Ian & Ted Dobson win the 2025 Inlands at Chew Valley Lake SC

Despite the biblical forecast as Storm Amy rolled inexorably across the country on Saturday, 26 Mirrors weren't deterred from entering their Inland Championship on 4th & 5th October at Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club.

This was a combined event with the Firefly class, who by all accounts descended upon the bar once the race team wisely cancelled racing on the Saturday. Four races were scheduled for the following day.

Sunday dawned still breezy but, with big dark isolated clouds rolling across the lake, occasionally the wind would drop to almost flat calm before the next squall line came in at 25kts. This combined with the restricted water (a result of the tide being out at Chew since August) forced the two fleets onto the same triangle sausage course and made consistency hard to find for all competitors. Fireflys being slightly bigger and slightly faster than mirrors can make very effective wind blockers!

Ian and Ted Dobson made it all look too easy by combining devastating downwind pace with savvy upwind tactics to win every race. This was despite being pushed hard in all races by at least one of either Matt and Albie McGovern, Paul and Peter Smalley and/or James and Meris Date. These three split the minor places between them in each race, often in the lead but never when it counted, they finished within a point of each other both in total and net points.

Further down the fleet special mention should go to Sam Halhead, as the youngest crew to complete all the races of a chilly and extremely breezy event. Having just turned 7 on Saturday he took home the biggest and shiniest trophy of the day. The relatively short race duration, perfectly timed to 30 minutes for the lead boat and rapid turnaround between races delivered by the Chew Valley race team were perfect for the class demographic as our crews aren't known for their thermal efficiency despite possessing impressive quantities of grit and determination. It was great to see so many complete the full event.

Now almost exclusively a parent and offspring class the Mirror continues a bit of a resurgence, and all competitors were reminded that the 2026 National Championships at Derwent reservoir will be a perfect venue for the younger crews in particular. Just like this weekend, maximum time racing, minimal time waiting around on the water, it's a recipe for happy crews in the famous little boats with the red sails.

Results

Sailed: 4, Discards: 1, To count: 3, To qualify: 1, Rating system: PY, Entries: 26, Scoring system: Default scoring system