We are saddened to learn of the recent death of long term honorary member Ken Allen after a short illness.
In the past, Ken was a keen sailor in the GP and F15 fleets, and served as the club’s honorary engineer for many years.
Our deepest condolences go out to his wife, Angela, and all of his family at this sad time.
Saturday’s racing looked initially to be quite breezy which may have put a few of our regular sailors off after Thursday’s excitement. However as the course was set the wind began to ease and that was the theme of the day.
In the handicap fleet Chris and Noah were little keen coming into the line and started prematurely resulting in a trip back across the start line. Rory led the fleet round but it was Dave in the ILCA6 that won comfortably on handicap.
In the GP14s Val and Ken led James and Jenny round and enjoyed the couple of spinnaker gybes the OD had kindly put in the course for them. Well it looked like they enjoyed it from the committee boat.
Second race the wind started to shift and ease further which meant some funny conditions in that there was a chop from down the lake but not much wind. As a result the boats that did one lap did well so on handicap Saskia in the Opi took the win.
In the handicap fleet Caroline currently leads the series, whilst Val and Ken lead the GP14s
Sunday’s racing had a late start due to the OD having mixed up the start time… maybe or possibly a good party the night before.
In the Handicap fleet Robin and Mike once again came home winners… hopefully some other FF will show up so they can go back to their fleet. In the GP14s Dave and Lynn came in winners. They lead the GP14 series whilst Neil & Archie lead the handicap series.
The second race was the Calvert trust Pennant.
Once again Archie, who his father suggests is colour blind mixed up Port and Starboard… so that was the end of that! Perhaps his father should test the logic of the course?…
The rest of the race was a battle between Robin and Mike in the Fifteen trying to get a big enough gap on Dave and Lynn in the GP14. But amazingly in the end it was a tie. They can fight over it at the dinner dance.
Thursday’s Night Jar looked like possible champagne conditions. Heatwave and a nice 10knots of breeze. However the weather gods had other ideas.
The fleet headed out and the wind began to pick up almost immediately. By the time the race started it was gusting 30knots. Some of the wiser sailors thought better of it and headed ashore leaving an Optimist, 3 ILCAs, the Lightning, a couple of RS200s and a RS400.
First lap had a few cooling off in the water but all was good. Second lap the wind went up a level which left most of the fleet having a swim.
Neil & Archie managed to break the centreboard casing righting the boat.🫣 One of the RS200s sank after springing a leak. However sailor of the evening was Saskia in the Opi she stayed upright the longest showing the rest how it’s done.
As conditions had worsened at this point the OD made the call to abandon the race and bring the fleet in.
A stronger than forecast Easterly greeted our sailors on Saturday. The days sailing was the MJM Trophy or Asymmetric Cup.
Due to a lack of another Asymmetric boat Neil & Archie jumped fleet to compete with the symmetric boats so as to get a sail… well until the wing wang line broke and they headed ashore before the start!
The OD set a long course which included a visit to 7 so the fleet was well spread out. On handicap Rory took the win in his K1 followed by Alan and Sue in the GP14. The Teras of Andrew, Rory and Oscar followed as they get ready for upcoming youth events.
The second race was a windward leeward affair and Neil & Archie had managed to repair the broken line to join the second race. The course suited the RS400 and they led the course and won on handicap, followed by Andrew having sailed an excellent race in his Tera Sport, and Rory in the K1. Whether that result can stay in the MJM Trophy only the sailing secretary can tell… 😀
Rory in the K1 leads the series after 2 races.
Sunday was an altogether lighter and sunnier affair. The wind wasn’t sure which way to blow which made it difficult for our ODs Jack & Mike.
The first race was led initially by Neil & Archie in the RS400, followed by Mark in the RS100 and Oscar sailing Dad’s RS400. True to form those 3 parked it at 2 2nd lap and the rest of the fleet came to say hi 👋.
So it looked like an easy win for the Lasers and Solos. However on the return leg Mark just managed to escape enough to take the win as the main fleet parked temporarily at 9 before heading to YZ.
Mark won just ahead of Keith in the Laser closely followed and an excellent result for Rory in the Laser 4.7. In the GP14s Val and Ken survived the holes and led Alan and Sue in a close race.
The MT fleet was led home by Francis Parnaby in her Tera.
In the second race the wind filled in more thankfully and the holes of the first race evaporated. In the Handicap fleet Neil and Archie managed to get ahead and this time stay there, followed home by Mark and Oscar. On handicap Neil & Archie took win followed by Mark and Keith in the Laser 3rd. In the GP14s the results stayed the same in that Val and Ken took the win and now lead the series over Alan & Sue.
In the MT fleet there was a change at the front but it was kept in the family, Robyn Parnaby in the Topper took the win over Francis. Francis currently leads the series.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
What to bring:
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 attendÂ
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!