Trident-UK RS400 Northern Tour at Bassenthwiate Sailing Club's GNAC 2026

RS400 fleet at the Trident-UK Great North Asymmetric Challenge © Arthur Dembinski

The Penultimate round of the TridentUK RS400 Northern Tour was held at the annual Great Northern Asymmetric Challenge (GNAC) at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club. The programme of eight races over two days was always going to be energy sapping but overlay this with a boisterous forecast with some projections of gusts over 30mph it was going to be a weekend of endurance.

Oh, and the 22 RS400 teams joined 40 other asymmetric boats, meaning the lake would be busy. Piece of cake!

Much of the chat amongst the teams as they rigged their boats was that the wind didn't look too bad, only for a squall to pass through that whipped the tops off the waves, reminding everyone it would be interesting.

RS400 fleet at the Trident-UK Great North Asymmetric Challenge - photo © Arthur Dembinski

The RS400 started in the first (fast) of the two flights and as became the norm for the weekend approached the windward mark en masse, with polite sailors approaching via the starboard lay line, whilst other chancers tried threading the needle on port. Once that slight drama was overcome the fleet would bear off with spinnakers up at the spreader mark.

Rather than an open lake in front of them on which to plot the fastest route to the leeward gate, the fleet was faced with a wall of RS200s and other 'flight two' boats, add gusts of over 30 knots and you had the common theme for the weekend which was 'chaos', but all good fun and thoroughly memorable.

During the day most teams took a dip in the refreshing lake, or for those that didn't some other mishap took place such as having a spinnaker under the boat, or simply sitting in a hole whilst 10 boats planed past them, but at the end of the day the results were incredibly close. After four races there were four separate race winners, with Paul and Jude Allen (Bassenthwaite SC) tied on 10 points with Hamish Gledhill and Ross Southwell (West Riding SC).

RS400 fleet at the Trident-UK Great North Asymmetric Challenge - photo © Arthur Dembinski

Behind them Dave Exley and Dee Osmond (Bassenthwaite SC) were tied on 11 points with Richard Marsh and Heather Marsh (Hollingworth Lake), and then Stuart Halman and Martin Spencer (Leigh and Lowton SC) were tied on 12 points with Mark Somerville and Joe Roberts (Bassenthwaite SC). Clearly all was to play for on day 2, but before that there was time to recover over fish and chips, live music and the usual great Bassenthwaite hospitality.

The forecast for day 2 was for slightly less wind, but the locals were advising caution, and there were still visible signs of white horses as the wind blew away from the clubhouse.

As with day one it would be futile to try and recall any specific details as once again the common adjective to describe conditions was 'chaos'. There was one moment in the second race where capsized boats blocked the approaches to the leeward gate, and the gaps that were left were occupied by boats beating away from the gate, which was quite challenging, as we were the raised voices quoting lines that occasionally resembled rules and other pieces of helpful advice, but everyone made it back in one piece.

RS400 fleet at the Trident-UK Great North Asymmetric Challenge - photo © Arthur Dembinski

However, the common theme for the day was Dave Exley and Dee Osmond, who'd only sailed together on a handful of occasions, putting together a string of consistent races with three seconds and a fourth, less than half the day two points of any other competitor.

Unsurprisingly this was enough to give them an overall convincing win. Behind them Mark Somerville and Joe Roberts, who were the only boat with two race wins took second place, ahead of Hamish Gledhill and Ross Southwell, who were only a point ahead of the Paul and Jude Allen and Richard and Heather Marsh who were tied on points in fourth and fifth place.

Whilst many will remember the wind and 'chaos' from the weekend people will also remember the usual highly competitive racing within the RS400 northern fleet, with seven different race winners over the eight races, and eleven boats having a top three finish, making Dave and Dee's second day performance even more impressive. It's also worth pointing out that the helms of the first three boats in the last race were all from the same family (Exley). I doubt it that has happened many times before.

RS400 fleet at the Trident-UK Great North Asymmetric Challenge - photo © Arthur Dembinski

Sponsor Prizes

Trident Beenie Hats: Mark Somerville and Joe Roberts, Paul and Jude Allen, Stuart Halman and Martin Spencer. Trident UK Vouchers: Elliot Higgins and Katie Watkins, Louise McKeand and Sean Ratcliffe, and Paul and Jude Allen

The finale of the 2026 TridentUK Northern Tour takes place at Notts County SC, 17/18 October.

RS400 fleet at the Trident-UK Great North Asymmetric Challenge - photo © Arthur Dembinski

Overall Results: