The Solo Welsh Championship and a Bit of History
by Will Loy 19 Apr 23:19 PDT
12-13 April 2025
Great conditions for day 2 of the Solo Welsh Championship © Will Loy
Another weekend and though we are only just into April, the Solo class has three events scheduled, an Eastern Area open meeting at Hunts S.C, St Ives, a Southern Area open meeting at Spinnaker S.C, Ringwood and for those sailors looking to put themselves top of the pecking order (or you just happen to live close by) the Welsh Championship awaits.
Tata Steel Sailing Club, Port Talbot, hosted the event which was first contested back in 1996 and was won by the pubescent Harvey Hillary sailing 4004 Kevin's Widget (Gosling). From memory Harvey used a laminate North sail on a Wavelength mast which was very dynamic and the centreboard was a one-off, shaped and faired to within an inch of it's life by the guys at Bloodaxe. Rumour was, it had a concave section, the down-side, it did tend to break quite often when he took a swim. Edge Sails CEO Jon Clarke was second with Ewen (Birkin) Walls completing the podium. It is interesting to see that these guys still race Solos, they must have been so young then.
1997
Simon Childs won the title in 1997, racing a Thresher, 4104, the Middle Nene based sailor has always been unflappable and when the breeze snakes through the Welsh valleys, patience and conservative tactics usually win the day. Behind were some serious talent, Hillary, Lea, Potts and Bond and though Simon only won one race the three seconds was enough to win the title by three points. Interestingly, the race he won was the last and was punctuated by half the fleet going to the wrong windward mark...not Simon though!
1998
Jon Clarke took the title in 1998, edging myself out of a well earned victory. I was racing my Miles built Solo 4160 and did my very best to cock up the last race, powering in to that pesky mark that had tripped up the fleet in 97. I do wonder if Tata had been experimenting with one of the early MarkSetBots as I seem to remember catching sight of an official giggling in the shadow of the clubhouse after racing. Fortunately, a few Welsh cakes laterI was back to my cheerful self.
1999
This would be the last regatta before the emergence of the FRP hull. It would prove to be a tough event and was won by Robert Holmes in Solo 4125, a Severn Sailboat which for those born this century is of composite construction. I believe it was a very light event and Robert, being just a slip of a boy would have been in his element. Come to think of it, why has no-one tried to build a wooden hull with plastic decks?
2000 and the Winder Boats/Purple Marine marketing machine would claim the second major of the year following a win at the Noble Marine Winter Championship. Pete Cumming had taken that title in Winder 4279 (albeit it was apparently a tad breezy) and Jim Hunt made it two from two at Tata in 4278. There was still some scepticism that plastic could compete with wood, such had been the dominance of timber construction and I for one thought Jimbo had bumped his head on one too many booms but he is brighter than he looks.
2001
Pete Cumming took the win in the Winder though I am unsure if he was using a North sail or a Purple. For info, Jim would eventually leave Purple and go on to develop the North SM8 (I think) with the Proctor Cumulus which would be very popular in the early 2000's. Pete was clearly a handy sailor, a lot of redheads are and he would go on to compete in some serious yachting events including the America's Cup.
2002
Barry Green, who is a sailor I had many battles against in my early years took the win, racing his Miles built Solo, I can only guess that it was not a windy event given that Barry was the light wind specialist of my generation (though Jon Clarke may disagree).
2003
Ken Falcon, one of the Solo legends made the journey to Port Talbot and graced the event with his godly presence. The multiple World Champion was racing his Gosling 4273 and reminded those plastic converts that, on its day, wood can still win Championships. It also confirmed that the Welsh Championship title has some serious kudos. Bob Taylor, Simon Jones and Andy Davis all took wins and they can still get free drinks at the bar for that accolade, it just seems a long way to go. The wind was particularly punchy for day 2 and a number of sailors sported 'B plan' sails for the final race... just as the wind dropped.
