No more excuses
by Mark Jardine 18 Mar 05:00 AEDT
2023 UK Flying Fifteen Nationals in Weymouth © Phil Jackson / Digital Sailing
I was wondering if things were going to slow down in sailing after the huge events of 2024, namely the Olympics, America's Cup and Vendée Globe but, if anything, they've speeded up.
The great news is that the acceleration is in real sailing, not armchair sailing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the marquee events aren't incredible, it's just that the actual sailing in them involved relatively few people.
2025 is all about us. The club sailors, the weekend warriors, the open meeting stalwarts and those that build up for a major championship in their season.
So why have I titled this editorial 'No more excuses'? It's for every sailor who has made some kind of excuse to decide on the day not to go down to their club and sail.
I know the feeling all too well that it's easy to take a look at look at the forecast and feel it looks too cold, too windy, too wet, or just about anything else that might be wrong with the day and decide it's not worth the effort. Having had my first dinghy sail of the year on Sunday and gone through this process in my head beforehand (knowing I had work to do and things around the house that needed sorting) I'm so thankful that my 'I must go sailing' thought won the battle.
It was the first practice race session of the Keyhaven Yacht Club season, and it did feel cold rigging up in 3 degrees, but the sun soon warmed things up and the 15-knot wind made for some spectacular sailing. Our Race Officer set us four short practice races, followed by a longer race finishing back at the club, which was simply the perfect way to brush off the cobwebs and get into the year ahead.
I would have felt awful had I not gone, knowing full well that I missed out on a great sail. The local club rivalries were reignited, the banter with friends was in full force, and the sailor who had a fascination with hitting the windward mark provided much amusement. I was out in my old Laser / ILCA and yes, I've got a couple of aches in my shoulders and bruises on my calves, but they feel good because the excuses didn't win... sailing won instead.
We live in a world that is full of distractions and ways to use up time. Nearly every social media platform wants to show you a video of someone doing something inane, work requirements seem to grow for us all, and family commitments mean we're all juggling continually, with someone throwing you an extra ball just when you don't need it.
Your sailing time though is time well spent, and you'll feel much better for it when you come back home or on Monday morning in the office. The nagging feeling of 'Why didn't I go?' will be replaced with thoughts about being out on the water. The juggling will feel slightly easier, and the stresses of everyday life will feel slightly less intense. Quite simply, sailing is good for your soul.
So, what's getting me excited about the season ahead and why do I think it's got the potential to eclipse 2024?
The enthusiasm at this year's RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show - which is the best boat show in the world, bar none - was palpable. So many classes have big events, focus points for their season, which are galvanising sailors into action. Here are a few of the UK-based events which are whetting my appetite already.
The Flying Fifteen World Championships at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in the UK this August has drawn a multitude of world-class sailors into the class. This two-man open keelboat was designed in 1948 by Uffa Fox but shows no signs of ageing and is appealing to teams young and old. Qualifying for the event is intense, with the last places decided at the UK National Championship just before the main event, but missing out on the Worlds doesn't mean your week is over.
The class and event organisers are quite brilliantly holding an International Championship for Classic, Silver and Open Fleets who either do not wish to compete in the World Championship, or did not qualify. All the International Championship racing will be held inside Portland Harbour, so sailing to and from the club will be nice and quick. By doing this the class have opened up the event to a far larger group of sailors, who will no doubt bring a more relaxed attitude to the entire championship.
I'm hoping we get some of the classic Flying Fifteens attending. You only need to have a read of Dougal Henshall's 100 Years of Jack Chippendale article or Graham Sharp's article on Good old Gilmac to see just how beautiful some of them are.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, but at the same Weymouth venue, are the WASZP Games. I spoke to Duncan Hepplewhite of Sailingfast, possibly the hardest working person in the marine industry, during the Dinghy Show about this event which has already attracted nearly 250 foiling sailors.
The WASZP class have innovated in a different way to the Flying Fifteens, introducing different formats of racing, and 23rd July is slated for a 'Marathon Race' where the entire fleet will be on a single start line for a long-distance race. While I'm sure this is causing the Race Officer the odd sleepless night, it will be an incredible sight to behold.
Then, for the keelboats, we have the revived Admiral's Cup and the Fastnet. I talked about the Rolex Fastnet Race in my last editorial, The 600 Sweet Spot, and this Centenary edition is attracting interest like no other; by 11am on the day entries opened they'd received 435 registrations ranging from the 32 metre Ultim trimaran Maxi Banque Populaire XI to the Sun Fast 30s Gaia of Sverre Reinke. Seeing the fleet pass through the Hurst Narrows and out into Christchurch Bay will be another one of sailing's iconic moments.
The Admiral's Cup was first contested in 1957, and was the yachting championship to win until it faded towards the end of the 1990s. Seeing it revived and receiving strong interest from teams around the globe is great news for sailing, and great news for the UK industry; top teams will be basing themselves in the Solent during the lead-up to the event. It looks like up to fifteen teams from around the globe will attend, each consisting of two boats, each in relatively tight IRC rating bands which should make for close racing.
There's been a lot of harking back to yachting's heyday in the UK, and so seeing it return will be heartening for all.
2025 is a big year for sailing and can be superb for all of us. Don't listen to the voice of doubt in your head making the excuses not to go sailing, try to ignore the latest viral video doing the rounds, and get out on the water. You'll feel a hundred times better for it - I know I do.
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor