Key Yachting Mid-Summer Regatta 2025 at Royal Southern Yacht Club
by Royal Southern Yacht Club 29 Jun 00:43 AEST
20-22 June 2025
Last weekend (20 - 22 June), the Royal Southern Yacht Club hosted the second event in our flagship Summer Series for 2025 - the Key Yachting Mid-Summer Regatta.
We reintroduced this historic event, and its prestigious trophies, for this season. For the first time ever, the regatta also incorporated the much loved J/Cup, plus the Sonata Southern Championships, and a leg of the IRC Solent Championships! What's more on the Saturday evening, the Club played host to a celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Prince Philip Yacht Haven - followed later that evening by the ever popular J/Cup party.
In total 65 boats took part, with hundreds of people enjoying the social activity shoreside.
On the water, in Black Group, the J/105 'Flawless J' of Neil Angel sailed a (nearly) flawless series winning 5 races out of 6 across the three days to win the J/Cup IRC 1 & 2 class. For the two day IRC 1 & 2 regatta class (which included J and non-J boats) Edward Mockridge's 'Elaine Again' managed to pip Flawless J for the win.
In IRC 3, Jack Banks and his team on 'Nightjar' won the J/Cup class, whilst Becky Walford & Stewart Hawthorn took the two day regatta title with their merged 'Brendas J on Jes' team.
The Mid-Summer Regatta saw the first ever National Championships for the hot J/112E class. David Franks and his team on 'Leon' sailed an impressive series to win every race and wrap up the title - also winning the overall 'J/Cup' for 2025 to add their name to a long list of distinguished winners.
Over in Red Group, the J/111 class were as competitive as always. In the end, Louise Makin won the class on 'JourneyMaker 11'. Meanwhile, 'Mocking-J' won the J/109 UK National Championships for Ben Shelley. There was a very close battle for the J/99 National title - with 'Jolly Jumper' and 'Jackpot' level on total and net points at the end of the six race series. In the end Jean-Baptiste's team on 'Jolly Jumper' won on countback courtesy of a bullet in the last race.
The J/70s sailed two days of sprint racing in White Group. The Royal Southern's own sponsored Academy Team led by Morgan Reynolds won the series overall from event sponsor Howard Davies of Salcombe Gin. The young Royal Norwegian Yacht Club team were in third - the top three teams all sailing on Royal Southern Club boats.
The Sonata Southern Championships were won by Nick Holt's team on 'Aquila'. We look forward to welcoming the Sonatas back in 2026 for their National Championships.
The next event in the Royal Southern Summer Series is the Salcombe Gin July Regatta on 12-13 July.