SoloInteractive
The only magazine devoted to promoting the Solo Dinghy
Photo credit: Champion Photography
President’s Report Guy Mayger
Dear Solo sailors,
I think it's fair to say that the winter of 2024/2025 really seems to have dragged on for those of us who haven't made it out on the water since Christmas.
But all bad things must come to an end and with that the start of the 2025 season got underway at the Winter championships at Rutland Water Sailing Club, and what a fantastic day we had! Elsewhere in the magazine you will find a full report on an excellent event and a worthy winner Olly Davenport, who starts the season as I'm sure he means to carry on... but we're all coming for you Olly!
My other takeaway from Rutland was seeing a new band of sailors joining the fleet. I spoke to a number of Solo newbies who were all super keen to develop their skills and get stuck into the close racing the class has to offer. For some, it was a bit of an eye-opener to see how tough the fleet racing can be, but all came away having learnt something from the day, whether that be sorting out their rig settings, keeping the boat flatter or working on their race craft. As always, with such a friendly class, helpful advice is always available and people are keen to pass on their knowledge, which only serves to make the racing even more fun.
Prior to the Winter championship the class association attended the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show at the Farnborough Exhibition Centre. Always a regular fixture in any dinghy sailors’ calendar, this proved an excellent opportunity to meet up with association members, old and new, to discuss all things Solo. On both Saturday and Sunday, the class stand was extremely busy with much discussion about inhauls, centreboard position and mast rake. All the usual topics and more were covered.
Of course, it's a great opportunity to meet with our many well-known friends, but this year it was particularly pleasing to meet so many new Solo sailors and hear about their experiences and see how we could assist them with enjoying Mr Holt's little boat as much as we do.
Speaking with such a diverse group it's quite amazing to think of all the different clubs that Solos are sailed/raced at around the country. Very few classes have competitive racing taking place on the open sea, small and large reservoirs, lakes and some of the smallest river club
Huge thanks to Olly Davenport and Vice-President Paul Davis for allowing us to display their boats. Olly's immaculately fitted out Winder Mk1a is a prime example of a typical front of the fleet craft, and unlike many classes, you can purchase an exact copy so that you know you have no excuses... other than the person on the tiller extension, of course!
Paul's new boat drew much attention and is featured in more detail in this edition for those who couldn't make it to the show. We're all excited to see how she performs as well as being very impressed with Paul's building skills. For now, this is a one-off project, but who knows. Maybe "Davis Shipwrights of Lymington" might become a player in the Solo building game?
As mentioned above, we had a cracking start to the season with the Winters at Rutland and now, as always, the Solo calendar really starts to kick-off with events in every region area around the country. In April, you can find a Solo open meeting taking place every single
weekend, if you so wished, and I have to express my huge thanks to our Regional Reps who have pulled all of this together. Another major benefit to being such a popular class! The opportunity to race at your home club but also pop along to a close-by open meeting and test your skills against some very competitive sailors, continues to put the Solo above other classes. Remember to buy your Regional Reps a cuppa. or maybe even a beer, the next time you see them. Many people are working hard behind the scenes for you all.
Of course, the North Sails Super Series continues to be our flagship group of events and following Rutland the next one is the Spring championship at lovely Whitstable Yacht Club. I am delighted that the class will be going to Whitstable as it's a venue I have sailed at a few times, many years ago when racing Fireballs, and I have fond memories of the water and club. There is an enthusiastic band of local Solo sailors who are looking forward to hosting this event, as well as the chance to try some oysters if you have the time.
On top of the Spring championship, 27th April, the day before (26th) the Class is running a free training day for class members, led by Vince Horey. As many of you know, Vince is a longstanding stalwart of the Solo class and has a huge knowledgebase on which to draw from. I'm sure he can get us all improving our tacks, gybes and speed around the track.
Entry for the training and the Spring championship is available through the class website. Please follow the links and be mindful that places are limited for the training day.
Continuing the training theme, your class association has put funds aside for each area Rep to organise and run further training sessions throughout the year. All of these are free to class association members. Please check the calendar on the website or get in touch with your area Rep to find out more. Looking further into the season, can I remind sailors to get their entries in for the National championships at North Berwick and the Nations Cup at Lake Como. Getting entries in early really helps with event planning both for the Association and for the host clubs. Again, all information regarding these events is available through the Class website as well as postings on the news feed or via our Facebook pages.
Regarding future editions of Solo Interactive, the media team is always keen to hear from members who have ideas for contributions and suggestions for articles about specific topics you would like to have covered. Please feel free to get in touch via e-mail or phone. Mine and other committee members contact details are available in this magazine or the website.
