Staunton Harold Sailing Club

14/06/2026

A very warm welcome to everyone who has joined us for the RYA Stage 1&2 course. This is day 2 of the 4 day course, everyone did superbly in strong winds yesterday and are now looking forward to more relaxed conditions today 😀👍

To find out more about sailing at Staunton Harold check out our website www.shsc.org.uk

Or to sign up for our adult course, go to https://shsc.org.uk/training/adult-training

10/06/2026

6th June - Interclub - hosted by Staunton Harold Sailing Club

Saturday's Interclub Challenge between Swarkestone Sailing Club , Staunton (SHSC) and Burton Sailing Club, got underway in a lively south-southeasterly breeze of around 12–15 knots, with gusts reaching close to 20 knots. OOD, MJ, set competitors off the start line on a challenging, shifty beat up to 5.

Staunton sailor, John (Zenith), was a little too eager at the start and was forced to return and restart after being over the line.

Meanwhile Swarkestone's Sam Hirst (Phantom), quickly established a lead and steadily extended his advantage around the course to take the on-the-water victory. After the handicap calculations were applied, however, Staunton's Mark Harris (ILCA 6) took the race win.

After a break for lunch, the final races were sailed back to back.

Race two saw similar conditions to race one, with the breeze still holding at around 12–15 knots and gusting close to 20 knots. Once again, Sam (Phantom) got away well and led from the front, chased throughout by John (Zenith). This time it was John who emerged victorious after handicaps were applied.

There was plenty of drama elsewhere in the fleet. Darren and Chris (SHSC), sailing their RS200, missed a mark and were forced to retrace their steps, while SHSC's Lol and Ann (RS200) suffered a spectacular capsize with the spinnaker hoisted, taking some time to recover and get back underway.

The first start of race three saw the fleet a little too enthusiastic, resulting in a general recall. The OOD threatened to reach for the black flag, but fortunately kept it in reserve.

By the restart, the wind had eased significantly, dropping to less than five knots with some major shifts across the course. SHSC crews Lol and Ann, John and Darren and Chris found themselves locked in a close battle on the beat to the windward mark, with Lol rounding first.

The SHSC boats then proceeded to get in each other's way, whilst Sam (Phantom) slipped through and once again took the lead. He went on to secure line honours for the third consecutive race, completing a clean sweep of on-the-water victories. After handicaps were applied, Staunton's Tim Gray (Solo), took the race win.

Overall individual honours went to Mark Harris (SHSC) in first place, with Sam Hirst (Swarkestone SC) second and John (SHSC) third. John secured the final podium position on countback, narrowly edging SHSC's Stevie Graham (Streaker) into fourth place.

In the Interclub Challenge team competition, the Tripartite Cup honours went to SHSC, Swarkestone Sailing Club finished second, and Burton Sailing Club, despite being unable to attend, retained third place.

Thanks go to MJ for serving as PRO, ably assisted by Nicky, together with all the safety and galley crews. Their efforts helped make it an excellent day's racing and an enjoyable event both on and off the water.

Photographs courtesy of Naomi Shipway and Nicky Hillyer.

02/06/2026

Interclub returns to Staunton Harold – 6th June

After the fantastic success of our last Interclub event, we're looking forward to welcoming neighbouring sailors from Burton Sailing Club and Swarkestone Sailing Club back to Staunton Harold Sailing Club on 6th June for another day of competitive racing and great club camaraderie.

The last time Staunton hosted this prestigious race Burton Sailing Club took the honours, winning the Tripartite Cup, so we’re looking forward to some keen racing and friendly rivalry!

Check out the NOR and SIs at https://shsc.org.uk/racing/open-meetings

In brief:-

Sign on in advance/ on arrival at: https://shsc.org.uk/event/interclub-race-cruise-sup

On the day:-

1100 (approximately) - Briefing in the club house
1124 (or soon after) - 1st Race

The plan is to run 3 races, 1 in the morning (1130) and 2 after lunch (1330). Please note this is subject to change - based on the wind conditions and the PRO's decision on the day.

Start sequence will be 6,3, go

Number of boats to count is 75% of the smallest club fleet entries (subject to a minimum of 5 boats to count).

DNFs will be recorded for any club with fewer than 5 boats in a race to make up a total of 5.

DNFs will be given to a position of entrants +1

Check out photos from some of the last few Interclub/ Tripartite Cup events below:-

30/05/2026

What a turnout!

​Over 70 local people joined us at the club on Wednesday 27th May for our half-term Bird Watching event, run alongside the National Trust Fairy Trails.

