Category: Summary

In the week before Dieppe Dash 2024, the WhatsApp group messages had  included several posts focusing on the evolving weather forecasts for the day of the event. The forecasts seemed to be changing every few hours. Was the promised band of stronger wind passing through during or before the event? And how quickly and how much…

In the days leading up to the 11th Dieppe Dash, there was some anxiety among the organisers about whether the wind would be too strong, according to some forecasts. However by the night before, the forecast had settled to a predicted force 5 from the west. 31 boats had entered but inevitably some dropped out.…

After a gap of three years for a pandemic, the 10th Dieppe Dash felt like an exploration for the organisers. What were events such as Dieppe Dash going to be like in a post-Brexit post-COVID world? What were the new rules and how would they be implemented? There was still uncertainty about things like immigration…

Dear Dieppe Dash supporters In response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the Dieppe Dash organisers have reviewed the present UK Government rules and guidance with the proposed timline for coming out of lockdown as well as current trends in infection in UK and in France. Although yacht racing will be possible, it is unlikely that…

Dear Dieppe Dash supporters Government guidance, in UK and in France, makes clear it is not possible that Dieppe Dash will be able to go ahead in May. Timescales of initial containment measures place the scheduled date of Dieppe Dash 2020 in the initial high risk period. We are in contact with our friends in…

Often when racing the English Channel from Brighton, there appears to be plenty of wind on the English side, but the wind dies towards the French side, usually as slower boats are arriving.  The Dieppe Dash 2019 was the opposite. The race started at 7:30 BST so that bigger boats could leave the harbour after…

For the second year running the wind was substantially lighter than what the racing fleet would have liked. But for those of you reading this later and thinking the event always has light winds – just look back at the summary for 2014, when the wind was ideal and led to the course record being…

The seventh Dieppe Dash was the one most lacking in wind since the start of the event. Although 36 boats entered, six dropped out prior to the event, mainly due to lack of progress in getting the boat ready in time. On the day, 30 boats set off from Brighton – 7 in the IRC…

The weather forecast was for winds of about 20 knots, lessening as the day progressed. And sure enough there was wind, though a little more than most expected. A number of boats turned back in the first 3 hours. But the majority carried on and were rewarded by the promised lessening of the wind. 46…