With that, I'll wrap up this addition of the President's report and hope the weather starts to warm up soon since I'm normally wearing my shorts by now, but to date it's been a little too cold for my poor old knees.
Sail fast, sail smart.
Guy 5691
Ben Flower talks about Allen Spars HERE
RYA Dinghy Show Special
NSCA Vice President Paul Davis explains the strategy behind his new build.
So after many late nights and candles being burnt from all directions, its finally over the line and we have a Solo.
From the get go, I wanted to do something different within the rules, so the plan was always to do something visually different which is where the ideas came from, but subtle visual differences. So with the a=en>on Paul Dijkstra Solo got with the flaired side decks, this was an easy one as it would visually make quite a difference, so the nice comfy radius on the side decks was des>ned to go, yes on the downside would be not as comfy to hike from. Small price to pay for a gain, no pain no gain and all that, and it helps keep my bu= slightly higher from the water which can only be a good thing, or at least I keep telling myself that.
So from the side decks being slight different I wanted to try and keep a clean look through the boat so instead of the conven>onal leading the control lines under the mainsheet swivel, I decided to lead them in-front of the thwart, so the slack of the control lines drop forwards of the thwart. This then means there is less ropes around my feet which can only be a benefit. This isn’t a new idea, Winder who leads the way in Solo builds had already done this and is on Dave own boat. With this in mind, having less ropes around my feet I looked at the control lines I actually use, and the outhaul is one that I personally dont really adjust during a race (might be my downside) so an obvious decision was to leave this old school on the boom. Again this isn’t a new innova>on, as others over >me have done this, Pete Mitchell being one who used to set his outhaul on the black band and leave it, then giving some speall about when he rounds the windward mark and drop his inhaul off, the sails set for max projec>on for downwind, sounded plausible……even for Mav!
Chris Brown talks to Paul Davis HERE
Yes great reduce the rope in the boat, cleaner look, oh let’s go and add more ropes back in the boat and put control lines on my bailers! Yes I can open and close my bailers without having to reach into the boat, meaning I keep my head out the boat and yes that’s another excuse I can’t use as to why I’ve gone the wrong way. But this idea came from a li=le sail in someone’s Flying 15, and a why not aUtude I work out a way to mod my bailers and make a system work on a solo. There will be a li=le refining but currently the concept works so far.
For those that saw the boat at the Dinghy Show, it has a very clean look, the deck to hull join isn’t there and is a nice smooth radius, which I con>nued on the transom. Nothing is through bolted on the transom, all the rudder fiUngs have been fi=ed using tappex’s. Again going for that clean look.
Then there are two other features, one that has had very posi>ve feedback on as it give a clean modern look to the solo. The thwart hasn’t been bonded to the side deck like the rest, instead, when I moulded the side deck, I created a slight hollow where the thwart lands in the side deck, allowing me to drop it down and the centerboard case down towards the lowest height, giving more room between that and the boom for tacking. The thwart lands on the side deck like every other solo, but I then filled and faired it in to give that modern look. I think some people hadn’t realised that I have spent hours prepping the hull ready for paint, and with it being a painted hull and deck, it makes like easier to fill and fair things in like the thwart.
The final piece of the puzzle the foredeck, with the visual look of the 3d core which the boats built in. Again just something a li=le different, but when I infused the deck I pigmented the resin to help the cells on the 3d core pop that li=le bit more.
Plan is to get it on the water and see how it gone and take things from there.
Oliver Davenport’s P+B
Winder 1a
Chris Brown checks out the boat HERE
Ben Flower checks out the Allen Spars HERE
Ben Flower talks to Guy Mayger HERE
Solo Class Southern Area 2025
Super Spars Traveller Series
Maria E. Franco
It’s that time of the year when we are all getting our boats ready for the start of the new season, so I want to take this opportunity to share with you the plans we have.
Southern Area Sponsors
Our main sponsor this year is SUPER SPARS, they have been very generous providing excellent prizes for our events. For the overall series, you have the opportunity to win vouchers for £300 and £200, this will go in a raffle for all who qualify for the series, and as a special raffle prize during the Area Championship in Lymington we have a SUPER SPARS Boom, that was delivered at the RYA Dinghy and Water sports Show.
CB Trailer and Covers Solo Specialist Store, Magic Marine and Triggernaut are sponsoring our series by providing discount vouchers for individual Series results.
