Penultimate event in the 2026 ILCA Midlands Grand Prix Circuit
Published 01:00 on 14 Sep 2026
A strong fleet of 22 ILCAs hit the water yesterday at Staunton Harold Sailing Club for a well-contested Open meeting. Conditions were tricky throughout the day, with the wind clocking round and shifting for the majority of racing.
Race 1 started in a patchy, light-air breeze. George Fereday (Earlswood Lakes SC) caught clean pressure off the line and took an early lead, extending it throughout the race to finish with a substantial margin over the rest of the fleet. Paul Keening crossed in 2nd on the water, with Craig Williamson 3rd. On corrected time, Christine Statham sailed a smart race to take 3rd overall in the ILCA 6 fleet.
Race 2 saw the breeze fill in by around 3 knots, with a clean start across the line. A group of five boats broke away on the beat to the windward mark and extended their lead on the rest of the fleet. True to Staunton Harold's notoriously shifty conditions, positions changed constantly throughout, and the race finished with Paul Keening taking the win, followed by Nathan Smith (Staunton Harold SC) and George Fereday, all within a minute of each other.
Race 3, the last of the day, began with the wind having dropped away completely. A short postponement was called before the breeze began to fill back in. With the lightest conditions of the day, the fleet raced closely together in tight groups. The wind threatened to die mid-race, raising the possibility of an abandonment, but it quickly filled back in, allowing racing to continue. George Fereday took the win, followed by Nathan Smith in 2nd and Ben Richardson (Trent Valley SC) in 3rd.
Final results were:-
1st - George Fereday (Earleswood Lakes SC)
2nd - Paul Keening (Blithfield SC)
3rd - Christine Statham (Attenborough / Burton SC)
4th and winner of the Dave Newton trophy - Nathan Smith (Staunton Harold SC)
For the full results please click.here
Dont forget Burton Sailing Club will be hosting the final event in the series on 3rd October - please click here for links to this, and the overall series results:-
https://portal.ilca.uk/.../midlands-grand-prix-series...
Photos by Staunton Harold Sailing Club, note fellow Burton member Carl Avery picked up Christines prize on her behalf (see photo).
Last updated 09:20 on 18 September 2026
