2025 Hartley Boats British Contender National Championship at Shoreham Sailing Club
by BCA 11 Sep 01:06 PDT
29 August - 3 September 2025
It has been a good year for sailing Contenders. Every event seems to bring sun, wind and waves, new boats and new ways to set up rigs are being explored with sailors who bring new thinking into the class, the Worlds at Garda providing the peak of fleet racing in beautiful conditions, new sailors joining in with opens and class training.
What more could we squeeze out in 2025. The National Championship being held at one of the classes favourite venues with a superb forecast and laid on entertainments? Appears too good to be true.
Shoreham is perfect for Contenders, easy launching, spot of tide, big sea, and the club go all out to accommodate the sailors. This then is the backdrop for an anticipated event.
The competition was wide open as Current UK champ and 2024 World champ Graeme Wilcox was stuck at work on some gin palace in the Med. A few of the other usual suspects also ran out of leave since their extended tour of Northern Italy. Paul Verhallen the Dutch star had made the journey to show us how to do it and was very much one of the favourites.
In typical UK style the enthusiasm was somewhat dented by the weather, a first day that looked scary for launching, well beyond the forecast. The RO briefed early, dripping in sarcasm, laid out his plan to let us slope off and do some thing else and then called it off in short order. All very welcome and only slightly drowned out by the trembling of knees. The club rewarded our bravery with a vast buffet and reasonable bar.
By the time the first race came around on the day two, most boats had been fully refurbished and polished. No escape today, the fleet launched in the bright sunshine into 12-15 knots that seemed to suit every weight band. After the traditional general recall ritual, the first race got started, with an even line it initially looked as though those on the left would gain, but putting in the first tack a bit earlier benefited Nick Noble and Paul Verhallen. Nick tacked for the mark first and rounded clean with 2-3 in close company. Paul was nowhere to be seen, he had continued sailing past the mark. Most of the Suedo front runners ignored this move and continued, but it was Paul and Stuart Jones who had realised that the pack had rounded the mark laid out for our Wayfarer friends. 8 Boats followed the wrong course leaving Paul and Stuart to battle with anyone who had a slightly slower start and avoid the mistake. Stuart wangled the win, with Paul in Pursuit and a grateful Simon Mussell thanking the sailing gods he had face planted on his first tack.
Putting this drama behind us, the second race got off in slightly more wind with Ed Presley nailing the pin end and heading off to the left, once again Paul was canny in getting the earlier tack out and again led round the mark. Ed followed but was able to row marginally faster down the second reach to lead, only to lose out on the run to Paul, but just hold off the surfing advance of Simon Mussell.
Race three cemented a lovely day on the water for Paul who this time Lead from start to finish with a large gap to 2nd by the end, For the whole race it appeared Stuart Jones would take second but a hole on the left of the run punished his dawdling preconception allowing a shoal of boats to slide past on the right, suddenly awake Stuart managed to get back on the pace, but Simon did get by.
Perfect conditions on the water encouraged the RO to squeeze in a 4th race, but it was definitely building, Simon Mussell took this as his chance to reel in some points and blasted ahead in trademark style, Paul, Ed and Ben Holden pushed hard to catch him, but he was now returning to "his Majesty of the wind" state. A close finish behind saw Paul Just close out Ed for second.
Four races in lumps and breeze had left the fleet in recovery, the fast turnaround of the races left a lovely gap before dinner for a nap and first aid. The band laid on must have been quite unimpressed with the state of human wreckage that barely made it past ten o'clock.
The next day heralded more wind and a new direction. The local sages predicting flatter water, they were very wrong, big swell and 18 kts upward made for another epic. Today was to be Simon's day, punching waves and keeping height in the troughs made for an unstoppable force, three bullets followed without undue complications. In the first of the three races Paul Verhallen was able to keep a close watch until the end with Ed Presley able to come back through the pack to get third.
As the day wore on the wind increased and margin of win expanded for the next two races, the only real change being that Ed Presley made it past Paul Verhallen to challenge, (except when he was OCS). Other Highlight in these fun but attritional tests were Tom Hooton taking Mr Langdown's advice on sails and instantly improving, and Richard Buttner realising that being newly light has made a dent in his high wind pace but managing to correct it with careful rig tensioning.
Another tough one, Simon now with a one-point lead over Paul, only these two capable of taking the title. More naps required before the Championship dinner and quiz, a late night adding to the fatigue and staring down the barrel of another high wind day to close it out was making us all feel better.
In the morning, the high wind restricted the fleet from getting out of the harbour entrance, but a short wait let the wind drop to 8-10 knots and we were off. Out on the course the wind was dropping all the time but leaving behind the big sea from the previous day, making progress exceedingly difficult up wind. At the start the wind allowed for high trapezing but this was short lived, by the top this had died to 5-6 knots. All eyes went to Stuart Jones who revels in this trickiness, but as it turned out he had decided to capsize, infringe, 720 and then capsize during that, all before the windward mark, so that dream was over.