The 2025 Series Calendar
The 2025 series will feature 11 events with 4 events to qualify. It combines a mix of events taking place on Saturday’s and Sunday’s, and a mix of Sea and Inland events, so I hope there is something that works for most sailors and we can maximise the number of people who qualify for the series by completing at least the 4 events. The success of our events and what keep our class attractive and active is thanks to each one of you, who take the time to travel to each of the various event so, many thanks and I hope we continue to see more of you around the circuit. For this year, there are 2 events during our series that will also count towards the National Super Series results: the open at HISC on 17-18 May and our Area Champs at Lymington May 31-June 1. The full year calendar is:
12 April (Saturday): Spinnaker SC
➢ Registration open à https://www.spinnakerclub.co.uk/event/solo-open-meeting
11 May (Sunday): Frensham Pond SC
17 & 18 May: Hayling Island SC – Joint with HISC Solo Tyler Trophy.
➢ Entry form here à Europe, Finn and Solo Tyler Trophy Open Meeting
24 May (Saturday): Bough Beach SC
31 May & 1 June: Area Champs @ Lymington Town SC
➢ Entry form coming soon à Solo Southern Championships | LTSC
➢ Training Day Friday 30th May by Charlie Cumbley, from North Sails.
14 June (Saturday): Chipstead SC – Joint event with Thames Valley
28 June (Saturday): Dell Quay SC
5 July (Saturday): Felpham SC
13 July (Sunday): Hill Head SC
12 October (Sunday): Littleton SC – Joint event with Thames Valley
26 October (Sunday): Papercourt SC – Joint event with Thames Valley & Final Series Prize Giving
Bough Beech Open 2024
Pic: Sarah Seddon
Training Days
Lymington SC is hosting a Training Day on Friday 30th of May, sponsored by NSCA for its members. We are very excited to have Charlie Cumbley from North Sails as our coach that day. Please keep an eye for further comm’s about training start time and other logistics for the day. The training is aimed to all levels of experience and the plan is to help improve your boat set up and sailing technique. Please note there are limited spaces with max. 12-15 boats, so do register soon after we share the registration link.
Training is free for NSCA members. Non-members are welcome to register to the NSCA for a £25 fee, don’t wait until training day, join now and start enjoying NSCA benefits for members, including discounts, training days around the UK and more (Join here). In addition to the training we have at Lymington there is also one confirmed ahead of the Springs champs @Whitstable SC, with the training day on Saturday 26th April, followed by the Springs Champs on the Sunday. I will share other training days as they become available.
I’d like our Southern area to have more NSCA sponsored training days in 2025, maybe 2 or 3 more taking place on a Saturday or Sunday, either linked to a Solo open event, or as a standalone event. Please reach out to me if your club would consider hosting a training day, this training days would be open for any NSCA member to join, so it’s not just aimed for the sailors of the club who host the training. My contact information is at the end of this article. Demo boat
Remember we have a Demo boat available that you can have at your club for a couple weeks/ months, it is a great opportunity to invite new sailors in your club, or those from other fleets who’d could to try a Solo during your club racing days, or at one of our events, if your club is interested on having a demo boat, please get in touch about the Demo boats on this link: NSCA Demo Boat | National Solo Class
Looking forward to a year of close racing and competitive sailing with even more sailors taking part. Keep an eye on the Events page at the National Solo Class Association website for more information about all National and Regional Solo fleet events.
Best regards,
Maria E. Franco
Solo 5675
mariae_franco@yahoo.com 07901511652
Mike Dray is rumoured to have a new Solo on order
Pic: Mark Carleton
Simon Derham hooks into an Island Barn gust and prepares for lift off.
Photo credit: Kirsten Marley
Photo credit: Kirsten Marley
2025 Midland Circuit Report
The 2025 Midland Circuit is due to kick off at Carsington Sailing Club on the 29th March, forecast is 15 Knots, 27 Deg C air temp and the water temp warm enough to leave the wetsuit in the kit bag…. Unlikely, but I can live in hope anyway.
For 2025 we are introducing the “Big Lakes Series” to the circuit where we have picked the 5 bigger lakes on the calendar to attract more entries from outside the walls of the Midlands Area. Further to this, we are stretching the Midlands boundaries into North Wales, Llandudno, to hold our Midlands area champs as a combined weekend event with Northerners.
I wish to thank Nick Hornsby for leading the arrangements for what should be a great event. I also wish to thank all the contacts at all the Sailing Clubs on the calendar, who have helped organise and lock down these dates.
Special thanks has to go to Maria who remains to help me keep on top of my Midlands rep role.
CB Cover Store and Allen are sponsoring the circuit again this year which enables us to give good prizes for the competitors.
Runners and Riders wise, well we have two familiar sailors returning to the Midland Circuit and Super Series this year, Andy Wilde 6125 (Winder Mk2, M2 Mast and North P4) and Mike Sims 6128 (Winder Mk1, M2 Mast and P&B).
Andy recently won the Steve Nicholson in the Solo and I was having a good little sail with Mike at Carsington last weekend for his first outing back in the Solo. It was great to have him back at the club!
So, 2025 is set to be another great year with a twist and I hope to see many people out and about on the circuit, local and national.
Jonathan Swain 6055 Midlands Rep
Nigel Davies blasted his way to the Carsington title in 2024
Pic: Richard Corbin
Scottish Area news.
It is only a month until the start of the new HD Sails Scottish Solo travellers series. After a few weeks juggling dates and venues I managed to get all the venues sorted out in good time and now only need to work out where one of the of the annual trophies is residing. It will soon be time to start discussing NoR, Sailing instructions etc with the host clubs. In fact, the race officer who will be in charge at Loch Venachar was in touch weeks ago inquiring about what we might need both on and off the water. Given we are not going there until the middle of the year I was impressed!
Our first event will be, as usual, at Bardowie a small loch near Glasgow. Last year the sun shone but there was no wind, and we did not get on the water all day, so fingers crossed things are better this year. Patrick Burns recently returned from the dinghy show with a carload of shiny new HD Sails which will doubtless be hoisted for the first time there. I certainly hope mine is fast!
After Bardowie the Scottish Solo fleet goes to Newburgh where we sail on the tidal river Tay. The other events for 2025 are a mix of inland and sea venues across the country. We are blessed with plenty of excellent places to sail in Scotland. When I finalised the list for this year, I realised that in addition to the eight clubs we are travelling to I could have used eight completely different ones and still had a great range of sailing water. Many had inquired if we wanted to sail there this year, and we will doubtless go there in the future.
Now as we all know the Nationals are taking place at North Berwick in August and there will hopefully be a strong turnout. I know that there will be plenty of Scots sailing, including some new to the class or returning. The Scottish championships will also be part of North Berwick regatta at the start of June so that will be an opportunity to get some practice in. There is class support for the entry fee as another reason for coming. Preparations for the Nationals are going well with a few Zoom calls involving the club and class committee in recent weeks. Having watched the team who will run the event both on and off the water I can assure you that the Solo class will be in good hands. At the moment we are finalising the social events. One thing being discussed is the possibility of having one race run in a different format. Instead of the usual round the buoys, it would be a coastal race with at least one of the marks being an island and the whole race taking place near the shore. We'll keep this option open for now and gauge the feeling from the fleet.
The picture is taken from the top of the short slipway down to the beach showing the launching area and the route out to the sailing takes place. The tides are small the week that we are sailing, and I don’t think the tide will ever be much higher than shown in the picture. There are rocks to avoid on the North side of the beach but there is plenty of space to get in and out safely.
This lot are now ten years older.
e relax after an epic ‘Big Thursday.’
Nick Bonner, Nigel Davies, Charlie Cumbley, Chris Brown, Andy Davis, Ian Hopwood, Pete and Dave Mitchell, is that Innes Armstrong? and Andy Tunnicliff
Now after a hard day sailing with two championship races the weary Solo sailor will pull his boat up the slope after hosing it down and see in front the nearest pub, The Golfers Rest. This is less that 100 paces from the slip. Even nearer (only 35 paces, I checked) is what a weary Solo sailor might need first – a physio!!
Few of you will know that part of the Edinburgh Festival called Fringe by the Sea takes place in North Berwick every year and this year it coincides with the Nationals. This means that there is a lot going on in a park only 10 minutes walk away. There are lots of food options available and at least two outdoor bars and the atmosphere is great. Solo sailors of a certain age will recognise the Boomtown Rats who are playing one evening, I already have tickets! Have a look at the event web site to see what is taking place: Fringe by the Sea – 1-10 August 2025 | North Berwick
So, 2025 looks set to be a big year for the Solo class in Scotland and I hope to see many of you at North Berwick in August.
Ross Watson - Scottish Rep
Returning Solo sailors know where the action is at!
As we know, the Solo offers some of the best racing in the country, so it's always great to see sailors coming back to the class for just that. Two such people are Andy Wilde and Mike Sims, who both have new boats for the 2025 season. Going on past form, these two will be right up there in the results and I have already had the pleasure of having some hard racing against them. Let's hear what they have to say about why they have comeback to the Solo.
