IOM Open EDCS5, Coventry Trophy, & Icicle Trophy.
Today the IOM’s raced for the coventry trophy at the same time the icicle trophy awarded to the top coalhouse sailor.
The opening race commenced under challenging conditions, with heavy rain and a steady southerly wind setting a demanding tone for the day. Despite the weather, the initial breeze allowed for a straightforward up-and-down course along the lake.
As the rain subsided, the wind gradually shifted towards the west, creating significant difficulty in establishing a reliable course. After five adjustments, a settled layout was achieved: an angled start line with mark T, followed by a leg down to a mark near the bank, a crossing to the far side, and then a beat down to mark 13. The course continued back up the lake to mark T and an additional lap, concluding with a finish between the bank and mark 12.
By the third race the sun had emerged, and with the wind finally consistent, the racing was challenging to say the least. Often with some boats stuck in the doldrums with other blown completely flat at the same time. The fleet however enjoyed a competitive yet orderly day, with clean manoeuvres, minimal incidents, and several different winners across the series. We lost three boats to gear failure before the day finished at 1500 hours and 16 races.
What began as a difficult, rain-soaked start ultimately developed into an excellent day of racing. Thanks to all competitors and helpers for making it a very enjoyable day.
DF95 Eastern District Championship Round 3
7th September 2025
Coalhouse Fort RYC welcomed 17 helms for Round 3 of the DF95 Eastern District Championship in near-perfect sailing conditions.
Due to a more easterly wind than forecast, PRO Andy Seymour set a zigzag course for the opening races following the skipper briefing. Four races were completed on this course before the wind swung more southerly and increased to around 10mph, allowing a more conventional windward/leeward course to be laid. This setup, with minor directional tweaks, remained in place for the rest of the day.
Early pace-setters included Dave Adams, Buzz Coleman, and Hayden Wallace, with the chasing pack not far behind.
As the morning progressed, the wind continued to build and shift further south. After Race 7, an early lunch break was called to allow skippers to change down to ‘B’ rigs. The course was also adjusted, lengthened and shifted further along the lake to suit the new conditions.
Then came Race 8. A sudden squall swept in and slammed the fleet, beaching four boats on the far bank. Just as the chaos peaked, every mobile phone in the park began blaring the emergency alert. For a full minute, confusion reigned—some even thought the rescue boat crew had hit the big red panic button. Fortunately, it was just a well-timed national test. Perfect timing, really.
The afternoon’s racing brought highly variable conditions. Some races were solid ‘B’ rig territory; others swung back to ‘A’ rig weather, before returning again to ‘B’. Most skippers stuck with the safer ‘B’ rig, but the shifting conditions and rising stress levels began to take their toll and several competitors retired due to equipment issues. Most notably, Dave Adams, who had been leading the scoreboard, suffered a gear failure in Race 12 and had to retire.
Initially, two competitors per race were pulled as observers. However, by mid-morning, the race committee judged that the fleet’s conduct was exemplary, with on-water discipline consistently good and penalties taken promptly, often before being called. Once all skippers had completed one observing duty, no further observers were pulled from the fleet.
Racing concluded after 14 races, with an eye on the clock and several competitors facing long journeys home. As always, the DF95 class delivered close, competitive racing throughout the fleet and, importantly, maintained the friendly, sporting atmosphere the class is known for.
Final Results:
1st – Buzz Coleman. Sailing consistently all day, never finishing outside the top six.
2nd – Hayden Wallace. Exceptional throughout, handling the squalls better than most and showing real tactical awarness. Too young to claim the customary bottle of wine, Hayden received a refund of his entry fee instead.
3rd – Jim LaRoche. Admittedly had a mixed day but pieced together enough strong finishes to secure a well-earned third place.
All winners thanked the race committee for their efforts and praised the excellent support the championship has received throughout the year.
01/06/2025 Eastern District DF65 Championship
Coalhouse Fort Radio yacht Club hosted this year’s DF65 district championship with just 7 helms contesting the trophy.
Warm hazy sunshine, a WSW 12 to 15 mph wind, with gusts up to 25 mph, tested everyone’s ability on a windward/leeward course consisting 3 beats & 2 runs. There were 90 degree lifts, massive headers, nose diving on the runs & the occasional big hole to be negotiated, often putting the leading boat at a disadvantage as they were the first to encounter the issues which others could try to avoid.
8 races completed before the lunch break with Buzz leading but not having it all his own way. Keith suffered boat gremlins all morning & sadly retired at the break. The rest of the fleet had mixed results while slowly getting to grips with the testing conditions, but still produced some great racing. Starts were difficult, there always seemed to be a gust or lull 10 seconds before the gun, making timing almost impossible, but somehow there were no general recalls all day.
All stuck with A rigs, but A+, B & C rigs would have been preferable at some point in all races. 8 more races after lunch, the last 2 having the strongest winds of the day which we should have changed down for but didn’t.
Although a small fleet, the overall standard was high with very few on water incidents, especially considering how hard it was to just sail. The racing was closer than the scores suggest, places swapping many times during each race & plenty of tight finishes, providing plenty of fun & banter between skippers.
Congratulations to Buzz on becoming the 2025 eastern district DF65 champion, a big thank you to Tony for travelling the furthest to participate, Geoff for doing the start/finish duties & all who supported the event.
11/05/2025 IOM Thames Trophy
Coal house Fort Radio Yacht Club hosted the competition in near perfect conditions for one meter yachts. The sun shone brightly & a consistent north easterly breeze of around 12mph allowed first time PRO Andy Seymore to set a windward/leeward course that would remain unchanged all day.
16 helms arrived early to get tuned up, before the briefing was called at 9.45. Initial races saw the port end of the line favored by the majority although the relatively short beat to the bank required careful negotiations as boats called for water, however, most coped without much incident. Sailing as one fleet, the usual format of 4 races & then a comfort break was soon settled into.
Lunch was called after 8 races with Ben Wallace leading from Mark Dennis, Buzz Coleman & John Gill, the four of them separated by just 6 points. The wind had increased slowly all morning, prompting much debate on rig choice over the break. While some skippers opted to change down, most chose to stick with the top rig & deal with the nose dives in the gusts. Four more races before another essential comfort break, where consistent scoring saw Dennis & Buzz, just 1 point apart, start to pull away in the top spots.
The last four races were fascinating, Dennis taking race thirteen & fourteen to establish a lead over Buzz in the standings but suffered incidents in race fifteen & sixteen, allowing Buzz to take a win & a second place. Sixteen races, three discards, 13708 steps recorded on 1 skippers pedometer was plenty of racing for anyone & so the PRO called it a day.
All those taking part must be commended, on water discipline was good, most boats doing their turns without hesitation, while the atmosphere remained fun & friendly, ensuring an enjoyable day for both competitors & race team alike. Sadly for our new PRO, Andy, he did such a good job that his name is in the frame to run many more events in the future, but he was the first to admit he was ably supported by the rest of the race team, all of whom we are indebted to for giving up a day’s racing to host the event.
So a quick pack away & a run to the car park where the booze & trophies were awarded. Buzz’s two good finishes in race fifteen & sixteen saw him clinch the trophy from Mark by just two points. John Gill hung onto third by one point despite a charge up the leader board from Graham Lewis in the afternoon’s races.
Thank you to everyone who supported the event, it really was quite a spectacle watching sixteen IOM’s charging up & down the lake at full speed. 2025 is turning out to be a very good, well-supported, year for the MYA’s eastern district, with several great events already behind us & many more to look forward too. We hope to see you all soon on the circuit.
12/05/2024 Thames Cup IOM Open
Thames Trophy for IOM Yachts
Hosted by Coalhouse Fort Model Yacht Club
12th May 2024
The fleet of 13 skippers, ranging in ability from seasoned campaigners to first time open event entrants, were greeted by cloudless skies & an ENE wind of around around 7kts. After the briefing, racing commenced at 10am on a windward/leeward course incorporating a downwind gate. Only 4 races sailed in this format before the wind swung more easterly, dictating a course change.
The narrowness of the lake can be problematical when course setting in an easterly, with the only real option a zig zag course up the lake to provide decent race length. Race 5 was restarted when it became apparent half the fleet had yet to programme their sat navs to the new course, but a quick reminder from the race team prevented further issues for the rest of the day.
