A Buzz from the Blithfield Barrel - Round 3 - 14th Jan 24. A week ago, the 3rd Barrel Race looked like it would be touch and go for any decent wind. On the day, it delivered a steady-for-Blithfield 8-12 knots from the NW and the chill factor made the bracing 4C temperature feel even lower - and a real test of gloves. A smidgeon of morning rain and a bit of low, late afternoon sunshine all served to remind us it was January.  That said, 33 boats launched for the first race, including 8 Merlins, a VX1, 5 GP14s, and of the 4 Supernovas, one flew the brand new re-designed sail. Despite the ..read more

The winter season is a great opportunity to reflect as well as making plans for the season ahead. However, before I do so, I’d like to extend a big thank you to the person who until recently organized the ladies sailing sessions: Tracy Smith. Many thanks Tracy for your time and energy over the years. You always made everyone feel very welcome. Your enthusiasm and passion for the sport is infectious, sailing made fun and informal. The ladies sailing sessions are just that. Monthly meetings for anyone, whether you have previous experience and wish to refresh your skills, or no experience and ju ..read more

10 boats arrived from all over England ranging from Swarkstone to the Medway to the Cotswolds and whilst the weather gods didn’t entirely play ball, they enjoyed a good weekend at Blithfield. They say that different classes have different personalities and this one is definitely a big hearted, good humoured one. With an excellent hog roast and Richard Hartley of Hartley Boats acting as Master of Ceremonies serving wine, the Saturday evening meal was a triumph. As ever, no success is independent of the people that make it and a team of 13 led by Andy Watterson (and not forgetting those that ha ..read more

https://youtu.be/9Ti48to0QpY Video & editting bt Marc ..read more

The forecast for the day was for a fresh westerly breeze and a bit of sunshine, perfect for Blithfield. Twenty-one competitors set out for the start of Race 1 which began almost on time after some quick mark and line moving as the breeze settled from south west to more of the forecast westerly direction. The race team set a course attempting to use every inch of sailable water on Blithfield. Matt Thursfield led around the windward mark closely followed by Alex Reeve & Andy Flitcroft, the places stayed close on the first run but began to open out by the end of the second beat. By the end o ..read more

Blithfield sailing club hosted their round of the Midland Merlin Rocket circuit on the 2nd July, preceding this event on Saturday 1st the club hosted a Merlin training day attended by about 10 teams eager to hone their rigs & skills, unfortunately it was a bit windy so only the team of Rob Kennough & Andrew Prosser went for a sail. The rest of the teams spent time checking over rig settings & discussing all things, Merlin! Sunday dawned and any hopes of a gentle sail soon diminished as it was again a bit windy. It was in fact so windy it was all a bit of a blur. Rob & Andrew g ..read more

https://youtu.be/4M6xORoNI-E ..read more

A bitterly cold day with no wind forecast, so it was surprising to see 8 boats setting out for the start near mark 4 on the far side of the reservoir. There were many more watching from the warmth of the clubhouse, though it was difficult to see much in through the mist. Those coming in at lunch time, particularly the safety boat team of Brian and Keith Walker were extremely cold. They all enjoyed an excellent hot lunch cooked by Peter Slater. Despite the conditions 7 of the boats set out again for the second race in what looked to be a dying wind which from the results became a very short ra ..read more

, A wonderful sunny day was forecast for this weekends start of the 2022/23 Blithfield Barrel winter series, with full sun from10am and a moderate breeze F3-5 (9knots gusting 20knots) from the South East coming over the corner of the dam by the Clubhouse carpark towards the nature reserve at Admaston village, with balmy temperatures, for November, of 13-16C. But it did not turn out that way, with the murky, damp and cold conditions hanging on for most of the day, with the sun finally breaking through on the final leg of race 2, with the inevitable drop of in the wind speed. However, the promi ..read more

For the fist time in the history of the club we were allowed five consecutive days mid-week on the water, a great opportunity to produce outstanding results for all those taking part. The week started with consistent winds for 3 days, rain of biblical proportions on Wednesday and lighter condition at the end of the week - a welcome return to mixed weather, the lake was very low which proved challenging for launch and recovery but easily achieved with the team work available. The week was split into two groups - 23 juniors lead by Ciara and her team of Ross Ferguson ,Rebecca Hind, Joss and Sa ..read more