed sail for his 97-98 titles. Jim was instrumental in the development of the Winder/North sail package for his 2000-01 wins and this FRP construction process was the way forward from then on.
Tom Gillard is equal on 5 titles, his first in 2014 at Rutland racing a P&B powered Winder, the second in 2018 at Grafham for North Sails before dominating the event 2022-23-24, establishing himself as one of the North Sails greats who can win on flat water and waves.
Ken Falcon has 2 wins, both in his Lovett build, 3315 Pogs, the first in 1989 at Grafham Water, 107 entries breaking the 100 boat barrier for the first time. This was also notorious for a clubhouse bar break-in which was preceded by an impromptu night race across the reservoir by some of the fleet. The fleet were subsequently banned for 10 years. The second title in 1992 at Draycote Water saw another huge fleet of 103, Falcon winning in the Beckett built 3615
Ian Houston has 2 titles, the first at Rutland Water in 93 was in a beautifully built Gosling 3884, the second, ten years later at the same venue was in the Winder 1 4223, new builds were beginning to take off and would soon hit 100 per year.
Mike Sims is another with a brace of wins (2012-13) in the Winder 1a-P&B, his sailing style is a dream for the camera, athletic and agile while highly focused on the prize.
So, will one of the above rock up and try and catch Davis or will he attend and put the title next to the other 6 on his mantelpiece. There are a number of entrants who have 1 title to their name, Chris Brown, winner in 2021 and sponsor of the event has a real chance since switching to the Winder 2 and his Ultimate Hikers and clever, Patrick Overs designed stopwatch holder should provide advantages but Ewan Birkin-Walls (2007 winner) is my emotional favourite having lost his father Gordon a few months ago, it would be a fitting tribute but no pressure mate. He is joined by Stan who is either his son or brother so he has that challenge to overcome too.
Harry Lucas is on fire, not far off a major win and only just out of school while Tony Thresher is possibly older than me but having recently won the Oxford open is in a rich vein of form. Richard Goodenough is possibly older but having won in 1985 is not out of the picture, it was only 41 years ago! The young guns threatening the old guard are coming, Edward and William Rice Birchall are making the journey down from Yorkshire Dales while Cameron Norris makes the trip down from Shropshire. Jamie Cuxsan is on a similar path as Lucas and is my pick for a race win.
Andrew Wilde looked impressive at the National Championship and a solid performance could see him take the title.
Brenda Hoult in 4217 will be a stern test for Maria E. Franco in her Winder 1 6013, the differential in hulls may bring them closer together should Brenda opt to race in the main fleet.
Oliver Davenport (Davenport Sails) has yet to enter and North sails representation is usually guaranteed, especially when they launch a new product like the graphite coloured aramid design Cumbley used at Royal Torbay, he won the 2010 Inlands so has some form. Likewise, P&B have Tom Lonsdale gagging to take a shot at the title and he is handy, especially if it goes light but right now the sail lofts are keeping their powder dry and their jockeys under wraps.
The evening social dinner at the nearby pub has been well publicised and an NSCA sub Committee of highly knowledgable sailors are delving deep into the Solo archives for some choice questions to deliver at the quiz.
Media icon and heart throb Will Loy has promised to provide a light hearted speech on some of his favourite moments, all of which have something to do with the class and the President's speech should be something to savour, I am building him up! Wally of the Day is as inevitable as the Sun rising given the quality of the sailors, usually age related cock-ups but the youth can be stupid too, we were all young once.
Thanks to CB Dinghy Chandlery for supporting the class at this historic 70th running of the Inland Championship, if you want to be part of the story then enter now.