Andy Wilde - 6125
I first got a Solo in 2014 and attended a number of events during 2014, 2015 and 2016. I have not sailed one until I borrowed one for the Inlands last year.
I’ve only owned one other Solo, but I bought a new boat, 6125, which is a Winder mk2 with a Superspar M2 and North P4 sail.
I’ve sailed since age 11 and raced Toppers, Lasers, Phantoms, Musto Skiffs, Dart 18, Fireball, RS200, along with many other boats. I own a RS200 as well as the Solo.
Success in other boats, in Lasers I won a race at Nationals, attended international events inc Europeans and sailed for 2 months in Australia full time at one point. I’ve won all the events in Phantoms, Inlands, Winters and the Nationals in 2012.
Why a Solo: I borrowed the demo boat to do the Inlands and realised many of my old mates still sail it. Having taken a break from sailing I was looking to get back into it. When reviewing the events calendar for 2025 it looks very appealing, and I hope to attend at least 10 events. I appreciate all the effort by the class to arranged so many quality events with high quality courses and race officials.
Mike Sims - 6128
I first started sailing a Solo in 2011, was very active in the class until 2017 and really enjoyed my time. I did return very briefly in 2022, but realised I was too busy with other commitments to properly commit, which tends to be my preference, all or nothing!
2025 will hopefully be the start of many more years in the class, hence ordering a new boat, which I collected in early February. This one is a Winder Mk1a with a Superspar M2 rig and P&B Maxx sail.
Most significant event wins in the Solo in previous years include winning the Nations Cup and Inlands several times, but frustratingly the UK National far too often ended up close, but not close enough!
Other notable successes include winning the RS400 Irish and UK Nationals and most recently 1st British boat and 6th overall in the 2023 505 World Championships. The ambition is firmly on improving on that in 2026, when the UK host the event.
The main attraction for me in re-joining the Solo class was the great number of UK events and most importantly how well attended they are. My plan is to attend as many of the major events this season as possible, and I am looking forward to catching up with familiar faces.
We have introduced 2 weekends where we have consecutive events to make travel and a holiday option easier. Torpoint Mosquito and a new venue, Porthpean on 5/6 July and Dittisham and TCYC (Teign Corinthian) on 19/20 July. Each weekend we will also run our fun “Weekend Warrior” competition for those competing in both events with extra prizes from Dinghy Shack, independent of the Western Series. Campervan options are being discussed for both weekends.
This years Western Area Champs will be at Starcross YC on the 30/31 August. Like all regional championships this event and the Welsh championships can count as your best regional result towards the NSCA Super Series. The Western Series finishes at Salcombe on 11/12 October.
I have shaken hands with Rhys Rollitt of our sponsor GOAT Marine, who have provided fantastic sponsorship for our region, and agreed to provide some great prizes for the series and run another bonkers discount on a new GOAT SOLO for the Western Series again this year. The rules to be decided, but you must be in it to win it.
Vernon Perkins – NSCA Western Area Rep.
Photo credit: Richard Fryer
Paul Lewis carving his Solo around the top mark at Starcross 2024
Vernon Perkins receives his new P+B GOAT Solo from Steve Badham at the RYA Dinghy Show
SOLO WESTERN AREA
EVENTS 2025
• Welsh Championships & Western Open - Tata Steel
Sailing Club - 12th/13th April
• Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club - 24th May
• Torpoint Mosquito Sailing Club - 5th July
• Portpean Sailing Club Open - 6th July
• Ditsham Sailing Club - 19th July
• TCYC (Teign Corinthians YC) - 20th July
• Western Area Championships - Starcross Yacht Club - 30th/31st August
• South Cerney Sailing Club - 4th October
• Salcombe Yacht Club - 11th/12th October
5 Events to qualify
Sponsored By:
Eastern Area and Thames Valley Report – March 2025
Greetings from an unseasonably sunny Essex!
This season we do have a slight re-shuffle with the Eastern Series which has hit two stumbling blocks. Firstly, we have recently struggled with the number of qualifiers which has taken a really sudden nosedive. With over a dozen events in the program, we have always gone along with the idea that 5/12 was a fair number to count and perfectly accessible for most competitors. In 2024, this just didn’t work. Therefore, I have decided to drop the qualification to only four to count for 2025, which is in line with the Thames Valley.
The other part of the problem appears to be the lack of focus at the end of the series, with Royal Harwich lacking much in the way of home support despite providing some excellent racing as was the case in 2024. The Thames Valley series has a better structure, by virtue of the last event being held at a Solo stronghold (Papercourt) which is always well supported. This gives us the chance to conclude the series and present awards to the series winners (as well as the Papercourt Shield) at this very competitive meeting.
