Celebrating 30 years of Blaze sailing - 2026 look-ahead and 2025 event summary
by Andy Wilson 30 Nov 09:35 PST
Alan Harris - winner of Sailing Chandlery Blaze Eastern Championship 2025 © Petru Balau Sports Photography / sports.hub47.com
2025 has been a fun, full year with a spread of events from Cornwall's Porthpean SC to the Scottish Champs in Helensburgh. We have growing fleets at many clubs and continue to attract top talent from other classes who, alongside rising stars within the existing fleet, help keep Blaze front-runners on their toes.
Blaze Class Association events for the year have now drawn to a close. A well-earned rest for the committee and sailors alike, and perhaps the time for overdue boat, body and kit maintenance after a hard season's trailing and racing. Or, if there's more left in the tank, you won't be short of options to Blaze away the winter chill.
Throughout 2025 HartleyBOATS have been kept busy with new Blaze orders and the relatively low price-point of preloved Blazes means class newcomers and progressors at every level have a very favourable bang-for-buck option for exhilarating, high-performance racing.
Blaze Class Association committee have worked hard to be active and proactive in making sure all Blaze sailors are well supported and represented. BCA membership numbers have remained solid which nods to a prospering class within an increasingly challenging dinghy environment. Blaze Class itself is in a good place, but there's always work to be done to keep on the right track with guidance from our sail-addicted, fun-loving fleet. BCA will continue delivering events with the same focus on great locations, quality race teams and off-the-water cheer. While bigger numbers at Blaze events are always welcome, continuing attendance by stalwart Blaze travellers and new faces alike suggests there's something fundamentally attractive in what we're doing. For newcomers to any class, attending class events is the best way to improve, exposing you to a wealth of advice, help and encouragement by sailors who've walked in the same booties.
2025 Blaze season event summary
The Blaze Open at Burghfield SC's inland water cast the season off with an agreeably moderate wind and was well-attended for a non-championship event. Some big Blaze names had trailered-up to set out their season's stalls creating a competitive day. Chris Smart was first to assert himself taking a tidy win.
Sailing Chandlery Blaze Eastern Championship was preceded on the Friday by the 2025 Training Day. 15 Blazes took direction and advice from multi-Nationals winner, Ben Harden. It proved to be a busy and productive day taking full advantage of excellent practice conditions on Royal Corinthian YC's portion of the sunny River Crouch. For the main event, RCYC delivered high-quality racing matched by high-brow victuals - excellent service from both PRO and club chef. Challenging tides and decent winds had kept us all necessarily focussed and it was Alan Harris who'd mastered the conditions best to collect his first Blaze championship win.
Blaze FIRE National Championship was held at POSH (Paignton Open for Single Handers). 11 Fires enjoyed the lively, multi-class weekend at the characteristically well organised Devonian sailing showcase. Chris Smart again Fired himself neatly to the top of the table.
Battle Brewery and HartleyBoats Blaze National Championship 2025
The 2025 Blaze Nationals attracted sponsorship for the first time from Battle Brewery, whose eminently quaffable wares slotted-in nicely to the standard Blaze spirit. Brutal winds on the water had taken their mechanical casualties but with thanks to well-drilled, attentive Pevensey Bay SC safety and beach teams, had all arrived safely back to trollies without hull touching pebbles. A 1940s themed fancy dress helped keep smiles wide ashore while a hilariously riotous raffle played out. For the more serious stuff throughout a windy weekend, Ben Harden held off a genuinely close challenge by Alan Harris to muscle through to his 5th consecutive Nationals win becoming the most crowned sailor in Blaze Nationals history. Many congratulations to Ben.
Blaze Western Championship
Porthpean SC, Cornwall's picturesque, blaze-suited venue hosted the Western Championship in a first collaboration between club and class. Joining a rapidly growing local fleet, travellers had failed to thwart Alan Harris in his claim on home-club championship victory.
Marine13 Blaze Scottish Championship
Helensburgh SC, just north of Glasgow, had laid on an expanded format Blaze Scottish Championship with generous support from long-time HSC Blaze sponsor Marine13. A combined event with Blaze Northern Championship was further inflated to include the inaugural BCA Blaze Nations Cup, formalising a groundswell of patriotic swagger from respective nations' sailors. Stacey Bray justified his slog from Porthpean to wrestle event victory from promising local representation - parlicularly Ali Gray. But, ultimately, it was Wales that earned Blaze Nations Cup team bragging-rights with Pembrokeshire's Chris Smart leading their 3-boat assault.
