Craftinsure UK Wayfarer National Circuit Finale at Bough Beech Sailing Club
by Sam Pygall 13 Nov 23:51 NZDT
8-9 November 2025
Twelve competitive Wayfarers raced at Bough Beech Sailing Club on November 8-9, 2025, concluding the 2025 Craftinsure National Circuit with six challenging races.
A foggy morning and light winds on Saturday gave way to stronger breezes on Sunday, making for unpredictable inland sailing where no lead was secure. Many of the top teams from this year and previous years were in attendance, plus some new faces on the circuit this year.
Day One: Early Pace Setters and Shifty Challenges
Saturday brought light winds that challenged teams' boat handling and decision making from the start. Race officer Steve Knowles set a compact "figure of 8/reverse P" course, thoroughly testing everyone, particularly at the start. John Clementson and Melanie Titmus (11101, Chipstead SC), already successful this year at Datchet and Northampton, dominated proceedings early with two wins in the first two races of the day.
However, Saturday soon became a masterclass in relentless inland consistency from Bexhill SC's Colin and Lexie Goodman (Woodie "998"). Although they posted two solid 2nd places behind the leaders in R1 and R2, they kept the pressure on and struck decisively in the third race of the day, securing their first bullet of the event. They also won a close win in the final shortened race of the day in both fading light and fading wind. This strong, consistent performance ensured they ended Day One neck and neck with Clementson and Titmus, and setting up a thrilling finale.
Other performances of note on day 1 included some consistent finishes from Ian Foxwell and Sam Pygall (11170, Bough Beech) who led for much of race 1 but were ultimately overtaken by the frontrunners to finish 3rd (alongside two other 3rd place finishes), Peter Bennett and Andy Philips from Shoreham Sailing Club who took a 3rd in race 2 and Guy Marks and Sam Boniface who took at impressive 2nd in the last race of the day. Elliot Marks, crewed by Sophie Wantling, were up at the front in most of race 2 and were unlucky to finish 4th in the end. These were generally the teams showing an edge in the light and tricky conditions, but it was close racing across the fleet, where the starts were critical and keeping the boat moving downwind essential.
As is a tradition of the Wayfarer fleet where the socials and "sailing chat" are as equally important with the racing, the fleet had an excellent meal at the club on Saturday night. Our thanks to the excellent work of the catering team.
Day Two: The Consistency of the Goodmans Prevails
On Sunday, once the early fog had cleared from the reservoir and the 2-minute silence immaculately observed on shore in front of the clubhouse for Remembrance Sunday, slightly stronger and strengthening winds were in prospect.
With two races scheduled for the final day of both this event and the national circuit overall, the fight for the top spot was wide open. Colin and Lexie Goodman came out of the starting blocks firing, maintaining their momentum from the previous day. They dominated the first race of the day with a commanding win, showcasing exceptional boat speed and tactical precision in the fluctuating conditions. This decisive surge put the overall victory within their grasp going into the final race of the day although John and Mel still had a chance as they took a narrow second from Guy and Sam in race 5.
After a tight start and congested pin, Ian Foxwell and Sam Pygall (11170, Bough Beech SC) used their deep knowledge of the reservoir's geography to find their best form in the final stages of the event, avoiding the traffic of the other club fleets, and securing a gun-to-gun win in the final race of the event (R6) to round out a solid series.
After six challenging races, with one discard to count, Colin and Lexie Goodman secured the overall victory with an impressive net score of just 7 points. Their series of 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2 proved that consistency is "king" at Bough Beech, allowing them to discard one of their 2nd place finishes. This performance also saw them retain the Nipegegi trophy from 2024, awarded to the first Non MK-IV at either the nationals or the Finale. A fantastic achievement for them and a great showcase for the speed of the Wooden Wayfarers, particularly inland!
John Clementson and Melanie Titmus ultimately had to settle for a well-earned second place (10.0 net). Rounding out the podium were Bough Beech home sailors Ian Foxwell and Sam Pygall (11170), who used their local knowledge to finish on 14 points in 3rd, (counting a 1-3-3-3-4) with Guy Marks and Sam Boniface in hot pursuit in 4th (4.5-5-2-3-5)
The intense battle for the top five extended down the fleet, with Shoreham SC's Peter Bennett and Andy Phillips (11059) and another Bough Beech entry, Elliot Marks and Sophie Wantling (7470), eventually separated by half a point with Elliot and Sophie prevailing, demonstrating the fine margins at play in the highly competitive mid-fleet. Well done to all the teams!
