RYA South and Southwest Regional Junior Championships 2025 at Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy
by Sally Wilson 26 Jun 02:12 PDT
21-22 June 2025
Topper 4.2 and RS Tera (Sport) - South and Southwest WPNSA Regional Junior Championships 2025 © Sally Wilson
A huge thank you to WPNSA for hosting the South and Southwest Regional Junior Championships on 21st and 22nd June 2025.
There were 145 sailors competing in Topper 5.3 and 4.2, Optimist, RS Feva XL, RS Tera Pro and Sport and ILCA 4 classes. The excellent race team led by PRO Paul Kimmens delivered exciting, high-quality competitive racing for all classes.
There were three separate courses: the two championship fleets raced on the Yellow and Black courses while, for those learning to race, the Blue course hosted the coached regatta fleet.
- The Yellow championship course, led by Race Officer Paul Kimmens, hosted 68 boats with 4 separate starts for ILCA 4, Topper 5.3, RS Tera (Pro) and RS Feva XL fleets.
- The Black championship course with Race Officer Bryan Drake in charge, had 59 boats competing with 3 separate starts for RS Tera (Sport), Topper 4.2 and Optimist fleets.
- The Blue coached regatta course, overseen by Race Officer James Francis, welcomed 18 boats including Topper 4.2s and RS Teras (Sport). Thank you to the brilliant coaches Duncan West, Sam Spencer and Laurence Shell.
Sailors with a wide range of ability were welcomed, giving younger sailors a glimpse of what they can aspire to. It was heartening to see the experienced championship sailors sharing helpful tips with those less experienced, especially on depowering and reefing before launching. Congratulations to the less experienced sailors taking part in their first big, away event.
On Saturday, a cloudy day with 15-20 knots of breeze greeted sailors - perfect sailing conditions for the more experienced Yellow and Black fleets, but quite daunting for the coached regatta fleet. As the day progressed, the different courses experienced wide ranging wind strengths, the sailor's reports reflecting this.
On Sunday, sunny conditions and a pleasant 14 knots started the day. The forecast was for the wind to build significantly by the afternoon, so racing for all fleets got under way as quickly as possible.
Championship Yellow Fleet - Topper 5.3, ILCA 4 and RS Feva XL reports
- Yellow Fleet Topper 5.3 Sailor's Report by Charlie MacKenzie (Salcombe YC)
On Saturday conditions on our course were sunny, with a shifty light to moderate breeze, dropping throughout the day.
Over 35 boats jostled on the start line for prime positions. The fleet was a mix of seasoned racers and enthusiastic newcomers, the event delivered tactical challenges and tight racing, setting the stage for an unforgettable championship. Three races were held each day, sadly not enough time for more.
We kicked off with a gentle 6-10 knot breeze coming from the southwest, demanding high levels of concentration and light-air boat speed. The race committee set a Trapezoid course with clear starting lines, but the fleet struggled with the patchy pressure and significant shifts.
Following a clean start and an early split in the fleet, those choosing the left-hand side of the beat gained a solid advantage. It was a game of spotting gusts and playing shifts effectively. Several sailors capitalized with quick decisions at the top mark, and the downwinds were won by those who could stay in the pressure and catch good waves. In Race 3 the wind dropped slightly, patience and clean boat handling were key with consistency emerging as a crucial theme for the frontrunners.
Day 2 - Sunday brought more stable conditions with an average of 18 knots and short waves delivering tricky, yet exciting, sailing.
Race 1 was characterised by closer tactical battles upwind, with tight leeward mark roundings and aggressive positioning on the lay lines paying. Several sailors showed impressive awareness, defending their lanes and maintaining speed in the chop.
The final race saw the pressure increase and a slight right-hand shift, rewarding those who adapted quickly. The leading pack sailed smart, balancing risk with consolidation as the event wrapped up with some of the closest finishes of the weekend.
The event highlighted not only the depth of talent in the Topper class but also the camaraderie and sportsmanship within the junior fleets. Multiple sailors from both the South and Southwest regions pushed the pace and demonstrated exceptional skill in a range of conditions.
Congratulations to Henry Noel from Warsash SC for winning overall, with an impressive 5 out of 6 race wins. Henricks Long, from Warsash SC also sailed well gaining 2nd place overall and Charlie MacKenzie, from Salcombe YC, and Edward Lee, from Saltash SC were in a close contest, for 3rd and 4th places.
With the National Series next weekend in Paignton and Topper Worlds and Nationals still to come, this weekend was a perfect stepping stone for sailors aiming to sharpen their race skills and push for higher goals.