2004
With only one race sailed on day 1, the fleet were able to enjoy the delights of the 'Abbot's Kitchen' before retiring to their rooms at the Twelve Knights. There have been many tales over the years relating to such an evening and the hotel receptionist will remember with fondness the sight of Clarkey in his birthday suit trying to explain how he locked himself out of his room. While the reservoir on day 2 initially looked glassy, by midday the breeze had filled in and four races were completed with Brown doing enough to take the overall victory despite a brace of Davis bullets. Special mention to Welsh Wizard Bob Taylor who finished fourth and was the driving force for the Championship for many years.
2005
Maybe I have not conveyed how popular this Championship had become so for some context, travellers travelled from Kent and Scotland to compete at Tata in 05 and the turnout of 35 Solos was magnificent. Chris Goldhawk proved consistent with three seconds and a bullet to hold off Clarke, Brown and Davis. Kev Gibb was tenth, so the trip down from Largo Bay was all for nothing.
2006
37 entries, light breeze, strong breeze and a final race showdown saw Brown take his second Welsh title after a match race with Davis, Simon Jones taking the bullet and this was enough to give him third overall.
2007
32 entries including one from Saundersfoot, one from Yorkshire and one from Plymouth which sounds like the start of a good joke but it was Andy Davis from the midlands who had the last laugh despite a blistering day one from Bob Taylor. Sunday's races were held in force 5-6 winds which suited the Speed Sails jockey and his trusty Solo 'Lazy Daisy' with Brown and DJ Edwards completing the podium.
2008
36 entries were blown around the reservoir with various degrees of control and Davis defended the title with a handful of bullets. I do remember this event and was racing my 'Lean Green Racing Machine', the Speed hull's gelcoat a perfect match to the boat builders bog. The reaches were a blast and I am pretty certain the term 'send it' was born on this very day.
Having now run out of time I will bullet point the next sixteen years, I promise to expand on the heroics that unfolded next year.
- 2009 33 entries and 3 bullets for winner Andy Davis.
- 2010 43 entries is the record, Davis, Goldhawk the podium winners.
- 2011 34 entries, Dave Mitchell taking a win but Mike Sims is too good.
- 2012 Chris Brown wins his third title.
- 2013 Sims wins his second title.
- 2014 28 entries and Tom Gillard wins from Pete Mitchell and Mike Sims.
- 2015 Andy Davis wins his fourth title.
- 2016 Davis is unstoppable at Abersoch despite a hard fought series with Mike Sims.
- 2017 Cliff Crawshaw wins all four races to take the title in his Crawshaw Solo.
- 2018 20 competitors, fourteen from Tata and Chris Goldhawk wins his second title.
- 2019 13 entries reflecting the penal forecast which was realised. Brown wins his fourth title.
- 2020 Covid hits.
- 2021 No record.
- 2022 19 entries. Tom Gillard wins again from Brown and Hopwood.
- 2023 17 entries and a major win for Jamie Morgan, Brown is again second.
- 2024 No record.
Cutting to the Chase
I had made the journey from Devon in the V70 via a tyre and exhaust centre, the smell of rubber, which to be fair had been increasing in strength the past month finally alerting me that the tread on both fronts was as worn out as my left hip.
I rolled up at Tata only £130 pounds lighter but alive and with the morning sunshine igniting the green green valley and a gentle breeze covering the reservoir, it was all worthwhile.
So to the 2025 edition and this report will just focus on the top ten, OK, you got me. The forecast was pretty favourable, Tata had arranged discounted accommodation or camping facilities if Hotel Blanco was too luxurious and the NSCA was covering a Solo class meal. I can only assume that the three other area open meetings had strong turnouts. The competitors themselves were a little disappointed but with this event counting towards the North Sails Super Series, even last place would be a great counter and the racing would be as intense as a mouthful of double strength orange concentrate.
Among the favourites, Chris Brown stood out as the man to beat having won this event multiple times, he was also upgrading to a new Winder so victory here would add a tenner to the sale price.
Steve Ede had made the trip from Colchester in his camper but not wanting to miss out on a free meal he had packed the bike and would later cycle the 5 miles to Port Talbot, these athletes go above and beyond to flush out that lactic acid.
Nigel Davies is still dining out on his Carsington win last year and he likes playing mind games with the fleet, taking out his tape in the boat park and casually questioning his competitors irregular mast rake datum measurements.
Mike Dray could be regarded as a young gun, granted, he has a wife and at least two kids but he still has his own hair and teeth, though his eyesight could be diminishing, hence the luminescent hull and control lines. He has shown some promise and has the Winder 2/North P4 going well.
Steve Roberts has similar vision impairments and the two of them seem to dress identically too, though his choice of rag is the HD Max. Steve is carrying the torch for Torpoint and to me, looks like he is only one win away from cracking the dark art of Solo sailing.
Andy Bownes is pretty new to the Solo but with a background as a pro golfer, will analyse every process in the interest of improvement. My tip would be to not keep your head still when you gybe.
Chris Bunn showed some real potential at the Dutch Cup last year, granted it was on a huge piece of water and was not surrounded by hills and industrial monoliths but boat speed is always welcome.
Cliff Crawshaw needs no introduction if you raced Solos in the 80's-90's, jockey for his father Victor's beautiful and fast Solos, if the wind is blowing boats over in the dinghy park and competitors are questioning their courage, he is probably salivating.
Chris Bolton had clearly read the first page of the fabled booklet 'Sailing the National Solo'. Geoff Carveth, multiple World Champion's wise words were "buy the best you can afford" and the purchase of Jamie Morgan's Winder is a shrewd investment. He just has to follow the rest of Geoff's sentence, "and sail it as much as possible" and the improvement will come.
Lastly, local Tata sailor Glen Wilbraham, probably 60 kilos wet through and a man of some years, acknowledgement if you needed it that the Solo is kind in temperament and yet racy in pedigree.
OK, to the racing.
Race 1
The fleet launched into a light easterly, a nearby wind turbine's huge blades rotating at a speed not dissimilar to a roulette wheel. I put my money on 34 and headed out to the race area in one of the safety ribs, though I doubted they would be required in that capacity today.
Chris Bolton punched out of the line just a whisker early and had to return which, as many of you will know, pretty much ruined his race. Steve Roberts nailed the Committee end with Nigel Davies picking the pin end with the other seven somewhere in between them.
Chris Brown picked all the right shifts to round ahead of Steve Ede and Andy Bownes while behind them, Mike Dray and Chris Bunn discussed rules 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, onshore a mother and her two lambs continue to munch the iron rich grass which lines the reservoir, one Lamb looking out at the unfolding drama with just a little interest.
PRO Mike Bradford had set a course which favoured the Osprey fleet and they had clearly written the class rules on spinnakers after a few pints, such is the square area allowed. Thus, the lap included one beat and many downwind legs of varying angles, all of which meant that there was not a lot of place changing in the Solos.
The telling moment and the only incident that could constitute dramatic came halfway up the final beat on lap 2 with Ede hooking into the outside of a huge right hand lift and got pinned out to the left. The big lefty came in about two minutes too late and Brown had bolted.
The fleets returned to the shore for some authentic Welsh Bolognese and jacket potatoes which was delicious and very good value but I think some classic Welsh fare such as Cheese on toast would have been a nice touch.
1st Brown
2nd Ede
3rd Davies
The breeze had dropped over lunch and this was confirmed by the lack of halyard activity in the boat park and a reduction in turbine RPM. Sailors from both fleets bimbled with dinghies, my assumption would be that they were their own but those fast pins are easily adjusted or, if you are feeling really devious, removed completely would really shake things up.
Undeterred, the PRO sent the fleet out, he was determined that everybody had a fabulous day so the sailors drudged off to launch into a fading 2 knots while I opted to film from the beach with a caveat that the rib would pick me up if conditions improved. This also meant, with my left hip now almost useless, I did not have to go through the humiliation of having to slump onto the slipway's undulating surface and roll into the safety boat.
