Ullswater Yacht Club Daffodil Regatta
by Ullswater Yacht Club 4 May 10:44 BST
27-28 April 2024
A record entry of over 90 boats from as far afield as Dorset and Ireland took part in Ullswater Yacht Club's Daffodil Regatta over the weekend of the 27th and 28th April.
This year's Regatta incorporated the Musto Skiff Northern Championships, the RS200 Northern Championships, open events for the OK and VX One Classes, and youth, cruiser and fast and slow, handicap fleets.
The Daffodil Regatta celebrates spring in the Lake District and on the Saturday competitors were greeted not only by daffodils but also sunshine, mountain scenery and a light north easterly breeze. Course A for the asymmetric and fast handicap fleets was set at the northern end of the lake, while the other fleets on Course B, raced further south, between the Club and Howtown.
The asymmetric and fast handicap fleets experienced shifty "snakes and ladders" racing. While at times there was sufficient wind to plane and trapeze, the race officer on Course A called it a day after three races in a dying breeze. Meanwhile, the slower fleets had a long afternoon but completed four races.
On Saturday evening the Club's volunteers provided an evening meal which was both a sell out and accompanied by a courageous assault on the Club's bar, led by the Musto and OK classes.
On Sunday the fleets swapped course areas with the slower classes starting just off the Club. The gusty, shifty and cold northerly breeze of 5 to 10 kts which gradually swung west during the day, made course setting a challenge for the race officers. Nonetheless all classes completed three back to back races. For competitors, consistency and success at reading the wind on the water were once again key yet difficult to achieve.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Helm (& Crew) | Boat Type | Club | Pts |
|---|
| Musto Skiff Northern Championships (26 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Sam Pascoe | | Castle Cove SC | 4 |
| 2nd | Robert Richardson | | Royal Windermere YC | 10 |
| 3rd | Danny Boatman | | Sunderland YC | 12 |
| RS 200 Northern Championships (14 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Brendan Lynch & Ellen Clark | | East Lothian YC | 6 |
| 2nd | Chris & Evie Pickles | | Bassenthwaite SC | 8 |
| 3rd | Mathew & Oliver Sharman | | Delph SC & Bass. SC | 10 |
| OK Dinghy (11 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Roger Tushingham | | Peek Freen SC | 10 |
| 2nd | Ian Hopwood | | Bassenthwaite SC | 11 |
| 3rd | Chris Turner | | Lyme Regis SC | 14 |
| Youth & Juniors (10 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Tom & Daniel Whitehead | RS Feva XL | Filey SC | 7 |
| 2nd | Olivia Dembinski | ILCA 4 | Ullswater YC | 12 |
| 3rd | Agnes Priestly | RS Tera Sport | Ullswater YC | 20 |
| Slow All Class Handicap (13 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Lloyd & Rory Roberts | Snipe | Bough Beech SC | 7 |
| 2nd | David Kitchen | Finn | Dalgety Bay SC | 9.5 |
| 3rd | Keith Escritt | RS Aero 7 | Yorkshire Dales SC | 12 |
| Fast All Class Handicap (9 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Ian Modral & Robin Higgins | Tempest | Ullswater YC | 6 |
| 2nd | David & Charlie Chandler | Flying 15 | Ullswater YC | 7 |
| 3rd | Graham Donkin & David Lyons | Tempest | Ullswater YC | 8.5 |
| VX One (6 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Neal Piper & Mike Smith | | Tynemouth SC | 6 |
| 2nd | Lester Noble & Mark Simpson | | Ullswater YC | 7 |
| 3rd | Tony Lewis & Andrew Cutting | | Ullswater YC | 8 |
| Cruisers (3 entries) |
|---|
| 1st | Steven & Jane King | Beneteau 25.7 | Ullswater YC | 4 |
| 2nd | Colin Brown & Sam Harding | Hunter Europa | Ullswater YC | 9 |
| 3rd | David Thomson & Neil Sayer | Hunter Europa | Ullswater YC | 14 |
Full results are available at Ullswater Yacht Club's website here and Tim Olin has published links to extensive library of event photographs at his website here.
Magic Marine and Triggernaught Sports Glasses sponsored the Daffodil Regatta with additional prizes and competitor discounts. In turn, competitors generously contributed to both the Great North Air Ambulance, the Club's charity of the year, and the RNLI, who both attended the event.
Ullswater Yacht Club now looks forward to its 62nd holding of the Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy, the "Glastonbury of Sailing". This comprises two long distance races around the entire lake on the weekend of 6th and 7th July. With eight weeks still to go before the closing date of 30th June (no late entries), almost 100 boats have already entered.