- Yellow Fleet ILCA 4 Sailor's Report by Félix Harle (Parkstone YC)
On the first day we were greeted with perfect conditions to go out sailing. To begin with the easterly wind was averaging 16 knots, gusting up to 20 knots, with clouds passing through to reveal clear and sunny skies. On the water it was reasonably flat with a light chop as we headed over to the yellow course, closer to Castle Cove.
At the start of race 1, having watched the Fevas start with a pin end bias, it seemed the right option for our start too. It was clear by the end of the race that dodging Fevas (that were racing downwind) on our second upwind was going to remain an amusing challenge throughout the event, adding an extra layer of complexity to our racing.
Before race 2 got under way, as forecast, the wind dropped down to around 8 knots, and the course was re-laid to suit the new conditions. This gave all the sailors plenty of time to devise new strategies and to have a break and enjoy lunch! The final 2 races played out with shifts and pressure being the main gain features and by the end of the day, with the winds now building, everyone was hiking hard to maintain boat speed. All in all, it was an excellent day on the water.
Day 2 saw the wind shift to a south westerly direction, gradually increasing in strength as the day progressed. Our course was set further down the harbour, closer to the harbour wall. Again, with a pin bias, the dominant strategy was to head for the top left of the course to take advantage of the wind bend coming off Portland Bill; it was most beneficial to do so on the outer loop due to its proximity. Despite a relatively small fleet for the event, there was still some close racing had; the top spot only decided on count back. Well done to those ILCA4 sailors who took part, especially to Ollie Rawlings, taking overall honours and becoming Southwest champion and to George Garner, for becoming the South's champion.
- Yellow Fleet Tera (Pro) Report by Laurence Shell
A very strong Tera fleet headed to the Jurassic coast for a windy summer weekend of top-notch championship racing at the National Sailing Academy in Weymouth and Portland. The Tera Sports and Pros raced on separate courses for the chance to impress at the South and Southwest Junior Championships.
The Tera Pros had a very choppy start to the competition at the far side of the harbour with the Race Officer opting for 3 races on each day. Racing was an extremely high standard and very tight, and there were also no retirees over the championship, meaning the top sailors were pushed hard the whole weekend.
Straight off the back of victory at the Gurnard SC Tera Open the previous weekend, Isle of Wight local Rafe Bradley posted straight bullets to dominate the fleet, discarding a first place to post a perfect net score of 5 and 1st Southern sailor prize.
The coastal sailors performed extremely strongly in the bumpy tidal conditions, with Joseph Hulse (Felpham) and Lily Chisnell (RLYC) completing the podium. Lily claimed 1st girl south, Luke Keighley (Avon SC) was 1st southwest boy, and Jecelyn Farnell (Starcross) 1st southwest girl. A trio from Frensham Pond joined the sea sailors for a successful south coast outing.
- Yellow Fleet RS Feva XL Sailor's Report by Merryn Wealthy (Warsash SC)
The race team did a brilliant job getting three races in on each day and managing to get the fleet in early on Sunday, before the breeze strengthened further.
Cass and Fallon Day from Gurnard SC dominated the event, impressively winning all 6 races, 2nd and 3rd were fought between Chloe Davis and Isabella Deas from Parkstone YC and Merryn Wealthy and Meri Greenaway of Warsash/ Royal Southern YC, with Chloe and Isabella coming in with second place overall after some impressive racing. Overall, it was a very enjoyable event in conditions that allowed the RS Feva to show a turn of speed.
Championship Black Fleet - Topper 4.2s, Optimist and RS Tera (Pro)
- Black Fleet Topper 4.2 Sailor's Report by Tom Murphy (Hamble River SC)
As the rest of the country experienced a heatwave, Saturday morning at WPNSA started overcast and windy for the 2025 Regional Junior Championships. There were 35 5.3s and 12 4.2s ready to take part in the Southern Topper Traveller series accompanied by the Southwest sailors. We had up to fifteen knots of wind from the southeast as we started our four races of the day. Reuben Wealthy crossed the line first with Emilia Willis and Martha Hart shortly following behind and they led the fleet up to the windward mark. As minimal shifts and consistent breeze remained throughout the race the positions did not change after everyone went for the starboard gate mark. After this in the second race it took an unexpected turn as the wind had died off just after the start and many sailors ended up losing the gains they had made at the start. When the wind picked up again towards the leeward gate marks people realised that going for the port gate mark would pay off, which turned out to be true as some people continued to go starboard and ended up losing places.
At race three Reuben won the start, and little changed throughout the race. By race four people were getting tired, but not the winners. Sailors knew they had to take advantage of others tiredness to gain places. Some people tried different starting techniques and it payed off as Tom Murphy of Hamble River Sailing Club led off the start line after altering start tactics and led the course round the first three marks until Reuben Wealthy of Stokes Bay overtook him on the second upwind leg just before the windward mark. Martha Hart followed shortly behind the front two and this is how day 1 ended.
