Gillard and Gray make it 2 from 2 with Sailing Chandlery Datchet Flyer victory
by Andy Rice 9 Dec 14:40 PST
6-7 December 2025
Sailing Chandlery Datchet Flyer in the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series © Tim Olin /
www.olinphoto.co.uk
Once again, Tom Gillard and Rachael Gray proved the masters of their craft as they hiked their Merlin Rocket to victory at last weekend's Sailing Chandlery Datchet Flyer. The second event in the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, it wasn't quite as rough as the gale-force challenge of last season, although Saturday was pretty fruity all the same.
SCREAMING SATURDAY
With three back-to-back handicap races being held in breezes sometimes gusting in excess of 25 knots, this was a good day for the skiffs provided they could stay upright. After a wobbly opening race, Monique Vennis Ozanne and Hugh Shone twin-trapezed their RS800 to a win in the second race followed by a second in the third.
This was good enough to put them as overnight leaders ahead of Musto Skiff National Champion Eddie Bridle who got better throughout the afternoon, winning the last race of the day. Olympic campaigner in the ILCA 7, Ben Flower, is always solid in the strong stuff and he finished the day in third overall.
Gillard and Gray started the day in excellent form, taking victory in the opening race but stuttering a little in the next two to finish Saturday in fourth overall. Sharing the same points as the Merlin Rocket were local Contender hero, Stuart Jones, and the son and father duo of Benjamin (aged nine) and Sam Pascoe hiking their 2000. The Pascoes had held the lead in the opening race until they capsized in one of the spikier gusts hitting just over 26 knots, yet still recovered to fourth.
SOFTER SUNDAY
Sunday dawned to much softer breeze than Saturday, and this would have an effect on the outcome of the twin-track Pursuit Race. Gillard and Gray showed their versatility across the wind spectrum to take victory in the fast-boat Pursuit Race ahead of Ian and Chris Martin in their RS200.
Meanwhile at the head of the slow-boat Pursuit Race was Rachael Gray's husband, Peter in his Streaker taking the winner's gun ahead of Ian Dobson (2016 winner of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series) with his seven-year-old son Ted crewing in the Mirror. So a double-victory for the Grays, and good results all around for some family teams. As well as former winner Ian racing with his son Ted, Sam Pascoe is another former winner (2024) racing with his son Benjamin.
Great to see the country's best sailors using the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series to show the next generation the best that UK dinghy racing has to offer. Overall, a quarter of the competitors at Datchet were youth sailors, marking a rising trend in younger competitors taking part in recent seasons of the Series.
AN A-Z OF CLASSES, AND ALL THE AGES
With a few club boats joining in the racing on Sunday, total entry for the weekend was nearly 70, with 35 different classes represented. From the Albacore to the Zenith, there was a huge spectrum of different boats competing against each other including the Seafly and the Snipe, with nine different classes featuring in the top ten overall. Seven-year-old Ted Dobson was the youngest competitor while Jeremy Vines, in his 80s, was competing in a National 18.
ENTER EVENT #3: ALREADY 50 FOR THE ROBLINE UK POLAR CHASE
No rest for the committed, as Event No.3 is quickly arriving with this Saturday's Robline Polar Chase. There's already 50 or so boats entered, representing 30 different classes. So get your entry in ASAP and be ready for some action just north of Birmingham this Saturday, 13 December. It's the last event before Christmas...
Enter at enter.sailracer.org/eventsites/new.asp?eventid=227303
NAVIGATORS & GENERAL COACHING WITH SIMON HORSFIELD
Resident coach of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, Simon Horsfield, is providing tips and advice throughout the eight events of the season. Supported by new sponsor, insurance company Navigators & General, Simon is a three-time winner of the series and well qualified to help sailors of all levels. He's doing the next of his online debriefs at 8pm this Wednesday 10 December.
You can join at enter.sailracer.org/events/enter-series-mobile.asp?eventid=227303
THE EVENTS
The following events are in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series 2025/26:
- Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, Draycote Water Sailing Club - 22 & 23 November 2025
- Sailing Chandlery Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water Sailing Club - 6 & 7 December 2025
- Robline UK Polar Chase, Chase Sailing Club - 13 December 2025
- Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey, Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club - 27 December 2025
- Grafham Grand Prix, Grafham Water Sailing Club - 4 January 2026
- GJW Direct Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club - 10 January 2026