​With the brilliant help of amateur ornithologist Tony Davison, we managed to spot more than 25 different bird species around the reservoir, including Oyster Catchers and Pied Wagtails

​It was fantastic to see so many new and familiar faces enjoying the wildlife at Staunton Harold Sailing Club.

Check out some of the highlights from the day below!

29/05/2026

Great Paddle Clean Up 2026 at Staunton

A huge thank you to the dozen-plus Staunton Harold Sailing Club paddle boarders who joined us on Saturday 23rd May for this year’s Great Paddle Clean Up!

Armed with Paddle Clean kits, our merry band of paddlers — including some who had only completed their 'Intro to SUP' course the weekend before — spent four hours combing the reservoir shores for litter and plastic pollution.

The team collected an impressive haul of rubbish from hard-to-reach areas around the reservoir, helping to protect and preserve our beautiful blue spaces. 🌍♻️

The Great Paddle Clean Up is Paddle UK’s annual national campaign, encouraging paddlers across the country to take action against plastic pollution in UK waterways. This year’s event runs until 7th June and focuses on accessing those tricky shoreline spots that others can’t reach.

A big shout out as well to Decathlon and Sportscover Europe for continuing to support this fantastic nationwide initiative.

Amazing effort from everyone involved — proof that paddlers really can make a difference, one bag of litter at a time

To find out more about paddle boarding at Staunton Harold please check us out at https://shsc.org.uk/on-water/paddleboarding

24/05/2026

Win for home sailors Nigel and Di Pepperdine at The Sailing Chandlery RS200 Northern Tour 2026 - Staunton Harold Sailing Club leg

The sun was out in full force for the third event in the RS200 Class Association Northern Tour sponsored by the Sailing Chandlery. Thankfully, the forecast for almost non-existent wind changed late on Friday evening to around 5 knots gusting 12, and sailors were able to arrive with optimism.

As sailors from Budworth Sailing Club BSC , The Chase Sailing Club and The Yorkshire Dales SC joined the Staunton home sailors for Race 1, it was all about trying to maintain momentum and dodge the holes in the light breeze.

Last-minute stand-in helm Rachael Gray, sailing with Amy Nugent, took an early lead and stayed well in front throughout the race. The windward/leeward course gave sailors lots of opportunities for tactical decisions. Home sailors Nigel & Di, Budworth’s Jon & Heather Ward and Yorkshire Dales’ Martin & Barbara Smith finished second, third and fourth respectively. The wind was fickle, and plenty of sailors unexpectedly stalled as it switched off or shifted abruptly.

Back-to-back Race 2 saw a change in leaders as Rach and Amy experienced technical failures which left them stranded. This time it was Staunton’s Lol Hayward & Ann Nugent who found the pressure throughout the race to take the bullet. Nigel & Di came second again, while Chase SC’s Huw Hopkins & Holly Alfs enjoyed a third place, and Martin & Barbara finished fourth once more.

After lunch, the course changed to reflect the wind shift from southerly to south-south-westerly. This time it was Budworth sailors Jon & Heather who read the wind perfectly to take the win. Once again, Nigel & Di were the bridesmaids, consistently reading the conditions well.

The fourth and final race of the day saw home sailors Nigel & Di , with three second places already in hand, finally take a race win. Pete Gray (stand-in helm number two for Amy) came second, while Jon & Heather and Martin & Barbara took third and fourth respectively once again.

Overall winners of the third event in the series were Nigel & Di on nett 5 points, with Jon & Heather second on nett 7 and Martin & Barbara third on nett 12.

Special mentions go to Amy, with thanks to Rach and Pete Gray who stepped in to ensure she could race today, and also to Terry Forbes & Allan Donaldson, racing together in an RS200 for the first time.

Huge well done to all of the 10 boats that joined us and enjoyed an unpredictable and tactically exhausting day. Thank you to our race team headed up by Grahame Newton, and our galley team Lesley and Janice who kept us all well fed and hydrated. For the full results please go to https://results.shsc.org.uk/shsc-open-results/

Photos courtesy of Lucy Dyer and Mark Stevens

19/05/2026

With just over two months to go until the 2026 Fireball Worlds, Staunton sailors had a cracking weekend at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club.

Tom Gillard / Shandy scored an impressive net 9 overall on the leaderboard including x2 bullets - finishing 4 points clear of the next best team.

Meanwhile Peter Gray / Rich Pepperdine were just edged into 4th place overall - but also put in x1 first place finish!.

Here's looking forward to July!

sailwave results

19/05/2026

Congratulations to Staunton's Rachael Gray together with Caroline Gould 🎉🎉

Our Pinnell & Bax Merlin Rocket Women’s Champions 2026 taking home the Johnson Family Trophy are Caroline Gould and Rachael Gray👏👏👏

More results pictures and updates to come. Thank you to Sarah and Alex Northampton Sailing Club for a great weekend.