Conditions were windier on day two and had shifted round to the Southwest, with a wind bend coming off the Bill. Reuben Wealthy led from the start, gaining 3 more wins. Behind him the girls had a great day. Martha finished second in races 5 & 6, Emelia Willis was second in race 7 and Audrey Yang took third place in races 6 & 7. The weekend finished with Emelia being the top Southwest sailor, and the Southern sailors took first and second place, Reuben on 6 points and Martha on 14. This rounded a successful weekend for the Rooster Southern and Southwest Traveller series and the Regional Junior Championships 2025.
Thank you for such an amazing weekend.
- Black Fleet Optimist Report by Nick Bubb (IOCA, Royal Lymington YC)
A fleet of 21 determined optimist sailors and their support teams descended on WPNSA. The event kicked off on Saturday with four races held in a strong breeze testing the sailors boat handling and tactical skills from the outset. Max Ellis-Asquith raced well to take all four bullets on day one, catapulting him into a strong lead on the rest of the fleet. Behind him the battle for second was fierce with Heny Finch taking two seconds and two thirds and Cara Lynch and Zoe Green taking the rest of the podium positions.
Sunday brought more of the same, with three additional races completed in similarly challenging but slightly less blustery conditions. This tempted eight more sailors out to brave the racing, especially as they had welcome support from the optimist coach. Max again took one bullet before Maddie White held him off to take the second bullet and Cara took the third win meaning she took second place overall. The rest of the podium places on day two were again taken up by Zoe, Max and Cara.
This meant Max Ellis-Asquith took 1st place, followed by Cara Lynch in 2nd and Henry Finch completing the podium finishing 3rd overall. Congratulations to all the sailors for their great racing.
- Black Fleet - RS Tera (Sport) Report by Laurence Shell
The wind slowly built over the weekend, providing some very punchy conditions, with 20+ knot gusts recorded from the committee boat on Sunday and some short, sharp chop in the wide expanse of Weymouth Harbour. Despite this, in the Sport fleet there were remarkably few capsizes and no retirees, although race 1 saw instant action with a demasting at the leeward mark.
The first race also saw some confusion over the second beat which cost some sailors dearly with NCS recorded, but this only made the remaining competition fiercer. After four extremely tight races the top three were barely separated, with Jack Harrison from Gurnard leading into the second day. With the wind expected to build, the race officer shortened the windward mark slightly during the day, so by the leeward mark the top 15 were still extremely close, but solid sailing on the second beat and reaching legs shuffled the group into a consistent top 5 pack.
The coastal sailors dominated the overall top 10 Sports but young hotshot Hari Clark from Draycote SC scored three bullets on day 2 to claim 1st place, with Thomas Hill (RLYC) and Jack Harrison completing the podium. Thomas Hill won 1st boy for the south region, with Stefan Anderson 1st boy for the southwest. Martha Lewis (HISC) was first girl (south) and 6th overall, with Amy Hepburn (Whitefriars) 1st southwest girl.
Coached Regatta Blue Fleet - Topper 4.2 and RS Tera (Sport)
Blue Fleet Sailor's Report by Laura Doughty (Hamble River / Spinnaker SC)
The coached regatta fleet had an awesome Saturday with six races on a triangle course. It was really windy on our course and there were lots of capsizes and death rolls, but lots of sailors were smiling and having fun going really fast on the water. Some people didn't sail because it was super windy, but they still learnt loads in the fun debrief session with the coaches.
On Sunday, we did four races on a triangle course. It wasn't as windy, so we felt braver and more confident, which meant more sailors went out. The Race Officer even raised a flag because a boat was over the start line and our coaches said that meant we were getting better at starting. I capsized five times, which was really fun.
Well done to Emily Hyde from Hill Head SC for winning the coached Topper 4.2 fleet, she won 8 out of 10 races. Annie Skeldon from Starcross SC came 2nd and Harriet Phillips (SGBA) came 3rd.
Congrats to Fynn Jameson from Hamble River SC for winning the coached RS Tera (Sport) fleet, he won 8 out of 10 races. Great job to Harrison Carter from Gurnard SC for coming 2nd and Arthur Appleby from Warsash SC for 3rd place.
You all did super well - awesome sailing everyone.
Results:
A massive thank you to WPNSA for hosting and organising the event, with special appreciation to Sally Reynoldson at WPNSA, the Class Associations and Representatives, and the clubs and classes who generously provided RIBs. We're also incredibly grateful to all the volunteers - your support was invaluable, especially as we cannot run these events without your help.
Thank you to our sponsors Rooster Sailing, RS Sailing and all our other supporters.
WPNSA has provisionally scheduled next year's event for the 20th and 21st June 2026, so please save the date.