Newsletter 18 02 26
Published 18:00 on 18 Feb 2026
Welcome to WKSC Newsletter
A round up of Club news this week... including sailing, training and upcoming social events. Also included are links to current boats for sale.
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Sailing and Club Calendar - What's on this week
Radio Sailing Thursday 19 February, 14:00
Illusion Friday 20 February, 14:00
Training Saturday 21 February, 10:00 - 13:00
Tidal Special All Dinghy Classes (T) Saturday 21 February, 12:00
Tidal Special All Dinghy Classes (T) Sunday 22 February, 12:30
Six Nations Sunday 22 February, 15:00 - 17:00
Gentlemen's Lunch Wednesday 28 January, 12:00 - 14:30
News & Notices
Thursday Talks and Tunes - No Talks or Tunes this week
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Rugby 6 Nations in the Main Room - This Saturday (food available) & Sunday
Burgers, Hotdogs and chips will be available to purchase during the England match on Saturday.
All the matches will be shown at the Club.
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Safeguarding
Safeguarding have been busy training new staff and instructors and although the full club safeguarding policy can be found on the website Safeguarding : West Kirby Sailing Club we have produced a short guide for all members. This guide is intended to provide essential safeguarding information, making it easier for everyone to understand their responsibilities and the clubs procedures.
Safeguarding children, young people and adults a short guide for club members
The Galley
Paul will be providing a delicious menu this week - Click here for the menu
Sailing Matters
SAVE THE DATE REMINDER:
FRI 17/7/26 ROUND HILBRE RACE
SAT 18/7/26 DEE SC REGATTA
SUN 19/7/26 WEST KIRBY SC REGATTA
MON 10/8/26 - FRI 14/8/26 WKSC SAILING EXTRAVAGANZA WEEK
Please note:
The 2026 Sailing Programme is available as a PDF on the website under Sailing. You need to Login to get it.
COMING UP:
Thursday 19th February 17:30 - 19:00 Mirror Group Working - Varnishing Cmon Eileen
Saturday 21/2/26 Tidal Special HW 13:13 9.31 Mtrs and Sunday 22/2/26 HW 13:54 9.09 Mtrs
Food Available.
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ARCTIC LAKE SERIES Sunday 15/2/26 Races 11 & 12.
The last two races of the series attracted 7 x sailors onto the water. That's not strictly true as the conditions weren't attractive at all. It was cold, breezy and raining. Tony Clark (Laser Radial) made sure of an overall win in the series by winning these last two races. Steve Ferrington (Solo) took overall second in the series finishing off with a fourth and fifth on corrected time. Gavin Roberts, who was never far behind Tony finishing second in both races but was six points adrift from Steve overall, took third overall position in the series. Ioannis Koutsokeras (Laser Radial) took two thirds on the day but hadn't been competing previously in the series. Peter Davenport, one of the Introduction to Racing group sailors, sailing a club Pico finished in both races without a capsize and earned himself an award for perseverance, determination and enthusiasm. Full results on the club website.
Twenty six boats competed in the twelve race series overall with only two races being lost to adverse conditions. The highest turnout was 15 boats with an average of 12; respectable numbers for January and February.
There was a prize giving in the clubhouse afterwards. Noted that the Results Team (Martin Hartley on Sunday) completed the results on a new PC in the office, a facility that makes it quicker and easier for big events and/or when there's a prize giving necessitating a fast turnaround. Progress!
Tony Clark - Winner of both races last Sunday and overall winner of the Arctic Series (pic Alan Jenkins)
Arctic Series Trophy Winners from left:
Steve Ferrington, Peter Davenport, Gavin Roberts, Tony Clark, Hannah Dufton-Kelly (pic Alan Jenkins)
Matt Melling taking a rest between races - Arctic Series
(Pic Alan Jenkins)
A Special Award to Peter Davenport sailing a Pico for determination, perseverance and enthusiasm
In the Arctic Series (pic Alan Jenkins)
Steve Ferrington (Solo 5907) second overall in the Arctic Series
(Pic Alan Jenkins)
The Dinghy and Watersports Show 21 & 22/2/26
The Dinghy Exhibition (now known as the Dinghy and Watersports Show) will be staged at Farnborough International this coming week-end. Plenty to see and do at this show. There are good presentations to go to. Good deals to be had on the many supplier stands and most of all plenty of dinghy classes on show. It is a meeting place for friends from open events and championships. Well worth a visit. Have a look for all the details on the RYA Website.
Dinghy & Watersports Exhibition this weekend coming at Farnborough International - see www.RYA.org.uk
Also coming up this week-end:
Tidal Special this Saturday and Sunday: Start at 12:00 on Saturday and 12:30 on Sunday.
The weather forecast for the weekend makes racing doubtful. Conditions have to be just right at this time of the year.
I am RO and I will continue to monitor the forecasts and make a decision on Friday for Saturday.