This year, I have taken the brave decision to move Fishers Green to the end of the season where hopefully about 15 home boats will make the backbone of a decent turnout where the Eastern Series will conclude. The risk factor here has always been the dreaded pond weed which afflicts Fishers Green on random occasions. Last season saw no weed whatsoever, but it is totally unpredictable. Perhaps one year in six we suffer badly. Other years, totally weed-free, so a calculated gamble.
Meanwhile, the Thames Valley showed something of a resurgence with 6 qualifiers which is better than the 2 that we had in 2023, despite the last-minute cancellation of Silver Wing. Congratulations to Ian Mathews (Spinnaker SC) for winning the Thames Valley series with such a commanding scoreline and well done to those who qualified. Fortunes ebb and flow with Burghfield surging to the largest turnout with 33 boats while other clubs fared poorly with a significant ‘aging-out’ of the fleet at Broadwater which was for many years, a very popular start to the season. We have edged this event further into the spring season in the hopes of better weather to favour any more senior members as well as the rest of us.
Reducing the qualification for the Eastern should change the statistics substantially with the newly expanded Norfolk contingent only needing to do the 3 Broads events plus 1 other event somewhere to qualify, while the east coast contingent can do 3 events on the tide if they so wish, plus 1 pond event and they are in the money.
This season’s program is in place for both Thames Valley and Eastern Area and can be viewed on the webpage with the scoresheet to appear shortly. You may notice that West Oxford is now shared with the Midland circuit, finding their location to be rather isolated from other Thames fleets, meaning they have always fallen between the adjacent areas but have soldiered on with a small Solo fleet and deserve better support.
Happy sailing to all
Godfrey Clark S4801
Eastern Area/Thames Valley Rep
Fishers Green Open 2024
Photo credit Kevin O’Brian
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Nederlandse Soloklasse Organisa0e Nieuwsbrief
Dutch activities and Como update.
Dear Friends in the UK!
We had our AGM on 15th of Feb and sadly Peter Jansen ended his committee membership after many years of passion and support to the Solo class. The passion stays and he will be around. Luckily we found Wouter van der Burg ready to join us.
The members agreed to the proposed regatta calendar for 2025 which is online on the site of the Dutch Solo class (https://soloklasse.nl). Please notice the Spring cup in Medemblik 16th-18th may (registration is open), of course Nations cup in Bellano-Como 21st-25th June and the Dutch Open on the Amstelmeer 12-14 September.
Como!
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Thanks to Len Verdel, next to Menno Huisman part of the Como 2025 committee.
All details for Como can be found via the links on the NSCA or NSO website to the event webpage and registration site on Racing Rules of Sailing.
With already 30 entries it looks promising, please note that the Early Bird period ends on the 1st of April. We should have at least 50 entries at that time for this stunning event in beautiful Italy.
I would like to emphasize the warm relationship between the UK and Dutch Solo sailors by showing the beautiful picture Paul Davies brought to Muiden last year, hanging in the clubhouse of the Vrijbuiter in Loosdrecht.
Hope to see you all in Medemblik and certainly in Como!
