No Dramas Claims 2026 Saida Cup
The Royal Thames Yacht Club’s 2026 Saida Cup delivered six races of competitive Etchells sailing, with No Dramas, sailed by Andrew Lawson, claiming the overall title ahead of Ada and Louise Racing.
The Saida Cup event was held as the 2026 season finale, to determine the final overall season standings in the Cowes National Series. Day 1 saw 15-20 knots from the North East, day 2 was very similar but with more breeze, averaging around 20 knots, with gusts reaching the mid 20's in shifty and patchy conditions.
No Dramas finished at the top of the leaderboard with a net score of 10 points, putting together a strong series that included race wins in R4 and R6. Despite a 12th-place retirement in R2, the team recovered well to secure the championship.
David Maclean’s Ada finished second overall on 12 net points. Ada made an excellent start to the regatta, taking victories in R1 and R3, but a 12th-place retirement in R2 and third-place finishes in both R5 and R6 left them just two points behind the winners.
Louise Racing, sailed by Ted Blowers, completed the overall podium in third place with 15 net points. The team recorded a race win in R2 and consistently featured among the leading boats, adding another strong result to its 2026 season. Louise Racing also took the Youth division title.
Exabyte, sailed by Shaun Frohlich, finished fourth on 19 net points, while Spica, sailed by Jason Losty, placed fifth with 26. Rocketman, sailed by Rob Goddard, was the leading Corinthian boat, finishing sixth overall and securing the Corinthian division title.
Congratulations to Andrew Lawson and the No Dramas team on winning the 2026 Saida Cup, to Rob Goddard and Rocketman on taking Corinthian honours, and to Ted Blowers and Louise Racing for securing the Youth title.
Thanks go to the Royal Thames Yacht Club for running the event and to all the competitors who took part.
Another huge thank you to Shaun Frohlich and the Exabyte team for hosting the annual Exabyte rum party, and to Rob Goddard from Rocketman for supplying post racing food at the rum party. We look forward to celebrating another successful season at the end of season dinner and prize giving on the 28th November, at the Royal Ocean Racing Club, in Cowes.
Results - https://sailevent.net/viewdoc.ashx?b=639279963133083786&m=n&v=876