Race 1 saw Dennis Graham use his local knowledge to take the win from Mark Dennis, with Vernon Appleton in third. Race 2 saw Mark improve 1 place to take the win, Dave Green in second & Ben Harker in third. This was to set the pattern for the day with both Mark & Dave sailing consistently, whilst Vernon, Ben & Dave Hope were always in the mix. Lunch was called after race 8 with Mark Dennis just heading Dave Green by 3 points.
Suitably refreshed, racing resumed at 1.15pm in a slightly stronger wind of around 10kts on an unchanged course. Mark & Dave continued where they had left off, regularly taking the top 3 places, whilst Vernon, Ben & Dave Hope were always there or thereabouts. The stronger wind shortened race times just enough to squeeze in 16 races by the cut off time of 4 pm & the all important 3rd discard to come into force.
Despite the zig zag course effectively giving 2 windward marks on the far side of the lake every lap, on water discipline was very good, & everyone took any penalties with little encouragement. Only 3 boats recalled OCS at the starts all day, 2 of them in one race when a gust hit the line at the last second, could possibly be a record for an open event? Plenty of good, fast, close racing throughout the fleet in perfect weather provided great entertainment for both competitors & the many spectators who gathered in this public park all day.
The final scores show just 5 points separating 3rd, 4th & 5th places, then a gap to Dave Green in second, finishing just 4 points behind the winner of this years Thames Trophy, Mark Dennis. Congratulations to Mark on the win & a huge thank you to all who competed for making it such an enjoyable event, & so easy to police for the race team.
26/11/2023 EDCS1 Coventry Trophy and Icicle Trophy
Initially frustrating day waiting for some wind, then it did a 180 degree turn after lunch. thank you to all who supported the event & Geoff, Geoff & James for all their help in making it run as smoothly as it did in the end. Well done to Dennis on winning the Icicle trophy
29/10/2023 John Newton Memorial Charity Event, in aid of the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance
Todays John Newton Memorial Event 29/10/23 . 12 skippers were meet with dry but threatening conditions with lows of 5 mph to gust of 40 mph + however not overly cold . We had Bob, Buzz, Glen, Geoff and our guest Mick Taylor from the Maldon group using DF65’s . Dave , George & Steve using DF95’s and Keith , Angela , Mick & Terry using IOM’s for 7 races ( due to weather restrictions) . Before I waffle on about the sailing it’s important to mention the amount of visitors we had in such appalling conditions & all thanks to those that spread the word and a special mention for Cathy and Laura NEWTON. So to the racing well a new untried method of handicap was used & I can tell you that Buzz, George & Mick shone in there respective classes , what I can’t tell you is the scores. We’ve had a malfunction on the tablet but don’t fret the tablets fine
. A shout at sorry for James . Also Alison’s and Geoff for giving a hand where needed.and all those who helped in the meet and greet area ( didn’t go un noticed ). But a monster shout for Christine and Bob who have been working on the Charity side of things for months plus the massive shift they put in toward well done you two 
. I’m also dead chuffed with all you guys and girls for sticking with it today John wouube proud of you all. 1 final announcement , we raised an unbelievable amount , £250. Brilliant bloody brilliant 
30/09/2023 DF95 Eastern District championship Rnd 2
Today Sunday 3rd September we hosted a round of the DF95 Eastern District Championship. We had 15 skippers take part for 13 races in what was for the 1st 3 hours truly horrible conditions with when it did decide to blow it was an easterly puff from 2 -5 mph . For a debut appearance as Race Officer Terry really did have his work cut out and changing the course every race proved frustrating for all concerned. But there is a god after all and after lunch the wind got up and blew straight up the Thames so we finally set a traditional CHF course of start 13& Tim, 9p, 13p, 9p, 13p and finish A&C ( somewhere near 11&12) . We did experience a awful lot of general recalls , why the skippers stood where they did defies belief . Other than that the fleet behaved quite good with some improving their grasp of our venue and getting there act together as the day progressed . A flat battery for Buzz prove extremely costly in race 12 and ow what might have been , so the point end was Dave Adams 32, Buzz Coleman 39, and also in third place on 39 was Chris Hodson , well done you guys 👏👏👏on what was a. Trying day in the sun . I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the team for today namely Jim, Geoff, Paul, Bob & Mick plus the support from Glen & Buzz
02-09-2023 DF65 Eastern Distrect Race 3 and ED DF65 Championship
Arriving at the lake Side at Coalhouse Fort Radio Yacht Club we were pleasantly surprised to fin a nice solid Northerly breeze straight down the lake, just as forecast, but the wind gods were just teasing! As the last of the 16 skippers arrived a small cloud front moved over the Thames and stripping all wind from the lake before moving ENE but very light and shifty with growing gusts.