I took up a seated position by the race box and adjusted my Nikon Cooolpix to maximum zoom length as the two fleets fetched out to the start area, a light ripple across the water the only indication of air movement. The PRO, oozing optimism went into a start sequence but, with the wind dropping to zero, wisely sent the fleet ashore and I thought that was it for the day. Surprisingly, a few Ospreys stayed afloat and headed off to the extreme left of the reservoir, albeit at a very slow pace. After a few minutes, and with most of the fleet on the shore and some (Cliff Crawshaw) even pulling their boats into their assigned births for the night, the Ospreys started to fly. The breeze had returned and was now up to a nice 8 knots. Much activity followed and with the fleets back out and the course re-jigged we went into a surprising race 2. I had now returned to my position on the rib, my dad was a para in the 2nd battalion and the memory of him showing me how to land a parachute jump now provided me with the perfect technique to drop and roll into the safety boat, thanks dad, he would be so proud.
Race 2
The Osprey fleet were released and as they fetched to mark 1 it was pretty obvious that, with the wind tracking right, the Committee boat end would be the place to start.
The PRO looked a little embarrassed but sent the Solo fleet off anyway as the breeze dropped to 4 knots, apologising as they reached up to the mark, Sail GP style. Davies had judged his run in perfectly, finding the little blue triangle on the start line and at full non-foiling tilt. Meanwhile, Dray, who was a whole boat length over at the gun went back while Brown took Ede on a little trip well upwind of where they wanted to go.
So, Davies led Ede from Brown with Bownes, Roberts and Bolton in close pursuit. There followed a pretty dull 3 or 4 downwind legs, only the various angles of heel and kicker tension interesting to analyse if you are an anorak. Ede, a light wind specialist took the lead and after a tedious second lap, won with Brown, surprisingly successful in such conditions despite his girth, second and Davies third. My only real excitement came whenever my rib driver accelerated without warning. Fortunately my cat-like reactions which are a surprise to even me, kept me dry. The driver's RS200 crew was also aboard and I bet they have all sorts of fun when it gets a bit breezy.
So, with the Solo fleet ashore, Chris Brown and Steve Ede were sharing first place with Nigel Davies a solid third with to thirds. The forecast for day two promised an increase in breeze and the prospect of three more races in but before that, an evening at Hotel Blanco with a class meal paid for by the NSCA beckoned. Huge thanks to Linda Ingram for organising what was a very enjoyable night. The addition of a cabaret act who was both easy on the ears and eyes would have ordinarily been enough to sate the fleet. I was not the only one to observe Steve Roberts little shimmy as he headed to the toilets to the sound of a classic Country and Western cover but it was Masters night and as soon as we had finished our food we vacated to the nearest telly, though I did feel bad for the singer.
Sunday morning and the vista of Welsh hills, topped with light cloud cover and the rotating wings from another turbine filled my generously wide window. I made my way down to reception and met with 'Team Solo' at breakfast though they had already eaten most of the good stuff. I do recommend Hotel Blanco in Port Talbot, the accommodation is first class and well above the stars it currently holds.
The reservoir was filled with a gentle breeze, the odd trout jumping randomly from its world into ours, I guess they wanted to see who would win too.
Race 3
I thought I had arranged safe passage out on the rib but, as the Ospreys went into sequence I was still ashore, Nikon in hand and with the safety boat moored on the port end of the start line. I squinted out towards the occupants with my good eye, noticing one individual was waving his long lensed camera around like a well endowed Russian on a nudist beach and clearly muscling in on my action. I allowed him a few minutes to photograph the Ospreys before commandeering the craft via shore team, keeping my own zoom discreetly retracted until the excitement of the Solo start sequence.
Chris Bolton opts for the pin end, nails it and almost crosses, nice positive tactics from the newbie and everyone loves a maverick. Brown is at the Committee with Dray in his wrap-arounds and the game-face any pro athlete would be proud of and he forces the joint event leader to tack off. The breeze is building and my estimate would be that it was 10 knots. Unfortunately my anemometer, when unsheathed and held aloft made and alarming squeaky noise, possibly as a result of confinement to a pocket filled with sweet debris or victim of parachute landing impact so it was stood down.
