Bassenthwaite Sailing Club hosted an open day on the Saturday of the May bank holiday weekend. The members made this a successful and fun event for all. Hopefully the visitors enjoyed their visit and become interested in Sailing beyond today.

The Catapult fleet made their annual pilgrimage to Bass and their fleet enjoyed 2 races in light to medium winds.

The Club fleet sailed the Paul Carruthers Memorial Trophy. Different fleets races had mixed results in either race. First race was won by Dave and Lynn in their GP14 but the second was dominated by the RS200s leading the way. However it was a day of consistency and Robin and Mike in the Flying Fifteen won the series with a 2nd and 7th.

Paul Carruthers Memorial Trophy 2026 results

Sunday’s Sailors woke to an overcast and cool Easterly breeze… Some looking a little fragile after enjoying the Dawson Birthday celebrations on Saturday night.

The wind direction made for a difficult launch and one Catapult made an inspection of the reed bed, obviously intentional.

The three races went to plan and the OD used the best part of the lake to secure consistent breeze. One of the Catapults got caught out by a stronger gust and couldn’t uncleat their main which led to a rare capsize.

Monday had much lighter wind from the Southwest, but the sun made a timely appearance once out for a pleasant afternoon sailing.

In the Catapult fleet Gareth Ede won their open meeting with some convincing results.

Catapult open overall results

In the weekend series Robin and Mike led the Flying Fifteens home. David and Lynn won every race to secure the GP14 series. In the Handicap fleet Mike and Jack secured the win in their Graduate and in the Asymmetric Handicap fleet Matt and Oliver won in their RS200.

Weekend series overall results

Saturday’s sailors were greeted with a fresh but slightly more manageable wind compared with recent weekends.

The sailing was the Celebrity Glass pursuit but it was decided to run it as a handicap series due to only 10 boats competing. The first race was a longer one being around a hour. The RS400s led the way and Wayne and Jess unfortunately had to retire due to gear failure whilst just ahead of Neil & Archie, closely followed by Phil & Simon. The 29er of James & Oscar closely followed with some spectacular reaching just about keeping it up. Rory and Andrew sailed a solid race in their Feva and Alan and Sue enjoyed the conditions and long race, but one was enough.

Second race James & Oscar led the way with the RS400s following. Due to Archie potentially being late for work this was much shorter race at the request of the Sailing Secretary! :))

Both Races were won on handicap by Neil and Archie followed by Phil and Simon. Rory and Andrew completing the podium with an excellent third.

Final results

Sunday’s racing had an earlier start for some who hadn’t checked the programme. Racing started at the published 1pm which worked out well as the sun shone and the wind filled in.

In the handicap fleet the RS400 of Wayne and Jess lead the fleet round for 4 laps only to be rolled on a gybe on the penultimate leg by Neil and Archie. The 400s won on handicap after gaining a lap on the rest of the fleet.

In the Gp14s normal service resumed in David and Lynn taking the win. In the MT fleet Rory and Andrew came away with the win.

The second race was the Eric Twiname Trust Pennant. The OD decided to take the fleet to 7 for a long leg in and out however the wind began ease off in patches so it was kept short with one lap. Wayne and Jess in the RS400 managed to escape mark 7 efficiently and ended up with the win followed by Dave and Lynn in their GP14. Next was Alan and Sue also in their GP14.

BL etc latest results

Eric Twiname Trust pennant final results

Gusty conditions on Saturday, especially with recent snow on Skiddaw, put paid to club racing for another day!

So the main event on Saturday was hunt the boathouse keys which have been misplaced from the Easter weekend.

Sunday’s forecast didn’t look too promising either, but, with pretty strong and gusty conditions, just one race was held with two contenders Neil/Archie in an RS200 (obviously too scared to take out the 400), and Dave in an ILCA6

First lap Dave was keeping the 200 within his sights and looking good but was forced into early bath on the gybe mark. This allowed Neil/Archie to get away as they surprisingly managed to keep it sunny side up, and win on handicap.

Latest results

Bassenthwaite Sailing Club Open Day, 1-4pm, Saturday 2nd May 2026! ⛵

If your family loves the great outdoors and you’re looking for a new adventure to enjoy together, come along to Bassenthwaite Sailing Club’s free Open Day. It’s the perfect chance to discover sailing in a friendly, supportive environment right here in the heart of Cumbria.

Sailing is a brilliant way for children and adults alike to build confidence, learn new skills, and enjoy our stunning landscape from the water. Our club is proudly family‑orientated and run by dedicated volunteers who are passionate about welcoming new members into the sailing community.

What’s happening on the day: 1-4pm

• Try‑sailing sessions (20 minutes) with experienced club members
• Visit our facilities and learn how the club works
• Friendly chats with volunteers and families who sail with us
• Warm drinks, cakes, and plenty of encouragement

What to bring:

• A change of clothes
• A towel
• Shoes you don’t mind getting wet
• We’ll provide buoyancy aids, so no specialist kit needed

Whether you’re completely new to sailing or simply curious, we’d love to show you what makes Bassenthwaite Sailing Club such a special place to belong. Come and see how your family could get involved and enjoy life on the water together.

Please arrive between 1-4pm on Saturday 2nd May. To help us plan, only visitors who complete the booking form below can attend 

Booking form

Address Bassenthwaite Sailing Club, Dubwath, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth CA13 9YD

There was a good turnout for the first race of the season, unfortunately the only spectator sport proved to be watching the spindrift lifting from the lake, as racing was cancelled.

So it’ll be straight into the long Easter weekend to iron out any maintenance issues that may have been overlooked!

Yes, the 2026 sailing season is about to start on Sunday so, for those that have not been sailing through the close season, it’s time to hunt out your gear, and prepare for the realisation it must have shrunk a little!

With Sunday being the first day of British summer time, clocks will go forward an hour on Saturday night, but this is slightly offset by the new start time on non championship series weekends of 1pm.

Happy sailing!

It is with sadness that we have learnt that Bobbie Middleton has passed away after brief illness.

Husband Miles is a past Commodore, they were long time members sailing together for many years, and they were always the life and soul of club events.

Our thoughts are with Miles and their children at this sad time.

There will be a celebratory service for Bobbie at St.Andrews church Corbridge on Wednesday 11th March at 1530 hours, followed by refreshments at Corbridge cricket club.

The cremation service will be family only