2000 Class Training has been postponed until July

Simon Horsfield and Katie Burridge will be running the 2000 Class Training © Mark Foley

The Noble Marine supported 2000 Class Training is has been postponed until 4th-5th July, when we hope social distancing will allow it.

The double Selden SailJuice Winter Series Champions Simon Horsfield and Katie Burridge are delivering the weeekend at Thorney Island Sailing Club, aided and abetted by several of the class's top sailors.

The weekend format will include starting, dynamic tuning, modes of downwind sailing, and short course racing, backed up with video debriefing. 23 boats were due to take part in April and we're hoping they can all still make it.

The 2000 Class is renowned for attracting a wide demographic of sailors, and this event is just like that; ages range from 14 to 75 years old, and abilities range from champions to open meeting novices.

Attendance at class events has grown quickly over the past two years, boosted by two innovations; a committee member whose role is purely publicity, and a focus of developing sailing skills by informal and formal training.

So would you like 2000 training at your club? If you have a small fleet of 2000s at your club or in your area, why not get in touch with a view to 2021? Please contact the class at

So have a look on our class Facebook page and you'll see some Top Tips videos by the front of the fleet sailors, come to any event and you'll get more boat park and on-course advice than you know what to do with, and feel free to ask anyone any question.

We're also making the most of having Simon Horsfield sailing in our ranks. He is a professional British Army dinghy coach and amateur dinghy racer who has competed in the 2000 Class since 2006. Simon says: "On the face of it, it is such a simple boat, and yet I believe that's what makes it such a challenge to get the maximum performance out of the 2000. 13 years in, and I'm still finding new ways of making it go faster, and that's having been at the front of the fleet for many years and National Champion in 2018.

"As the Training Officer for our class I want to share my knowledge and experience with the whole fleet by running specific and bespoke training, tailored to you. One of the class's main assets is that it attracts a huge variety of ages and abilities, requiring this tailored training."

Simon is leaving the Army in May 2022, and working as a coach will be part of his future plans, so if you'd like to discuss non-2000 Class topics, get in touch at

Meanwhile he and fiancée/crew Katie Burridge have been keeping fit for the 2020 season with daily running and high intensity interval training.