After the skippers briefing held by Buzz Coleman Race officer for the day The wind breeze filled enough to get sailing at 10:00. The first 5 or 6 races were sailed on basically a windward leeward course utilising a windward offset and leeward gate. However the ever changing direction meant a continuing number of course changes. With Dave Adams and Malcolm Price showing early consistency which, with the occasional hiccup, Set the tone of the day. A change came just before lunch with wind swinging NE The start had to moved towards the bank and allowing a beat to the first mark to be achieved. The gate was also changed to a windward and offset mark keeping fleet separation. This seemed to be to Glenns liking allowing some consistency into his game.
From lunch onwards the breeze continued to build to 12Knts but with more easterly, requiring additional marks to be introduce allowing a zig zag course giving 2 solid windward legs to each of the 2 laps of the coarse. Apart from the start being regularly moved along the bank with the leeward end being a post which again moved frequently remained in place till the end of the day and having completed 17 tough races time ran out. Dave continued with some dominating races with Malcolm, Glenn and Ronnie Bird (if only he could stop hitting marks) getting in on the action. Mention must be made of Tony Merretts performance at his first traveling event moving consistently last to attain a 5th and 8th, well done! This is what the Eastern District DF events are all about and hopefully more will follow his example.
My Thanks go to our club members for there support running the event and especially Terry Wright for stepping down from racing to give his much needed help and of course Goerge our Club Bosun for running the course/rescue boat as well as observing.
The ED3 Open results are below. As for the ED DF65 Championship Only 4 of the 8 qualifiers were present, Glenn Meekcoms took the honours followed by Oliver Knowland, Geoff Howell and Steve Taylor in 4th.
Tomorrow we return for Round 2 Of the ED 95 Championships Fingers crossed for a more consistent wind direction.
IOM Thames Cup EDSC 4 and Icicle Trophy 20/11/2022
The early rain had all but disappeared by 10 am, but the start was delayed a little whilst we waited for the wind direction to settle down. Unfortunately, the direction it settled on was Westerly, meaning the fort would cast a huge shadow over the middle of the lake & compromise course setting all day for the 15 skippers attending the event.
Initially a course was set at the north end of the lake, consisting 3 beats & 2 runs, on which 8 races were completed before lunch break was called. Sailing was difficult with a less than ideal start line & many big shifts over the course, however, the whole fleet were very accepting of the difficulties posed by the wind direction & tried to make the best of it. At the break, Colin was leading the way, Vernon & Dorian equal second, while just as few points separated the next 5 places.
Lunch break saw the course moved to the southern end of the lake where the wind had filled in, offering better sailing, albeit still with a compromised start line. once again the fleet were accepting of the difficulties in setting a course & completed a total of 15 races before the 3.30pm cut off time.
Prizes were awarded to the top 6 places, Colin running out overall winner was awarded the Coventry trophy, Vernon & Dorian’s day long battle was finally won by just 4 points in Vernon’s favour, whilst Buzz put together some consistent finishes after lunch to take forth spot & claim the Icicle trophy as the host club’s highest finisher.
for more pictures go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/1490192604579441/permalink/3247893465476004/
DF95 ED Open Sunday 08/05/2022
Coalhouse Fort MYC welcomed 10 skippers to today’s event & were greeted by a stronger & more northerly wind than forecast. Following the briefing, racing started promptly at 10am on a course consisting of 2 laps of a windward mark with spreader & a downwind gate, however, the wind threatened to swing easterly from the beginning & forced a course change for race 5. Early pace setter was Buzz, although Ronnie did manage a bullet in race 3 while most of the fleet struggled to find consistency in the tricky conditions.
Whilst far from ideal, the 2 lap zig zag course set for race 5 onwards was the only real option available to give reasonable race lengths, although it did provide some good racing from the very well disciplined fleet as they were forced to cope with many port starboard crossings as well as 2 testing far mark roundings per lap. Lunch was called after race 8, with Buzz winning the 4 races on the new course, Malcolm starting to find some form & the rest of the fleet putting in some good finishes.