Please keep an eye on the WKSC Hcap Dinghy WhatsApp Group for updates.
The Golden Series (continued)
The Mostyn Race this year planned for Saturday 16/5/26
Frequently the most popular race in the whole season. In 2025 it was postponed twice before it was successfully run on August Bank Holiday Monday. Its the only race where all classes can compete… including Optimists!
The objective is simply to race to a buoy off Mostyn and back. Approximately 9 miles as the crow flies. Last year James and Alison Douglas racing their Dart 18 completed the round trip in 33 minutes 30 seconds… a remarkable time. It was breezy and from a favourable direction. But there have been years when it has been a beat all the way there and a run back. One year, we got half way across and a big black cloud descended on us. We couldn't see the Wirral or Wales through the driving rain. Some sailors realised they were close to Wales; they could hear the sheep bleating! The fast boats don't always prevail - it has been won by an Optimist. It might appear a simple race but in reality its not. The chances are the conditions will change during the race. 30 boats competed last year.
Race Officer Duties
Thank you Kay Eggleton for entering all the Race Officer (RO) into Sailing Club Manager (SCM) so that reminders can be sent out to all of us. Probably nobody else will thank Kay for completing this task. Its much worse than actually doing the RO duty which although called a duty according to the rules of the club, is in fact, for all of us, a commitment to the sport of sailing. I know that you, like me, thoroughly enjoy giving pleasure to your fellow sailors by carrying out your RO duties! There is a useful learning curve in being a race officer - it adds another dimension to sailing. Seeing the race from the race officers point of view brings more clarity to ones own racing. More on this another time. Please remember that in order for any event to happen much planning and organisation is necessary… most of it carried out by volunteers. Please treat them gently.
That's it for this weeks newsletter
Tony Marston
Sailing Secretary.
Training
Click here to book your Training Courses
The First Aid Course is suitable for any adult and is especially important for instructors whose First Aid certificates have expired or will soon expire.
Events
Thursday Talks and Tunes
Just turn up on the night, grab a drink, take a seat and enjoy the evening. The event starts at 7.30pm.
Hilbre Annual Dinner - Saturday 28th February
Everyone welcome.
Fred's Party - Saturday 7th March
Everyone welcome.
Helen's Sunday Roast
WLYC 24 Hour Race 2026
What is the 24hr race The Southport 24 Hour Race, hosted by West Lancashire Yacht Club (WLYC), is a prestigious, annual dinghy sailing endurance event on Southport's Marine Lake, combining intense team racing with a massive community festival, attracting clubs from across the UK for a non-stop test of skill, strategy, and stamina, featuring boat classes like Enterprise, GP14, and Firefly. Last won by WKSC in 1968
Race Format Duration: The race starts at 12 noon on Saturday and finishes at 12 noon on Sunday, running continuously through the night. Location: The race takes place on the enclosed waters of the Southport Marine Lake, which contains two islands. Teams: It is a team event, with most entries consisting of around 18 sailors per boat. The race is a test of teamwork and endurance. Also needed is good shore-based team to support and encourage the sailors. Crew Changes: Teams operate in shifts (typically one to two hours) and can only change crew in a specially dedicated docking area. Competitors are not permitted to sail for more than one team during the event. Scoring: The winner is the boat that covers the greatest distance (most laps) in the 24 hours. Lap times are tracked, and the relative performance of each lap is calculated based on the average duration of all laps completed within specific time intervals. Boats: The race is sailed in classic dinghies, with recent events including the Enterprise, GP14, and Firefly classes. Categories: Various categories exist, including 'Unrestricted', 'Masters', 'Ladies', and 'University' teams, which compete for special prizes. The event, hosted by West Lancashire Yacht Club (WLYC), is a major social gathering in the UK dinghy sailing calendar, with loud music and large number of spectators. The event is set up on the Friday afternoon and normally kicks off with a party in the evening.
Check out the link to last years videos of the event.
Please join the WhatsApp group to express your interest. Our ultimate goal would be to have two teams, one for taking it seriously for which helms and crews are needed, the other one would be a more relaxed team to get as many people out to experience at least one lap of the lake and to feel the buzz of the event with no pressure.
We need you
Helms
Crews
Shore Team
Help fundraising
Sponsors
No age limitations Juniors welcome (especially for light winds!!)
Snooker
Fixtures
25 Feb Wallasey YC - Away
04 Mar Dee SC - Home
18 Mar Hoylake SC - Home (Billiards)
Wednesday Winter Quiz - Every Wednesday 8pm
Absolutely everyone is welcome. Get a new team together or turn up and join one. The quiz is a great way to stay social over the winter months.
Other Information
| Boats for Sale |
Boats for sale - Click here to view all Boats for Sale on the website. |
| If you would like something added to the newsletter please contact newsletter@wksc.org.uk |
Last updated 18:55 on 18 February 2026