Lomo Blaze Inland Championship
A windless forecast had kept numbers modest for the LOMO Blaze Inland Championship yet the 17 sailors who did stubbornly hit the road were rewarded with unexpectedly raceable conditions. Hiking racks on Saturday gave way to knee pads on Sunday and both winds had drawn agreeable, competitive racing. Approaching the event with only two points between them, neither Chris Smart nor Alan Harris was a poor bet for the Traveller Series. But it was Alan that made the best of the varying winds and once again excelled to secure his 3rd Blaze championship win.
Blaze Traveller Series 2025
So, a hard-fought 2025 Traveller Series salutes 2024 Blaze newcomer, Alan Harris, for consistently skilful progress to top spot. Bravo Alan! Great to see tight competition at the top end with new names to the class reinforcing a rising challenge, keeping racing unpredictable and fresh.
A total of 81 different Blazes competed over all Traveller events - a fantastic turn-out.
Blaze Traveller Series 2025 Results:
Racing out the winter
2025's not over yet. For the hardy sailors who choose to continue travelling through the winter there're still good events for all dinghys to throw themselves into - The SailJuice Winter Series continues through to Valentine's Day (not BCA affiliated).
BCA Celebrates 30 Years of Blaze Sailing - 1996-2026
Looking ahead to Blaze Class events for 2026, we have a full calendar already lined-up with massive thanks to Lee Marriott, BCA Events Coordinator, for his unyielding efforts to deliver the best service to Blaze sailors. And to all the venue representatives who've been exceptionally accommodating of BCA's commitment to the interests of our sailors.
2026 marks 30 years of Blaze sailing and BCA celebrates with a bold Blaze Nationals party with all the fanfare expected of the occasion (Lee On Solent SC, 12th-14th June) - the Blaze event of the Trigintennial.
2026 BCA Programme:
Already washed, pressed and folded waiting for Blazes to get busy in 2026.
February 21st-22nd - Join BCA at the Dinghy Show at Farnborough International. Invitation with thanks to HartleyBOATS.
March 27th - Blaze Training Day - Burghfield Sailing Club
March 28th - Burghfield Blaze Open - Burghfield Sailing Club
April 25th - 26th - Blaze Western Championship - North Devon Yacht Club
May 16th - 17th - Blaze Eastern Championship - Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club
June 12th - 14th - Battle Brewery and Hartley Boats Blaze National Championship - Lee-on-Solent SC
June 13th - Blaze Class Association AGM - Lee-on-Solent SC
July 11th - 12th - Marine13 Blaze Scottish Championship - Helensburgh Sailing Club
August 15th - 16th - Aberdeen and Stonehaven YC Blaze Open
September 5th - 6th - Blaze FIRE National Championship - Warsash Sailing Club
October 3rd - 4th - LOMO Blaze Inland Championship - Draycote Water Sailing Club
November 21st - 22nd - Blaze FIRE Inland Championship @ Draycote Dash - Draycote Water Sailing Club
Also, keep ears to the ground for announcements about Scottish Blaze Traveller Series to be run throughout 2026.
So, plenty to whet your sailing whistles and keep you busy in your Blaze, with oodles of opportunity to help BCA celebrate all that's awesome about the Blaze Class. A thriving racing and socially focussed community that welcomes all.
Blaze FIRE Sail Demo Scheme
The FIRE is designed for racing by lighter / smaller helms, or as a high-wind alternative to the powerful Blaze sail. The FIRE sets on regular Blaze mast and boom with minor adjustment to your regular Blaze rig for best results. Where winter sailing often involves stormy winds the FIRE sail is a go-to choice for many. The FIRE can be sailed unhandicapped at any Blaze event or raced at FIRE Class events in its own right.
With grateful thanks to HartleyBOATS for their sponsorship of the FIRE Demo Scheme (first established in 2024) Blaze Class Association is delighted to continue to offer FIRE sails for you to enjoy on your own boat, at your own club and at your leisure for up to a month - for FREE. Interested in trying it out as a non-Blaze sailor? Ask a Blazing clubmate, or visit www.blaze-sailing.org for more information.