Bank Holiday Weekend Racing at UYC
Published 12:49 on 29 May 2026
Pursuit Race Report - Saturday 23rd May
Eleven boats entered the pursuit race on 23rd May as a change from the usual racing format, with staggered starts building to an exciting climax as all the boats finished closely packed after an hour and a half. PRO John Robson set a roughly rectangular course in the light, mainly southerly breeze, which gave occasional stronger patches from a slightly more westerly direction.
The slowest entrant, Jonathan Nicoll in an ILCA 6 (formerly Laser Radial), set off first and sailed a lonely race for the first hour while enjoying the rare visit to the end of the lake at Waterfoot and peering anxiously in his rear-view mirror at the faster boats gradually catching him from behind.
After an hour the fleet was closing up, and Jonathan lost his lead to the Flying Fifteen of Dave and Sue Giles, shortly followed by Craig and Hannah Robinson in another Fifteen. By this time most of the fleet was clustered in front of the clubhouse, and there was great excitement ashore as spectators watched to see who could overtake the boat in front before the race finish at 3.30pm.
In the event, Dave and Sue just held off Lester Noble and Mark Simpson in the fast-charging VX1 to finish in first place.
The Island Race Report - 24th May
Said to be one of the oldest races in the UYC sailing programme, and first raced back in the 1960s, the 2026 edition took place on Saturday in sunshine and breeze champagne sailing at Ullswater, just as we like it.
Jonathan Nicholl, acting as PRO and clearly not fancying a 13-mile round trip of the lake in his Laser, set a course in keeping with the traditions of earlier races: a beat to Norfolk Island, back up the lake around Waterfoot, and then back to the finish. Twenty-four boats entered, including five cruisers, and with two clean starts we were off.
If you sail a 49er, the Island Race lasts about as long as an average feature film, and in 1 hour 21 minutes the Lyons brothers were back ashore sunbathing, whereas the Laser Radial of Sally Willett took a little longer at 2 hours 34 minutes. The majority of the fleet finished close to the two-hour mark and enjoyed some typical Ullswater conditions on the way round, but the run back from the Island was worth the wait. The faster boats definitely benefited from the fresh breeze, but the Flying Fifteen of Dave and Sue Giles was the first of the traditional boats home in 5th place.
Matty and James were 20 seconds ahead on corrected time from Keith Lockey and Paul Adams, taking first and second respectively. Joint 3rd, and less than a minute behind, were Josh Moran in a Musto Skiff and John Robson and Jason Bridgeman in a VX. Special mention must also go to Lester Noble who, by his own account, was a good five minutes clear before missing one of the marks and being forced to retire... we'll never know!
The prize for first cruiser (sportboat) was awarded on the day to the H22, ably sailed by Keith, Gary and Patrick Ward, who finished a very credible 12th place ahead of Ray Harle and Jon Wales in a Hunter. However, there is an ongoing discussion about cruiser handicaps, so at this stage... watch this space!
As is now the norm, the prize-giving took place after the race, and Lillian did the honours, presenting the winners with trophies and UYC pottery.
The Anniversary Trophy Report - 25th May
Bank Holiday Monday again brought sunshine and breeze, and 12 competitors took to the water to battle for the three trophies. The format consisted of four short races of approximately 30 minutes each, two either side of lunch, and with a mixed fleet the courses were varied as much as possible.
In the absence of a PRO, four sailors took it in turns to run a race, and special thanks go to Ann Noble, Phil Laycock, Keith Lockey and Dave Lyons, who all sacrificed their discard to run one race each.
There were principally two main battles at either end of the fleet. At the front, the four VXs swapped places repeatedly, with Lester Noble managing to come out on top on the final beat. At the back, the three Lasers enjoyed some close racing, with John Lyons and Tim Emery never far apart in all four races, while the Finn of Phil Laycock kept his distance and chased down the faster boats.
Steve King, crewed by Jane, Cath and Vic, was the lone cruiser racing on a very tight course and finished a very creditable 7th place - which may have been even better had the fridge not been fully stocked before the race!
So, after four races and three different race winners, it was a very close finish indeed.
Lester Noble and Mark Simpson made up for their Island Race mishap on Sunday and took the overall win with four points, followed by the Finn of Phil Laycock and the VX of Ann Noble, sailing three-up with Sean Brooks and Tim Whitehead, who were tied on five points. Phil took 2nd place courtesy of his final race finish.
UYC racing once again enjoyed glorious sunshine and very hot sailing conditions on a busy lake - let's hope the heatwave continues into next week.
Last updated 12:54 on 29 May 2026