2025 Sonata Inland Championships
Published 01:00 on 31 Mar 2025
The Sonata Inland Championships were held on Lake Windermere over the weekend of the 15th and 16th March. Organised by the Windermere Cruising Association, the event was the final weekend of the Windermere winter sailing season. Having had a winter dogged by a series of named storms or ice, seven Sonatas were blessed with two days of early spring sunshine in the beautiful Lake District as high pressure moved in. Eight races were held over the weekend, Saturday saw a patchy 5-6 knots from the north, Sunday was 6-10 knots from the north east.
Race 1 started in 5-6 knots of wind, with a pin end bias, Frankie the Rhino and Old School tussled for a port tack flyer, Aquila managed to squeeze around the pin and headed left, making it to the windward mark in the lead. Aquila held onto the lead until the end, Frankie the Rhino second and Not Another One finished in a very respectable fourth.
Race 2 was a similar story at the start, pin end biased, Frankie the Rhino dominated the start, dipping below the line at the gun. This time Aquila misjudged the pin, tacked onto port, narrowly avoiding contact with Vodoo who had to take avoiding action. A penalty saw Aquila at the back of the fleet. Frankie the Rhino went on to take the win, followed by Old School in second.
The 3rd and final race of the day was held in a falling breeze and was only one lap. Frankie the Rhino got another win, with a strong sail from Flashpoint giving them a third.
Sunday saw 5 races, held in shifty conditions, swinging left with every band of wind coming down the lake. The race wins were shared between Frankie the Rhino and Aquila, with two and three bullets respectively, with Old School and Flashpoint consistently making up the top four.
A notable performer of the weekend was Off Quay, relative newcomers to racing Sonatas, they were mixing it up with the rest of the fleet picking up three fifth places.
In the end honours went to Tony Woods and his crew on Frankie the Rhino, who finished two points ahead of Nick Holt and his team on Aquila. Both boats are looking forward to the National Championships in Weymouth in August.
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Related
- Sonata Inland Championships (15 - 16 March)
Last updated 16:31 on 31 March 2025
