Datchet Radio Sailing Club in London UK, will be hosting two major championships this year…
The Entry Process is Complete
84 competitors are booked for next year’s world championships. There are the usual favourites but more on that later. 66 competitors entered in stage 1, with the remainder filled from stage 2. Stage 2 and stage 3 form the bulk of the 37 on the reserve list.
The MYA, Datchet Radio Sailing club and Datchet Sailing Club look forward to welcoming you all to one of the best radio sailing venues in the country.
The entry list can be found here:
https://www.iomworlds2026.com/competitors/
About Datchet
Datchet Water Sailing Club is a real hidden jewel, 50 mins from London nestled in the shadow of Windsor Castle. It is a member’s club, run by the members for the members
The sailing water is almost two kilometres long and over a kilometre wide making it large enough for all dinghy classes, small keelboats, radio sailing, catamarans and great for Windsurfing, Wingfoiling and Stand Up Paddleboarding. There are 300 meters of beach and some astroturf to make rigging and launching easier. More important this allows a huge control area for radio sailors to cater for the majority of wind directions.
In strong winds, sailing at Datchet is challenging with long waves up to 18 inches high possible and the subtle wind shifts will keep the best sailors on their toes.
We have dedicated use of the site for the week of the world championships and will have prepared courses on either side of the club house depending on the wind direction, with unencumbered sight lines and fixed launch and retrieval platforms.
As well as having a fantastic reservoir to sail on we also have a great clubhouse with modern facilities. These include large changing rooms, with warm showers powered by the water source heat pump, canteen downstairs, huge lounge upstairs (overlooking the reservoir and Windsor Castle), classrooms & boardroom, all of which is solar-powered. The club team won Green Club of the year twice. There is enough space to accommodate camper vans and tents with water, loo and waste facilities nearby.
We radio sail on Saturdays and Sundays with a mix of boats, DF95, IOM’s. Marblehead’s, 10 Rater’s and with the open water and lack of weed, Datchet is a go to venue for bigger events and hosted the Marblehead, IOM and 10r Nationals.
So this is the setting for the World championships. There will be a test event over Easter, the UK National Championships which we are running as a warm up event for the shore team. Unlike most events we have all the facilities we require on site and the cooperation of an outstanding club.
If you are interested, the full club history is here:
https://www.dwsc.co.uk/about-us/club-history
The DRS membership is strong and very active in supporting next year’s event. We have the advantage over many venues insofar as there is good infrastructure on site and we are in a secure location with high fences and locked gates
Of course, this event would not be possible without the significant support of the MYA both in terms of people, technical knowledge, running the race teams and sponsorship along with all the volunteers who put their name forward and the supporting businesses. Our goal is to provide you with the best racing ever in a world championship.
If you are interested in the organisation of the event, a progress update can be found here.
https://www.mya-uk.org.uk/iom-worlds-at-datchet-radio-sailing-may-15-22-2026/
Now the important stuff.
Where will the racing be
If you look on Google maps at the queen Mother reservoir, you can see Datchet sailing club on the North-East side of the reservoir. Racing will take place on the East side or North side of the reservoir and opposite the clubhouse depending on the wind direction. Logistically, you will need to walk up to 200m either side of the clubhouse depending on the wind direction so make sure you have a good backpack or trolley to carry your kit. For those who have been to Datchet before we will be putting in launch and retrieval platforms to provide easy access to the course.
The Worlds web site
The picture below gives you a rough idea of where the key facilities will lie with the exception of the measuring area which we are looking to move up to the clubhouse. More details will follow on all the facilities available to competitor.
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