Cheers, Paul de Geus Chairman
Peter Jansen powering his Solo ‘Spitfire’ downwind at ONK 24
Pim van Vugt Role of Honour
Olympic Games
6th 2021 Tokyo - 49er class - With Bart Lambriex
•
World Championships
• 2024 RS500 Bruinisse (NED) - Helmsmen (with sister Lisa van Vugt)
• 2018 RS500 Weymouth (GBR) - Helmsmen (with sister Lisa van Vugt)
• 2016 RS500 Travemünde (GER) - Helmsmen (with sister Lisa van Vugt)
• 8th 2019 49er Auckland (NZL) - Crew (with Bart Lambriex)
• 11th 2020 49er Geelong (AUS) - Crew (with Bart Lambriex) European Championships
• 2024 RS Aero Carnac
• 2022 Javelin Workum - Helmsmen (with Wouter Stiphout)
• 6th 2020 49er - European Championship Attersee National Championships[
• 2024 Nation & National Champion Solo Bringhtlingsea
• 2024 Spanker Amstelmeer - Helm (crew Wouter Stiphout)
• 2024 RS500 Braassem - Helm (crew Olaf Ganzevles)
• 2024 Solo Class Muiden
• 2024 Geman Championship OK class Zwischenahner
• 2024 German Championship Warnemunde Contender
• 2024 Solo Sprint class Randmeren
• 2024 French Championship Dielette Contender
• 2023 Solo class Braassem
• 2023 Javelin class Amstelmeer - Helm (crew Wouter Stiphout) (unrecognized)
• 2023 Spanker class Heeg - Helm (crew Mart Kegel)
• 2022 Solo class - Loosdrecht
• 2022 RS500 Bruinisse - Helmsmen (with sister Lisa van Vugt)
• 2022 Solo class Sprint - Gouda
• 2021 Solo class Sneek
• 2021 National Sailing Leagues J/70 Muiden - Trim (with Sven Coster, Ivo Polderman & Mees de Graaf) (unrecognized)
• 2021 SB20 class Medemblik - foredeck/trim (with Jasper ten Berge & Simon Anink)
• 2021 Javelin class Heeg - Helmsmen (with sister Lisa van Vugt)
• 2020 RS500 Bruinisse - Helmsmen (with sister Lisa van Vugt)
• 2019 RS500 Bruinisse - Helmsmen (with sister Lisa van Vugt)
• 2019 49er Medemblik - Crew (with Bart Lambriex) (Class Championship)
• 2018 49er Medemblik - Helmsmen (with Bart Lambriex) (Class Championship)
• 2018 Solo class Braassemermeer
• 2017 British Nationals RS100 Netley/Southampton
• 2017 49er Medemblik - Helmsmen(with Lars van Stekelenborg) (Class Championship)
• 2016 49er FX Medemblik - Crew (with Bart Lambriex) (Class Championship)
Others
• 2021 49er Crew - World Cup Allianz Regatta Medemblik
• 2016 - RedBull Foiling Generation Crew
• () 2023 STAR U30 Europeans Attersee- Helmsmen (with Robin Jacobs)
• () 2023 STAR European Championship Cannes- U30 Helmsmen (with Robin Jacobs)
•
Audio Review of my 2024 Season
Noble Marine Solo Winter Championship 2025
The Solo fleet returned to lovely Rutland Water for the first time in a few years and were delighted to find near perfect conditions for our Winter championship and first North Sails Super Series event of 2025.
For your class President, this was my first visit to Rutland in over 45 years of sailing, never having had the pleasure before, and I have to say I was very impressed with the location, club and the super-efficient race team, expertly led by PRO Don Munro.
With a few noble absences due to holidays and health (get well soon Tom Gillard from all in the Solo class) a still very competitive 36 boats took to the water in ideal conditions ranging from 8-15 knots in a generally veering breeze and glorious sunshine. This was the winter championships, right??
With four races scheduled, this was going to be a challenging start to the season, but I think it's fair to say everyone enjoyed their day, even if we were all aching a bit by the end of it! With Will Loy easing back from full-on event reports, I've asked some of our leading sailors to contribute towards the reporting.
Over to are in-race reporters for details of the action.
Race 1 - Andy Carter Champagne sailing greeted us with sunshine and warm winds over 10 mph to fully power up in plus regular hard gusts over 20mph. Did we dare put on lighter weight wetsuits, out with the sunglasses and hope we didn't need suncream?
It took a short while for the race officer to feel confident in the wind direction that swung 90 degrees into the predicted easterly quadrant. The winds were gusty all day and the direction did shift around significantly. Windward/leeward twice around was to be the first race of the day.
We were all too keen to get started and had a general recall which is something most have come to expect from the Solo fleet! At the start, most boats favoured the committee boat end and those that tacked early and hit the far right led at the first mark as the shift off the shore over-rode the shifts in the gusts in the middle of the beat.
First round was Ian Walters followed by Chris Gillard, standing in for Tom, and then Andy Carter with a very large, tight pack close behind. The front three held on nicely down the run holding slightly left of centre and seeking the gusty lanes of wind. Behind a pack of about twenty boats fanned out over the course with gains depending on the gusts though the inside left position counted at the leeward mark.
The leading three were less disturbed and extended from the pack up the next beat playing the shifts but heading hard right again, Carter getting ahead of Gillard on a shift.
Again, on the downwind there was plenty of snakes and ladders in the tight pack in a gusty wind, but the leaders remained unchanged at the finish Walters, Carter and Gillard slightly ahead of a tight pack of about six boats led by Jonathan Swain, then Mike Sims, Jasper Barnham, Andrew Wilde, Mike Dray and Jamie Cuxson.
The remainer of the fleet cruised in with some "names" licking their wounds, wondering how in a breeze forecast to go to the right that they'd managed to, more often than not, find themselves too far to the left.