The fleet round the top mark and almost plane as they head down the first reach, Brown leading from Ede with Dray third. Chris Bunn, Davies and Roberts are in the mix, in fact the whole fleet of ten are within spitting distance, such is the close racing DNA woven into the Solo design. It was also a really short first beat.
Brown is playing silly buggers with Ede and they both go high with Dray seeing the folly and gybing off to a hot angle into mark 3 and he takes the lead from Davies who also benefitted from the fracas.
The wind was a solid 10 knots with some stronger gusts and the change in direction had also tempered the air temperature so three races would be a good test in resolve and sailing apparel choice.
Dray extended over the next lap with Davies holding a comfortable second from Ede, Brown and Bunn.
Race 4
Breeze on, Sun on, camera on as the fleet are released, this time it is a catastrophe for Ede who is over early. Brown and Dray punch out at the committee end while Crawshaw and Bunn opt for the pin. The top mark is just off the reservoir wall and with the wind bending around the rusting remnants of what was the backbone of the British steel industry, finding a way through the maze will be as difficult as finding some decently tempered aluminium.
The left paid handsomely and Bunn announces himself to the event, it only took him 3 races. Davies, Dray and Brown follow and all are in with a chance of the overall win. Ede would be dropping this race but with 2-1-3 in the bag and race 5 to go, he could still stake a claim.
Dray was authoritative, getting the right side of a huge lift to catapult him to the front and posting his second bullet and a score line of 5-4-1-1. He was never threatened though Davies kept him honest and the 2nd in this race would give him 3-3-2-2. Bunn held for third with Brown adding a 4 to his 1-2-4.
This all meant that with one race to go, Ede was on 6 points with Dray, Brown was on 7 points with Davies and Bunn was on a day 2 rescue mission.
Race 5
We positioned ourselves at the pin end of the line, my Nikon P950 capturing the Solo action in HD video while the other bloke focussed his equipment on the Ospreys as they blasted down the run at the far end of the reservoir.
I glimpsed the make and model and logged the data into my mind for a potential future NSCA purchase should my Nikon ever fail. Last years abomination which resulted in a smashed zoom still raw in my mind and up there with the disappointment I feel every time I look in a full length mirror.
Clean start with Bunn and Crawshaw right on the pin, Bownes and Brown at the Committee end and Ede and Davies mid line as the breeze continues to build. The wind funnelled down the course and Brown was nimble-toed, tacking on the faintest of headers to eek out a small lead at the top mark from Crawshaw and Bunn with Dray in pursuit. Davies and Ede were down deep and by that I mean outside the top five but inside the top ten.
The course included two beats and a few crosses with flying Ospreys, providing plenty of opportunities as long as someone made a mistake, unfortunately, no one did. Even sustaining a head wound Terry Butcher would wince at, Bunn continued to race and held second for the entire race, even throwing in a last ditch luffing match with Brown down the penultimate leg to the finish and Dray frustratingly just too far back in third.
So Chris Brown takes at least his sixth Welsh title and should be handed the keys to the town Port Talbot should he wish to move there. The town was once the industrial beacon for Britain when it was Great, the working people have been dealt tough blows and yet they remain stoic and welcoming so hopefully, in an uncertain world, it will once again shine as a UK savour. Browny will of course look for some discount on alloy for his combination trailers.
Mike Dray will have made the journey back to Surrey in good form, no doubt his family soon fell asleep as he talked through his day 2 performance and I expect him to complete the job next year.
I hope to acquire some sponsors for 2026 to increase participation to what it once was but it will also require Tata to build the home fleet.
Next stop is Whitstable for a training day and then a one day Spring Championship (April 26-27) and then the two day Nigel Pusinelli Trophy at HISC (May 17-18). If that doesn't tickle your fancy then there is always the Spring Cup in Medemblik. The season is ramping up.
Overall Results:
1st Chris Brown
2nd Mike Dray
3rd Nigel Davies
4th Steve Ede
5th Chris Bunn
6th Andy Bownes
7th Cliff Crawshaw
8th Steve Roberts
9th Chris Bolton
10th Glen Wilbraham