Please select your home edition
Edition

Tongue Twister Triumphs in Concours d'Elegance at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show 2025

by Mark Jardine 23 Feb 08:00 PST 23 February 2025
Albacore 'Uffa Fox Sake' owned by Matt Thompson wins Concours d'Elegance at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show © Paul Wyeth / RYA

The Concours d'Elegance for the boat of the show at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2025 has been won by Matt Thompson's Albacore 'Uffa Fox Sake' after judges Mark Jardine, joined this year by the voice of SailGP, Stevie Morrison, spent an enjoyable morning perusing every boat on display.

Stevie, who has sailed nearly every class of boat under the sun, has a penchant for wooden boats, but also a love of high performance dinghies, being a World and European champion, and Olympian, in the 49er class, so where his head and heart would go in judging was very open.

After a long browse, Stevie and Mark settled on four boats in their shortlist, with the B14 two-man skiff, the foiling Switch One Design dinghy and the A Class Catamaran eventually decided as runners-up, as the Albacore stood head and shoulders above the others in the judges' eyes.

Owner Matt Thompson was ecstatic to finally get his hands on the trophy after a 'near miss' a few years back when his boat hadn't been sailing yet, so was ineligible:

"Absolutely fantastic! I thought my chances had gone after my first attempt in 2019. I could have perhaps claimed the boat had been on the water, but it was pretty obvious it hadn't back then. I thought there's a lot of other lovely looking boats around here, but it's always worth persevering. And here we are again, six years later. Finally, the reward has come to me, and it's fantastic."

On keeping the boat looking in Concours condition Matt added:

"I probably don't sail it hard enough, truth be told. It does take a lot of patience and a lot of care. It does get wrapped up and put away in the winter. It has actually just had a little bit of a makeover by James Jarvey. There was a little bit of accident damage - not my fault, I hasten to add - which he's dealt with. This boat shouldn't need varnishing probably for ten years, but I'll get it done maybe every three or four years."

The quality of presentation of boats always impresses, and the 2025 show has proved no different, making the judging as hard as ever. The buzz around the show and on the class stands makes for an enjoyable visit for everyone, be they a seasoned dinghy campaigner or someone entirely new to the sport, and having the boats presented in their best light, reflects sailing in the best way possible.





Previous Concours d'Elegance Winners:

Related Articles

A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend
A Q&A with Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend When it comes to racing sailboats on the East Coast of the United States in the summer months, few places are as classic as the waters surrounding Martha's Vineyard's northwestern flank. Posted on 18 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom. Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality. Posted on 17 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s. Posted on 15 Jun
Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features. Posted on 12 Jun
The X-Yachts Gold Cup Experience
A celebration of sailing, of X-Yachts and, most importantly of all, people Having just returned from Haderslev, Denmark - which is the home of X-Yachts and played host to the X-Yachts Gold Cup 2025 - I was left wondering if this was a racing event, a rally or a social celebration amongst close friends. Posted on 10 Jun
Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits. Posted on 3 Jun
Robert Burke on HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility
Robert Burke discusses the upcoming closure of HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility Community sailing organizations are a fantastic and affordable way of drawing new sailors into the sport. Unfortunately, the Hudson River Community Sailing is being forced to close one of its two locations in January. Posted on 3 Jun