Derwent delivers....a report from Ceri Williams

This was my first visit to Derwent (reservoir) Sailing Club .. a friendly club with great sailing conditions , in a wonderful setting . A few people had already commented on the prospects for a great weekend -i had to find out for myself !
I had already checked out the wind stats , and if they were to be believed there was every chance of good racing conditions. On friday evening i was introduced to the club commodore Roger Mole - a lifelong windsurfer - the omens were indeed favourable !
Parking/overnight camping on site ; changing rooms and showers; toilets available 24 hours a day; grass rigging area and easy launching ; galley serving hot meals ; bar serving cool beers ! Did i forget to mention the live band on Saturday night ?
And ...wind over flat water. Almost too much wind at times ... but nevertheless 9 races completed over the weekend for all classes( sorry 10 for the juniors , who completed 7 races on the sunday !)
The success on the water, as you would expect , was down to the enthusiasm and skill of the Race Officer and his race team. Alan Jackson yes, the AJ( GBR 53) volunteered his services for the weekend , aided and abetted by Iain Jackson. It was a winning combinaton - and many thanks also to RYA Scotland support (boat and crew) and the club boats/crews.
Thanks also to David Dobson (NEWS) for being the most important cog in the system .
The highlight of the weekend for me was having the opportunity to organise the racing for the junior /team 15 kids that signed up for this event . What a great wealth of talent we have !.. but the main thing was enjoyment of the sport . Given the right environment so much is possible - and without doubt we must maximise the opportunity afforded to us by the inland series to nurture this talent.
Full results to follow - but the winners as follows:
Junior 3.5 - Robert Griffiths
Junior 4.5- Luke Raistrick ; first girl (2nd overall) Emma Labourne
Junior 5.5- Adam Purcell; first girl (also 2nd overall) Amy Barratt
Techno 6.8 - Kieran Martin; first girl Chloe Bennett
Tehn0 7.8 ( & overall) - Connor Bainbridge ; first girl Harriet Ellis
RSX (youth) - Ashley Barratt
Raceboard Unlimited (& overall) -Tim Gibson
Raceboard - Dave Gilchrist
Formula - Dan Simpson