Would lessons be learnt for the forthcoming races?
Race 2 - Mike Sims The breeze had built further for the start of race 2, the course changed to a more traditional triangle / sausage course, with a pin end biased start line, but with the direction continuing to track right as forecast, the favoured choice was again to start at the committee boat and play the middle / right hand of the course upwind.
Rounding the windward mark 1st was Olly Davenport, closely followed by Andy Wilde. The breeze now noticeable increased from race 1, there was plenty of place changes downwind, especially on the first reach, with Mike Sims pulling up to 2nd. Places for the top 3 remained unchanged after lap 1, with Olly taking the win, Mike 2nd and Andy in 3rd. In 4th was inland specialist Ewan Birkin-Walls, 5th Jonathan Swain and in 6th class VicePresident Paul Davis who was earlier seen waving at his Solo friends as he flew into the windward mark on a huge lift, pulling himself up many places in the process. I'm sure others were waving back at him, after a fashion! It's friendly racing for sure!
Two races down and you can already see those who can keep things consistent in the challenging breeze, and those who are a bit more up and down... without mentioning any names! Once again, only showing how close the Solo fleet racing is and given a good start and a couple of shifts, there are many with in the fleet more than capable of going the front of the fleet regulars something to think about.
Race 3 - Ian Walters Race three started with a steadier wind direction gusting to 20mph. The start line was very even with possibly a bit of pin bias, so the fleet was fairly spread out. Ian Walters started at the pin end and went left which paid as he was first at the windward mark from
Olly Davenport, Mike Sims and Chris Bunn, making his push for the front of the fleet. Olly was first to the gybe on the first triangle and at the second windward mark it was Davenport followed by Walters, Bunn and Sims. On the last beat Sims got past Walters and it finished Davenport, Sims, Walters Bunn. Behind these four the ever-present Wilde, Birkin-Walls and Barnham continued to put a nice series together. Race 1 superstars, Gillard and Carter were starting to find the pace a little challenging but could still turn things around with a low last race result.
Race 4 - Guy Mayger Conditions were very much the same as race 3 but this time the pin became a little more bias due to a left shift coming down the course in the last minute prior to the start. Most of the fleet continued to stack up close to the committee boat end with a few mid-line starters. That was apart from Mike Dray and Joe McLaughlin who both came out on port from the pin and cleared the fleet! Nice work gents!
Once across the fleet, Dray did a nice job of positioning himself to just about maintain the lead at the windward mark with Davenport, Sims, Mayger and Walters in close contact. With many going high on the first reach, Mayger managed to find a low lane which allowed him to sneak inside Davenport at the gybe mark. A less than elegant gybe saw Mayger let Davenport, Sims and Walters slip by, before these four engaged in a dingdong battle around the rest of the course. Only a few boat lengths further back, Bunn, Matthew Frary, Barnham and Birkin-Walls held their own fight.
On the final downwind, Sims and Walters played a game of cat and mouse with each other that allows Davenport some breathing room and very nearly let Mayger back into the equation. At the line, Davenport took the win from Sims, Mayger and Walters in very short order. Bunn held off the challenge from training partner Frary, followed by Barnham and Birkin-Walls. The rest of the fleet came in as a very tight bunch and must have kept the race team busy taking down numbers.
Event Round-Up
And with that the 2025 Solo Winter championships had finished. Davenport (or Sir Olly, as he would prefer) took another well-deserved win. Mike Sims, a welcome return to the fleet, also put in a very consistent series of second places with Ian Walters keeping the younger ones on their toes in third.
Olly graciously thanked Rutland SC for hosting an excellent event and we very much look forward to coming back.1st Oliver Davenport 6110 Northampton - Winder mk1a/M2/P&B Maxx
2nd Michael Sims 6128 Carsington - Winder mk1a/M2/P&B Maxx
3rd Ian Walters 5586 Grafham Water - Winder mk2/D+/North P2
4th Andrew Wilde 6125 Ogston - Winder mk2/M2/North P4
5th Chris Bunn 6067 Lady Yacht Club- Winder mk2/M2/P&B Maxx
Looking down the results sheet it was also great to see a new group of Solo sailors joining the class from around the country. The strong regional and national circuit was a big draw as well as the very tough racing. Many commented on how much they're learnt from just this one event and were looking forward to the next.
With that in mind, our next North Sails Super Series event is at Whitstable YC on 27th April and is preceded by a training day on the 26th April, free to Association members. Please follow the link for training and race entry. https://www.wyc.org.uk/solo-springchampionships-2025/
