OCSS at the South Staffs Firefly Open

Four OCSS boats, two Imperial Poona rivals, and a decent argument for buying a Firefly

[Editors note - Alex did not disclose his conflict of interest as being on the Firefly Class Committee!]

Twenty-eight Fireflies – yes, twenty-eight, in Staffordshire, in April – contested Round 2 of the 2026 Craftinsure Vines Series at South Staffs Sailing Club last weekend. The OCSS was extremely well represented. We came, we raced, we finished narrowly behind Imperial Poona, and we think Something Must Be Done about that.

OCSS On The Water

Flying the OCSS burgee on the results sheet were Alex Baxter and Helen Jones in 3677, who finished a highly creditable 4th overall. Alex and Helen crossed the line third on the water in every one of the three races – which would have looked even better had we politely agreed, as a society, to ignore the Race 1 black flag. (A rogue watch was blamed. The watch has since been reprimanded.) A 3-3 scoreline across the two counting races is OCSS racing of a high order, and a pair of top-three podium finishes in Races 2 and 3.

Joining them under the OCSS banner were Jamie Webb and Chloe Webb in 3353 – many congratulations on the wedding, and on flying the first married-couples burgee of the season. [Editors note - I have added their day-after-wedding sail at the bottom which sadly didn't feature in the racing!] Jamie and Chloe sailed a particularly canny Race 1, reading the final leg to perfection as the breeze evaporated, and came through from the mid-fleet to snatch the final podium spot. A 6th overall off the back of that opening result is a very tidy outing indeed.

Honorary OCSS — The Smallwoods

Honorary OCSS representation came from the Smallwood siblings, now plying their trade for other clubs but very much OCSS in spirit. Jenny Smallwood, crewed by Philip Aldhous in 3625, posted a rock-solid 7th with a 6 and a 5 to count – genuinely impressive sailing from someone who found the time, between races, to complete an entire start-line dance solo after a brief miscommunication with her crew. Meanwhile her brother Alex Smallwood, sailing with Vicky Sisk in 3691, took 5th in a freshly acquired Firefly that appears to be held together largely by nostalgia and goodwill. Its 27-year-old brown Musto sails have reportedly achieved a pleasing translucence in the right light. Neither of these things slowed him down, and the pin-end start in Race 2 was a textbook Alex Smallwood.

The Running Rivalry with Imperial Poona

Now to the matter of the fleet’s most enjoyable rivalry. Under the pleasingly tongue-in-cheek Imperial Poona burgee, Chris Kameen (and the ever-dependable Martin Jones) in 2937 finished 2nd overall, and Jono Pank (sailing with son Freddie) in 4400 took 3rd. Chris now leads the 2026 Craftinsure Vines Series; Jono sits second.

The OCSS does not, as a rule, keep an informal running scoreboard against Imperial Poona. If we did, however, the position after South Staffs would read: Poona 2nd & 3rd, OCSS 4th & 6th. Which is, there is no other way of saying this, the wrong way round. The Imperial Poona lot have, to their credit, been extremely gracious about it. Almost suspiciously gracious. Watch this space.

The Quiet Pleasure of OCSS in Fireflies

This is what makes Firefly open-meeting racing so much fun. It is not, or not only, the fact that 28 boats on a Midlands reservoir is a complete riot. It is that, over the last few years, a whole raft of OCSS members have quietly assembled themselves a Firefly fleet – and are now cheerfully bumping into each other on startlines the length and breadth of the country. Boats are changing hands within the society. Old Boat Club crews are reforming. Ancient sails are being hauled out of dustier lofts and defiantly re-hoisted. One might almost call it a Society Within A Society.

The Firefly turns out to be the perfect boat for the OCSS. It is sociable, forgiving, genuinely tactical, and light enough to rig in the time it takes to catch up on who has moved jobs, had a baby, or finally given up on that PhD. It will keep a hardened racer interested and a returning sailor honest, and it doesn’t care whether you last raced yesterday or in 2004.

If You’ve Been On The Fence…

Now is absolutely the moment. The class is 80 this year. The 2026 raffle prize is a brand-new Ovington-built Firefly – every race you sail earns a ticket, whether on the circuit or at your home club. The Nationals at Tenby SC in August are shaping up to be the biggest Firefly Nationals in a decade, and the 80th Anniversary Dinner in November is at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, which is as good an excuse as any to dust off a blazer.

Every open meeting currently features two to four OCSS entries. Four is nice. Eight would be considerably more embarrassing for Imperial Poona, which seems like reason enough.

If you need a crew, a boat, advice on where to buy one, or a quiet word about why your old sails are probably still fine, drop a note via any OCSS channel and we will sort you out.

Next Up — The Elizabeth Cup, Tamesis Club, Saturday 25 April

The fleet heads south to the Thames for the Elizabeth Cup at Tamesis Club this coming Saturday, 25 April – one of the most charming fixtures on the calendar, and the next round of the Craftinsure Vines Series. Tamesis, tucked onto the river at Teddington, is very much OCSS territory: flat, tidal, tactical, and reliably friendly. If you can get there, please do. Race pack on fireflyclass.co.uk.