The next 4 race wins were shared between Buzz, Dave Green & Vinnie, who needed a sit down to recover from the excitement, so a short break ensued before pushing on to the 4 pm cut off time. Buzz lost a little form over the last 6 races but still managed 2 wins, Dave Green added 2 more race wins to his tally, Ronnie took race 15 & Malcolm topped off a very consistent afternoon with a win in the final race.
After an afternoon long battle, it was Vinnie who took 4th place by 1 point from Ronnie in 5th, with Dave Green in 3rd, Malcolm second & Buzz taking the victory. A huge thank you to all the Coalhouse Fort MYC members who helped out today, to the skippers for providing some great racing entertainment &, above all, the superb attitude with which they competed in some very testing conditions. The news that there may be a 95 district championship next year was also great to hear.
DF65 ED Open Saturday 07/05/2022
For a change we arrived at the lake to find not only some sun but wind in the forecast North direction and speed, allowing a course to be set with a windward offset and leeward gate. All Good, but no! No sooner had Buzz blown for the briefing the clouds and rain arrived with a large shift, then typically as the briefing ended so did the wind, with a 30 min postponement before racing could start. With a very light Northerly racing got underway using the original course. Malcom Price (Alton RCSC) took the first race Followed By Dave Adams (East Kent )RSC and Angela Mears (Coalhouse Fort RYC). Dave then showed everyone some great boat speed coupled with good starts until gear failure put an end to his day after 9 races. Malcom made the best of this having already scored firsts in race 4,6 and 8, scouring Firsts and seconds for the reminder of the day. These results all the more impressive as the wind went back to playing Games, swinging considerably to the East, then back Northerly and Back to the North East. With all this 19 Fairley long races where run. Coalhouse Fort Members Glen Meeckoms (with 2 Firsts) and Terry Wright (3 Firsts) Finished in Second and Third, Behind Malcom. We retired back to the car park for the prize giving, all except a delay Buzz who’s car battery decided not to play. Just what you want at the end of a long day.
DF95’s Tomorrow with Glen taking over as Race Officer.
IOM Icicle Trophy 14/11/2021
Hosted by Coal house Fort Model yacht Club
11 skippers were welcomed to the lake by a chilly NNE 10mph wind on a bright Sunday morning. Fortunately, the forecast for the wind to swing more easterly never really materialised, permitting a long course to be set for the first 3 races. The fleet paused to observe the remembrance day 2 minute silence at 11am, after which the start line was moved to the leeward end of the course in an effort to lengthen the race time. 5 more races were completed before lunch was called, with only a short pause to tweak the start line.
Mark Dennis & Dave Allison fought over the podium places for most of morning, providing the spectators with some wonderful racing, but, despite pushing him hard at times, were unable to beat an on form Colin Goodman, who took the bullet in all the mornings races. Further down the fleet overall places were changing every race, leading to some very hard fought & entertaining racing.
Racing resumed after lunch with 2 races on the same course, albeit with the wind a little stronger & starting to swing easterly. The change in wind direction finally forced a course change for race 11, as boats were starting to reach to the windward mark, sadly, the prevailing conditions made this new course shorter than desirable. 2 races were held on the new course before the wind returned, almost to its original direction enabling the longer course to be sailed once again, admittedly with the windward mark much further from the bank. The final 4 races were completed on this course, but the position of the new windward mark did cause some a little difficulty judging distance. Whilst the official last race time was 3.30pm, the finish of the 16th race at 3.20 pm brought in the 3rd discard & the excuse to call it a day after the long distance walked, which all present agreed to.
Prize giving was conducted in the car park, once everything was packed away. A well-deserved 4th place went to a pleasantly surprised & pleased Dennis Graham, just reward for having sailed consistently. The battle for second & third place had raged all day, but with the 16th race bringing the 3rd discard into play, it saw Mark Dennis pipping 2nd place from Dave Allison by just 1 point. However, Colin Goodman was the class of the field, winning all but the last race to top the leader board with a mere 13 points from the 16 races, thus retaining the Icicle Trophy for another year. All the prize winners kindly took the opportunity to thank the Coal house Fort club for running the event & their fellow competitors for sailing with such good sportsmanship, all infringements having been dealt with amicably on the water. Glenn Meekcoms.