Simon needed to keep Paul behind, but being lee-bowed of the line by his old mate Gary Langdown was less than ideal and forced him to tack onto the less favoured right-hand side. In a stroke of luck this turned out to be a good move. James Spikesley saw this coming and got it right for the lead at the windward mark and then it was Simon followed by Paul, not bad for two larger guys. Simon kept a close cover on Paul who had few options to attack.
This makes Simon Mussell our 2025 National Champion with Paul Verhallen second and Stuart Jones dropping the last race disaster to claim third.
It is no overstatement that Shoreham was the star of this event, the team at the club pulled out all the stops to make us welcome and the event was enjoyable from start to finish. A great venue for any who love sea sailing. The class closed the event by presenting a signed print to the club of our dearly missed friend Tony Brooks, who was an integral part of the UK Contender class for many years. We thank Tyler Harmsworh for making it all happen. The class has been supported greatly in the event by headline sponsors Hartley boats, but also by North Sails, Kingfisher ropes and Essex Rigging.
The Contender Nationals will take Place in 2026 in Mount's Bay over the 3rd-6th September, for the remainder of this season the open of Castle cove and the Inlands at Rutland are still to come, please see the British Contender Association website.
Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Contender nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 2420 | Simon Mussell | Highcliffe Sailing Club | ‑3 | ‑3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 2nd | 9 | Paul Verhallen | WV De Helling | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑8 | ‑3 | 10 |
| 3rd | 2706 | Stuart Jones | Datchet Water Sailing Club | 1 | ‑10 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | ‑17 | 22 |
| 4th | 2826 | Ed Presley | Netley Sailing Club | (NSC) | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | (OCS) | 2 | 10 | 26 |
| 5th | 2315 | Ben Holden | Halifax Sailing Club | 4 | 6 | ‑8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | ‑9 | 26 |
| 6th | 2484 | Gary Langdown | Highcliffe Sailing Club | (NSC) | 5 | (OCS) | 6 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| 7th | 2711 | Duncan Ward | Lymington Town Sailing Club | (RET) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | ‑14 | 9 | 8 | 47 |
| 8th | 2618 | James Spikesley | Netley Sailing Club | (NSC) | ‑17 | 4 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 52 |
| 9th | 2449 | Rob Smith | Castle Cove Sailing Club | 5 | ‑13 | 11 | 9 | 9 | ‑15 | 12 | 7 | 53 |
| 10th | 678 | Tom Hooton | Burton Sailing Club | (NSC) | 11 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 10 | ‑18 | 55 |
| 11th | 2667 | Richard M Batten | Highcliffe Sailing Club | (NSC) | 7 | 5 | (DNC) | 6 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
| 12th | 2607 | Carl Tagoe | Oxford Sailing Club | (NSC) | 9 | ‑16 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 56 |
| 13th | 2383 | David Davies | Loch Ryan Sailing Club | 6 | ‑14 | ‑13 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 59 |
| 14th | 2730 | Adrian Smith | Hythe & Saltwood Sailing Club | 7 | ‑18 | 14 | 15 | ‑16 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 65 |
| 15th | 2783 | Christopher Boshier | Thorpe Bay Yacht Club | 12 | 15 | 12 | 21 | 15 | 8 | (DNC) | (DNC) | 83 |
| 16th | 2661 | Nick Curry | Weston Sailing Club | 16 | 16 | (RET) | ‑18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 92 |
| 17th | 2710 | James Daniels | Netley Sailing Club | 9 | ‑21 | 19 | ‑20 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 93 |
| 18th | 2713 | Tyler Harmsworth | Shoreham Sailing Club | 10 | (RET) | (DNC) | DNC | 14 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 94 |
| 19th | 2751 | Richard Buttner | RNSA | 13 | ‑22 | 15 | 17 | ‑21 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 99 |
| 20th | 2599 | Thomas Coley | HSSC | 15 | ‑20 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | (RET) | 19 | 103 |
| 21st | 2702 | Paul Ross | Shotley Sailing Club | 11 | 12 | 20 | 12 | 20 | (DNF) | (DNC) | DNC | 105 |
| 22nd | 2422 | Neil Ferguson | Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club | 14 | 19 | 18 | 19 | ‑22 | 19 | 16 | (DNC) | 105 |
| 23rd | 720 | Nick Noble | RYA | (NSC) | 4 | 10 | 7 | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 111 |
| 24th | 2574 | Nick Arran | Carsington Sailing Club | 18 | 25 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 21 | (RET) | (DNC) | 131 |
| 25th | 2729 | Chris Howe | Oxford Sailing Club | 17 | 24 | (DNC) | (DNC) | 23 | 22 | DNC | DNC | 146 |
| 26th | 2725 | Peter Snowdon | Scaling Dam Sailing Club | 8 | 23 | (RET) | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 151 |
| 27th | 712 | Rodger White | King George Sailing Club | 19 | (RET) | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 169 |
| 28th | 672 | Graham Cooper | Bradford on Avon Sailing Club | (DNC) | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
| 28th | 696 | Tony Cook | Downs Sailing Club | (DGA) | (DGA) | DGA | DGA | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