- John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club - 31 January 2026 & 1 February 2026
- Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club - 14 February 2026
- Prizegiving at RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, Farnborough - 21 February 2026
You can find out more about the Series at www.SailJuiceSeries.com
Sailing Chandlery Datchet Flyer Results:
| Pos | Class | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pursuit | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Merlin Rocket | 3759 | Thomas GILLARD | Rach GRAY | Sheffield Vikings SC | 1 | 6 | ‑9 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | ILCA 7 / Laser | 191126 | Ben FLOWER | | Paignton SC | 3 | 2 | ‑4 | 10 | 15 |
| 3 | 2000 | 2190 | Benjamin PASCOE | Sam PASCOE | Castle Cove SC | ‑4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 15 |
| 4 | Streaker | 2202 | Peter GRAY | | Staunton Harold SC | 6 | ‑12 | 12 | 2 | 20 |
| 5 | RS200 | 1728 | Ian MARTIN | Chris MARTIN | Burghfield SC | 12 | ‑15 | 7.5 | 4 | 23.5 |
| 6 | Osprey | 1234 | Terry CURTIS | Peter GREIG | Castle Cove SC | ‑15 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 24 |
| 7 | Musto Skiff | 637 | Eddie BRIDLE | | Brightlingsea SC | ‑5 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 28 |
| 8 | ILCA 7 / Laser | 225882 | Leo YATES | | Iisland Barn | ‑18 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 28 |
| 9 | Snipe | 28541 | Matthew WOLSTENHOLME | Lloyd ROBERTS | Bough Beech SC | 10 | 14 | ‑15 | 6 | 30 |
| 10 | Mirror | 71053 | Ian DOBSON | Ted DOBSON | Hayling Island SC | 11 | 16 | ‑19 | 4 | 31 |
| 11 | RS400 | 1500 | Arran HOLMAN | Alex HUGH'S | Hollowell SC | 7.5 | ‑11 | 10 | 16 | 33.5 |
| 12 | ILCA 6 / Laser Radial | 176848 | Nathan CLARK | | WOBYC | ‑14 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 34 |
| 13 | Contender | 2706 | Stuart JONES | | Datchet Water SC | 2 | 5 | ‑7.5 | 30 | 37 |
| 14 | Fireball | 15145 | Steve GOACHER | Tom GOACHER | RYA | 7.5 | ‑17 | 13 | 22 | 42.5 |
| 15 | ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7 | 221490 | Toby TURNER | | Draycote Water SC | ‑26 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 46 |
| 16 | RS800 | 1 | Monique VENNIS OZANNE | Hugh SHONE | Sunnydale Gardens | ‑16 | 1 | 2 | 46 | 49 |
| 17 | ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7 | 220152 | Pippa KNIGHTS | | Burghfield SC | 13 | 18 | ‑32 | 20 | 51 |
| 18 | Hadron H2 | 135 | Gavin FLEMING | | Hunts SC | | 29 | 16 | 6 | 51 |
| 19 | K1 | 130 | Mark STONES | | Datchet Water SC | 22 | 25 | ‑29 | 12 | 59 |
| 20 | Solo | 5693 | Fraser HAYDEN | | Papercourt SC | 21 | ‑27 | 25 | 14 | 60 |
| 21 | Albacore | 8131 | Cameron MOSS | Simon LAW | LRSC | 25 | ‑32 | 27 | 8 | 60 |
| 22 | Osprey | 1386 | Paddy LEWIS | Mike PRIDDLE | Datchet Water SC | 27 | ‑36 | 21 | 18 | 66 |
| 23 | ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7 | 220514 | Faith TURNER | | Draycote Water SC | 20 | ‑24 | 18 | 30 | 68 |
| 24 | National 18 | 424 | Oliver HOUSEMAN | Steve WATTON | Chew Valley Lake | 24 | 30 | | 14 | 68 |
| 25 | ILCA 6 / Laser Radial | 220151 | Ethan RHODES | | WSC | 9 | 13 | ‑20 | 56 | 78 |
| 26 | RS200 | 1452 | Alistair HODGSON | Ella SPAIN | Draycote Water SC | ‑23 | 19.5 | 23 | 36 | 78.5 |
| 27 | Scorpion | 2017 | Lawrence CREASER | Ellie DEVEREUX | Draycote Water SC | | 42 | 24 | 20 | 86 |
| 28 | ILCA 7 / Laser | 207591 | Simon HAMMENT | | Papercourt SC | 28 | 28 | ‑33 | 32 | 88 |
| 29 | ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7 | 190718 | Finlay RHODES | | WSC | 17 | ‑21 | 17 | 56 | 90 |
| 30 | K1 | 92 | George HOSKINS | | Datchet Water SC | 30 | ‑38 | 34 | 28 | 92 |
| 31 | ILCA 6 / Laser Radial | 164918 | John CANT | | Erith YC | 34 | 31 | ‑37 | 28 | 93 |
| 32 | Enterprise | 22901 | Paul YOUNG | Khiaan ‑ PAUL SCHILD | Midland SC | 33 | ‑39 | 38 | 22 | 93 |
| 33 | ILCA 6 / Laser Radial | 226299 | Jake DAVIES | | Warsash SC | 19 | 19.5 | ‑26 | 56 | 94.5 |
| 34 | Osprey | 1373 | Richard MARSHALL | Jonathan OSGOOD | Poole YC | 32 | 37 | | 26 | 95 |
| 35 | Zenith | 106 | Tim GARVIN | | Queen Mary SC | | 33.5 | 31 | 32 | 96.5 |
| 36 | Seafly | 640 | George ODLING | Harry ODLING | Oxford SC | 29 | ‑33.5 | 28 | 40 | 97 |
| 37 | ILCA 6 / Laser Radial | 224628 | Harry DENCE | | Island Barn | | 23 | 22 | 56 | 101 |
| 38 | Hadron H2 | 177 | Chris BROWN | | Mill Creek SC | 31 | 35 | ‑36 | 40 | 106 |
| 39 | Blaze | 732 | Martin JONES | | Wilsonian SC | | 22 | 30 | 56 | 108 |
| 40 | 420 | 57286 | Edie CARTER | Noah SAUVEN | Bough Beech SC | 37 | ‑41 | 39 | 38 | 114 |
| 41 | Musto Skiff | 9 | Richard SMITH | | Medway YC | | 26 | 40 | 50 | 116 |
| 42 | Vortex | 2018 | Jonathan CARTER | | Rickmansworth SC | 35 | ‑40 | 35 | 48 | 118 |
| 43 | National 12 | 3429 | Tre JACOBS | Lyla JACOBS | Upper Thames SC | 36 | | | 34 | 126 |
| 44 | ILCA 6 / Laser Radial | 190843 | Hugh LEACH | | Reading SC | | | | 36 | 148 |
| 45 | Musto Skiff | 561 | Brennan ROBINSON | | Grafham Water SC | | | | 44 | 156 |
| 46 | Melges 15 | 1051 | James HARLEY | Andy TARBOTON | Stokes Bay SC | | | | 52 | 164 |