IOM Ranking 3&4
See https://www.iomgbr.co.uk/ranking3-4
Icicle Trophy Coalhouse Fort 2019
We had a very crisp but dry day. Twelve skippers enjoyed a good days racing fifteen races. Colin Goodman winning thirteen races giving him a perfect score of thirteen after discards. He also had a perfect port start in one race spotting a shift to clear the fleet. With a north to north easterly wind towards the top end of A rig. There was good race for second place with Mark Dennis coming out on top from Trevor Binks. Racing down the fleet was very competitive. Jim La Roche was the top Coalhouse boat in fifth place. Thanks to the team from Coalhouse club for running a very slick event.
Geoff Appleton.
IOM Thames Trophy Results
DF95 Eastern District Open
Following on from Saturdays weather 13 skippers arrived to a very sunny day with a light wing which immediate swung to the forecast Easterly, not ideal at Coalhouse Fort. For the first 10 races a Zig Zag coarse was set to allow at least two windward legs, occasionally more as the breeze filled from a different direction for a short while. Mike Adams visiting from Eastbourne kept things tight at the front until the coarse was changes to a more conventional windward leeward, albeit a bit one sided at times. Mike stayed in second place some 19 point back with Glen in third a further 10 point behind. Full Results below.
DF65 Eastern District Championship Round 2
8 Skippers arrived at Coalhouse Fort RYC, to race in what in effect is the 1st round of the Championships, to find a light Northerly breeze. This unfortunately was not to stay for long as rain clouds moved down the Thames, bringing an ever swinging breeze varying from 0 to 12 mph which made setting a coarse very hard. Our PRO Geoff Appleton set as best a coarse as possible, allowing the swings in direction to still give some very close racing, over a long coarse of around 15 minutes per Race. As can be seen from the results the top 3 boats kept things close between them, with Mike Addams Taking the top spot with a 7 point lead after 12 races.
Coventry Trophy 7th April 2019
Results
Icicle Trophy 2nd December 2018
A bright but breezy day with wind speeds of between 14-16 Mph from the WSW and gusts between 27-32 mph.
14 Skippers entered the event, falling to 8 for the final 14th race of the day. Various elctrical and mechanical issues befalling a few.
Racing commenced prompt at 10am through until 1pm when a short beak for lunch was taken, resuming jaut after 1pm the event finished as the light began to fall just before 3pm.
Mirroring the recent Thames Cup event for the first second and third spots were taken by Colin Goodman finishing on just 13 points from the 14 races with Trevor Binks second followed by Mark Dennis in third.
So ended a good days racing that had very few incidents and those that did occur were all resolved on the water in very sportsman like manners.
Thames Cup – 28 Oct 2018
A breezy, sustained 13-16 mph wind from the NE with gusts to 27 mph , chilly 8 degrees and initially very damp day greeted the 15 skippers that had entered the 2018 Thames Cup event hosted by Coalhousefort RYC. By just after midday the dampness had all but gone and a little brightness to the sky appeared, later another shower, hail this time appeared but was thankfully short lived.
With a course set and after the normal race briefing the first race commenced at 10am through until 12:30 when a short break was taken for lunch. The afternoon racing commencing again at 1pm and carried through until 3::45, a total of 17 races for the day.
Colin Goodman dominated winning all but 2 of the races – both of which were discarded, ending the day with a very impressive score of 14 point. At times Colin was hotly challenged in races by Trevor Binks who finished the day on 33 points with Mark Dennis coming a very creditable third on 47 point.
The days racing in difficult conditions was conducted in a very friendly and sportsmanlike manor, with the very few penalties all being taken without the need for undue prompting.
Special mention has to be made of a very good result from Jim La Roche who was leading a race towards the end of the day leading but unfortunately being pipped to the post at the very last second to finish second behind Trevor Binks by mere inches.
The highest placed skipper from our club being Graham Bartholomew who came in 7th overall with his Widget.
Another good days sailing for all involved and well done to all from the club who took part and assisted in the running of the event.
Coalhouse Fort Radio Yacht Club 