Record fleet for DF95 Numb Thumbs Series at Huntingdon Radio Yacht Club
by Martin Brooking 11 Mar 12:20 UTC
8 March 2025
DF95 Numb Thumbs Series © Andy Start
The new year has brought a welcome number of fresh faces to HRYC - and they're making their presence known! Saturday 8th March saw a record fleet of 20 DF95s racing off the gravel spit at Hunts Sailing Club in glorious early Spring sunshine and a steady easterly breeze. This was the 5th event in the DF95 Numb Thumbs Series; and with a wonderful mix of experienced and new skippers there was close racing to be had throughout the fleet.
The course set by Ben Wallace and his willing team was a straight forward windward/leeward affair. The start/finish line was positioned halfway and conveniently close to the shore to allow close monitoring by both skipper and spectators of the start line action.
Despite the course being quite long, the breeze allowed good overall boat speed and the turnover of races was very slick. A total of 11 races was completed in the session, including a half-time break for coffee and cake in the warm sun.
At the front end of the fleet the racing was very tight and consistency was the name of the game. With 19.8 points, Ben Wallace was the victor having only finished outside the top 5 on one occasion. Andy Johnson was only fractionally behind, finishing in second place with 22 points. Local hero Dave "Greenie" Green had more first places than either Ben or Andy, but with a couple of unfortunate tangles he couldn't match the overall consistency this time. Further down the fleet the newer sailors were enjoying close battles and valuable racing experience. Smiles all round at the end of the session.
This record turn-out marks an important milestone for HRYC, which continues to grow as more people become drawn to the sport of radio yachting. The club is looking forward to the upcoming IOM Class Eastern District open meeting on Saturday 5th April. We expect this to be a similarly popular event. IOM sailors can enter via the MYA website and the entry list is growing steadily. Book your place now!
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Hlem | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 65 | Ben W | 2.8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 19.8 |
| 2 | 48 | Andy J | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 22 |
| 3 | 77 | Dave G | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| 4 | 363 | Andy B | 2 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 27 |
| 5 | 355 | Andy Wa | 4 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 48 |
| 6 | 195 | Martin | 10 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 57 |
| 7 | 29 | Noel | 5 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 67 |
| 8 | 21 | Wiggles | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 74 |
| 9 | 204 | Stephen B | 6 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 20 | 6 | 11 | 78 |
| 10 | 375 | Hayden | 7 | 10.6 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 85.6 |
| 11 | 370 | Alan C | 20 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 87 |
| 12 | 367 | Les | 9 | 11 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 89 |
| 13 | 679 | Tony | 8 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 94 |
| 14 | 508 | Richard | 16 | 13 | 7 | 12.1 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 97.1 |
| 15 | 548 | John D | 13 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 8 | 106 |
| 16 | 413 | David H | 17 | 16 | 13.4 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 113.4 |
| 17 | 12 | Roger | 15 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 138 |
| 18 | 206 | Phil D | 11 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 154 |
| 19 | 70 | Clive | 14 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 11 | 20 | 161 |