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 998 | Colin Goodman | Lexie Goodman | Bexhill Sailing Club | ‑2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2nd | 11101 | John Clementson | Melanie Titmus | Chipstead Sailing Club | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 3rd | 11170 | Ian Foxwell | Sam Pygall | Bough Beech Sailing Club | 3 | ‑6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| 4th | 11120 | Guy Marks | Sam Boniface | Bough Beech Sailing Club | 4.5 | 5 | ‑6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 19.5 |
| 5th | 7470 | Elliot Marks | Sophie Wantling | Bough Beech Sailing Club | ‑8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 26 |
| 6th | 11059 | Peter Bennett | Andy Phillips | Shoreham Sailing Club | 4.5 | 3 | ‑10 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 26.5 |
| 7th | 10688 | Bill Whitmey | John Shelton | Shoreham Sailing Club | 6 | ‑10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 37 |
| 8th | 11118 | John Goudie | Mike Bryant | Wilsonians Sailing Club | ‑12 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 38 |
| 9th | 11458 | Nigel O'Donnell | Belinda O'Donnell | Swarkestone Sailing Club | 9 | 9 | 4 | ‑10 | 9 | 9 | 40 |
| 10th | 11218 | James Maynard | Deborah Maynard | Bough Beech SC | 7 | 8 | 7 | (DNC) | 10 | DNC | 45 |
| 11th | 11129 | Paul Hughes | Josh Lowe | Arun Yacht Club | 10 | ‑12 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 51 |
| 12th | 10828 | Derek Lambert | Matt Salt | Datchet Water Sailing Club | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | ‑12 | 10 | 52 |
The Wayfarer Class extends its thanks to Bough Beech Sailing Club for hosting a fantastic and tightly contested event, and a special thanks goes to Race Officer Steve Knowles and his team for
expertly managing six excellent races in very tricky conditions. Thanks to all the safety boat crews and galley staff for looking after the fleet over the weekend.
The 2025 Craftinsure UK Wayfarer National Circuit overall
This being the final event of the 2025 Craftinsure National Circuit, the prize-giving included recognition for the top performing teams across the course of the season.
2025 National Circuit - Top 4 teams and their counting National Circuit Results:
| Team | Result 1 | Result 2 | Result 3 | Result 4 |
|---|
| Clementson / Titmus | 1 (Datchet) | 1 (Northampton) | 2 (Whitstable) | 2 (Bough Beech) |
| Wilson & Crews | 1 (Banbury) | AY) | 2 (Northampton) | 3 (Datchet) |
| The O'Donnells | 2 (Banbury) | 3 (Northampton) | AY) | 7 (Bough Beech) |
| Marks / Boniface | 2 (Datchet) | 3 (Whitstable) | 11 (Shoreham) | 4 (Bough Beech |
Honourable mention to Sailing legend Michael McNamara who won the events at Medway Yacht Club (with Simon Townsend) and Whitstable Yacht Club (with Sam Pygall) and placed 2nd at the Nationals held at Shoreham.
For sheer consistency and demonstration of speed and boat handling both on salt water and fresh water, sea and inland, John Clementson and Mel Titmus were the star team of the 2025 Craftinsure National Circuit. They took home the Travellers Trophy as well where all events across all venues counted. They triumphed at Datchet.
In second place was consistent frontrunner Andrew Wilson (with various crews including Derek Lambert, Tom Wilson and Sam Pygall) followed by Nigel and Belinda O'Donnell who had a cracking season to finish 3rd overall. Guy Marks and Sam Boniface rounded out the national circuit results in 4th place with some nice results at Datchet, Whitstable and Bough Beech. Well done to all these teams! Travelling to events is a major commitment in the current climate but these teams demonstrated great speed and skill to gather the results they have.
The Wayfarer fleet would like to acknowledge all the host clubs, volunteers and our sponsors (Craftinsure, McNamara Sails, Hartley Boats and Allen Brothers) for supporting our racing circuit. That's a wrap for 2025 and see you again in 2026 where we hope to open the season at Datchet Water with an event shared with the Wanderers.
As a preview of the 2026 season, we have a season opener at Datchet Water in March, a national championship at Grafham Water in June and other excellent events planned at Blackwater, Aldeburgh, Banbury, Whitstable and a return to Bough Beech. Dates below but all subject to change:
2026 Racing Calendar including Craftinsure National Circuit events: (all dates subject to change)
| Weekend | Event |
|---|
| 14‑15 March 2026 | Datchet Water Sailing Club |
| 2‑3 May 2026 | Blackwater Sailing Club |
| 2‑3 May 2026 | Aldeburgh Yacht Club |
| 06 June 2026 | Banbury Sailing Club |
| 26‑28 June 2026 | UK Nationals - Grafham Water Club |
| 15‑16 August 2026 | Whitstable Yacht Club |
| 23‑28 August 2026 | Poole Week at Parkstone Yacht Club |
| 6th September 2026 | Medway Marathon (at Medway Yacht Club) |
| 6‑7 November 2026 or 13‑14 November 2026 | Bough Beech Sailing Club |