18/05/2026

Staunton Sprint Open delivers sunshine, shifts and superb racing!

Spring sunshine and a pleasant 8 to 12 kts from the South-West greeted the Scorpion fleet for a weekend of sprint racing at Staunton Harold S.C. The breeze was perfect for windward leeward courses with plenty of shifts and prolonged gusts giving tactical challenges to chase the pressure and spot the windshifts on all legs and numerous changes of place.

On Saturday morning the first 5 windward leeward courses provided plenty of action. A mixture of 1 and 2 lap races lasting from 12 to 30 minutes meant that a good start was essential. Imogen and Dave Wade laid down the challenge winning the first 2 races with Steve and Stevie and first-time-in-a-Scorp Jamie and Hannah bagging 2nd places. Andy and Lesley Foskett won the following 2 races having gybe set at the WW mark into good pressure. However Team Wade were back on form winning race 5 with Jamie and Hannah taking 2nd.

In the afternoon the second 5 races added some round the can courses and varied windward leeward legs as the wind shifted left. This included a rather odd course along the shoreline to enable a grandstand photo shoot. Andy and Lesley banked another 1st place with Imogen and Dave taking the next two races with Quackers chasing hard to bag 2nd and Mike and Dave 3rd in race 7. Race 8 Steve and Delyth were leading at the wingmark but were covered by Imogen down the run who gybed off into pressure to just get ahead.
Back to WL for race 9 and hoops of joy as Chris and John took a bullet with newcomers Jamie and Hannah 2nd.
The final race on Saturday saw Quakers taking their first bullet to go with their consistent results throughout the day. Andy and Lesley got 2nd and Jamie Hannah 3rd, it was SHSC 1, 2, 3.
Race officers Alan and Phil did a great job getting 10 races in. Plenty of tired sailors headed to a welcoming club bar followed by more beer and food at a local hostelry.
Over night leaders were Imogen and Dave with Andy Lesley 2nd, Steve Stevie 3rd and newcomers Jamie and Hannah 4th.

On Sunday morning stiff legs and sore heads enjoyed croissants and coffee before heading back on the water for 5 more sprint races.
Race 11 the predicted SW went right just as we started making the windward mark achievable directly for those starting at the committee boat. Imogen took full advantage with Quackers 2nd.
After a shift of start line back to long tactical windward leeward courses.
Race 12 was taken by 2063 Mike and Dave who worked the left of the beat and picked up great wind down the far shore.
Race 13 Jamie and Hannah took the win staying out on the right for the run and followed their private band of pressure to the LW mark. Steve and Delyth got 2nd.
Race 14 Imogen and Dave were back on form with a win followed by Quackers with a slick double gybe at the LW mark taking 2nd from Andy and Lesley.
As the dark clounds rolled in the final race was for the big boys..... we started in 6kts, 20knts by the WW mark. A final hard blast with a capsize and retirement. For others detached kite sheets to add to their excitement. A cheer to Nigel and Jerry as they took the win with another solid 2nd from Steve and Stevie.

A great weekend of sailing. Sprint racing format was really well received. Lots to think about and learn with plenty of opportunities to be tactical and vary the results board.
Congratulations to our winners Imogen and Dave at their first open together.
Despite only 3 Staunton entries (3 other boats sailing away), they achieved a strong home club performance with 2, 3, 4. A special well done to Jamie and Hannah, their first outing in the class, we feel sure they will be back.
Well done to our Silver Fleet winners Steve McCarthy and Delyth Hopkins.

Many thanks to all the visitors and an extremely efficient race team.

For the full results please go to:-
https://results.shsc.org.uk/shscresults/2026/scorpion.htm

16/05/2026

National Scorpion Association Open - Day 1 16.05.26

A huge welcome to everyone who joined us for Day 1 of the Staunton Scorpion Sprint Open - what a fabulous spectacle!

Great cameraderie and heaps of competitive sailing were the order of the day. Sailors from as far afield as Hayling Island SC (HISC) and the Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club, multiple boats from Notts County Sailing Club and today’s leaders from Draycote Water Sailing Club. Plus three Staunton home boats - the Fosketts, the two Steves and Jamie & Hannah ( normally seen in an RS200, but in a borrowed Scorpion for today) took 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively.

Enjoy the photos taken post lunch, as the Fleet beat up to C launched their Spinnakers, and raced downwind past 1, and on, before dropping them at 12.

Thank you to our on and off the water teams headed up by Alan Bennett.

Can’t wait for Day 2!