GP14 Midland Bell Travellers Series with Enterprise fleet at Tamworth Sailing Club
by Alex Snr & Bill Kenyon 28 May 10:36 UTC
16 May 2026
GP14 Midland Bell Travellers Series at Tamworth © M Whitfield
Our Midland Bell Travellers Series continued at Tamworth Sailing Club 16th of May 2026 with a joint Enterprise open meeting. The weather forecast predicted light winds from a base of three miles an hour rising to ten miles an hour, so it promised to be a day for those who could fly spinnakers and most of the visitors from South Staffs, Nantwich & Borders, Trimpley, Midland, and Tamworth were experienced at it.
Sometimes at an open meeting the visitors come in dribs and drabs, but not today, by nine thirty the visitors car park was a hive of activity, visitors parking their cars then rigging their GPs. They were a chatty friendly bunch, of course, being travellers, most of them had probably met more than once before.
The race marks were set out in numerical order and set on a board simulating the lake, a cord was run from the start line round the various marks, marking the course. With the cord marking the course crossing itself more than once, to the uninitiated it must have looked like some medieval harpsichord, of course the dinghy sailors present at the briefing understood it like the back of their hands. Quite a lot of biro was used making drawings of how to get round the course on the back of their hands and arms.
OD Ian Whitfield gave the briefing explaining where they should and shouldn't sail, that is, giving a space of two boat lengths anywhere near land, including the islands.
The 11 O'clock start was slightly delayed.
Throughout the racing the wind remained steady and to the surprise of the Tamworth members there was wind at every mark, something they seldom experienced, for them the mark they identify as Creek had a habit of behaving like the eye of a storm i.e. a flat calm or rotating clockwise or the other, forcing the dinghies to gather round the mark like bees round a honeypot.
The Enterprise fleet started first, Nigel Allso with Kate Brazier surged ahead in the first lap followed closely by Paul Burgoine with Livia Jenkins, they tussled with each other throughout the first, second, and third races, Paul Burgoine took the first race, came second in the second, and first in the third, so he was the overall winner.
Paul Young came third in all three races, leaving Allan Roper and Hugh Nethercot in fourth place in the first and second races, they didn't sail in the third race. Heled Elson came fifth in the first race but didn't continue sailing due to her young crew Elliot Lee succumbing to the cold.
At the start of the GP14 fleet, in first race Oliver Goodhead and crew Katie Keith from South Staffs proved a hard act to follow, they came first in all three races. Peter Thomas and Dawn Frost from Nantwich and Boarders club, Lesley Freeman with Sue Webb from Trimpley club; they had a race within a race trying to beat each other. Well, in the end they all got a bottle of wine for their efforts.
The Tamworth club members did their best, of them, John Biggs and Niel Turnbull came first, though they did have a problem flying their spinnaker, Roy Brooks and Mark Gutteridge came second in that tussle. Nigel Davis and Chris O'Reilly retired after the first race.
The colourful spinnakers flying added to the ambiance of the event.
All in all, despite the forecast of light winds it was a good days racing, there was a fair breeze at every mark, and we had a good turnout of visitors too, yes, it was a good days racing.
And as Ratty says in The Wind in the Willows, "There is nothing - absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
Future events
For the first time ever the Budworth event on 31st May 2026 will incorporate both the Northern Bell *AND* the Midland Bell. Come and be a part of what could be the largest inland GP14 event in the country? We already have twenty-five entries and I'm confident it will top thirty!
New this year is the introduction of a "Regatta Fleet" with its own start!
See budworthsc.org.uk/event/gp14-open-2026
Camping and Motorhomes welcome. Come and see our completely refurbished clubhouse and bar and join us for a drink and pizza on Saturday evening. Save yourself £5 and enter now at £20 early bird or £25 on the day. Don't miss what promises to be a brilliant event both on and off the water.
Please email to be added to our Midland Bell Travellers WhatsApp group for all the latest updates.