Graduate National Championship 2025 at Staunton Harold Sailing Club

A large range of silverware - Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold © Carolyn Lewis

The Graduate National Championships 2025 were held at Staunton Harold Sailing Club with three days of tricky and tactical sailing thanks to the strong and shifty winds that prevailed across the bank holiday weekend. Sixteen boats entered and put on a great show in some shifty, gusty, blustery conditions with the occasional capsize, death roll and falling out the boat keeping the supporters on shore and the safety crew well entertained!

Saturday saw three championship races sailed and set the scene for the weekend: incredibly close racing across the fleet with the top five positions alternating every race.

Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Ann Nugent

Fresh Abendstern & Ross Southwell (Toddbrook Sailing Club) showed the fleet around the majority of the course for race 1, but a final beat wind shift with a lifter up the bank gave the race a mix up. Brendan Lynch & Ellen Clark (East Lothian Yacht Club) capitalised and made their mark on the fleet early by taking the first race win, a familiar sight to see the yellow "Hooligan" up at the front!

The second race saw the winds increase, with a convincing win for Fresh & Ross, followed home by Brendan & Ellen in second and Emma Robertson & Hannah Witham (Toddbrook Sailing Club) in third. The wind lightened up for the final race of the day which was dominated by John Clementson & Kate Fitzsimmons (Chipstead Sailing Club), taking the win after a good battle with George Jacobs & Lily Hosty (Combs Sailing Club) who sailed a strong race to finish third.

Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Ann Nugent

Sunday brought similar strong winds in the morning for the two championship races scheduled. Fresh & Ross put in a solid mornings work to take two bullets and wrap up the championship with a race to spare - huge congratulations to them both.

In the first race of the morning - race 4 - they were followed home by John & Kate, with George & Lily following close behind in third; a lovely last beat conversion having rounded the final mark in fifth. George and Lily finished the day strong with another third in race 5 with Emma & Hannah taking second.

Race 5 in particular featured some excitement with a couple (probably more likely several) eager starters rendering a general recall whereafter the black flag was brandished. Significantly less eager starting at the second time of asking produced an all clear and released the fleet to battle through the Miracles ahead.

Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Ann Nugent

A moment to appreciate some noticeable howlers that no-one can quite remember when they happened but did give everyone a good laugh.

On film is a beautifully executed death roll from Theo & Sophie, giving company to an already capsized boat at that particular gybe mark. Unfortunately not on film was Derrin falling out of his boat on the way to the start line giving his crew Abbey a bit of unwanted helming practice!

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Race 5 on Sunday was the end of the championship racing for the day with it all to play for between second and fifth overall in the final race on Monday.

Sunday afternoon featured the crews and ladies race along with the strongest breeze of the weekend! Four boats had an absolute blast with Lewis Coppinger winning the crews race and Emma taking the ladies race.

Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Ann Nugent

However; forget the sailing - the highlight of Sunday was of course the impromptu social hosted by Below Deck's very own Lewis and the new Graduate National Champions crew.

Some interesting cocktails were made and mostly unwillingly consumed by the unlucky during a 'cocktail tombola', as were shots of water (or was it Ouzo?). A pub quiz on all things sailing wrapped up a great evening for the Graduate fleet and some Miracle friends.

Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Carolyn Lewis

Cocktails and Ouzo a distant memory, the final championship race Monday morning brought the same shifty breezy weather of the previous two days, as well as the regular position changes throughout the race.

Fresh & Ross took an early lead and left the other crews to battle it out for the remaining podium spots with Brendan & Ellen, John & Kate and Emma & Hannah mixing it up around the course. Judging the upwind shifts proved key, and Emma & Hannah just pipped Ross & Fresh over the line to take the race win, with Bendan & Ellen winning the battle for third to take second overall in the championship on their debut in the class.

Fresh Abendstern and Ross Southwell win the Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Carolyn Lewis

Now that the serious racing was out of the way the Race Officer held the fleet a gin race which comprised a single lap of the reservoir starting in reverse championship order. A lot of laughs later and Nigel Walbank & Lewis came home a convincing first. A copious amount of gin was provided for this race at the prize-giving with every competitor (apart from the U18s!) provided with a bottle - thank you to Staunton Harold for their generosity of the "The Chocolate Smiths" gin.

To continue the thank yous, the Graduate Class Association would like to thank Staunton Harold, the race team, the safety crews, the galley and all their volunteers who hosted a brilliant weekend of racing. Thank you also from the fleet to Bob & Maggie Murrell who put so much work into this event, and to Richard & Jane Thorpe without whom a significant number of boats and young sailors wouldn't have been able to attend the event.

Brendan Lynch and Ellen Clark, second overall - Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Carolyn Lewis

Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Graduate nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here

Nigel Walbank and Lewis Coppinger, gin race winners - Graduate National Championship at Staunton Harold - photo © Carolyn Lewis