RYA Women's Team Racing Championship 2025 at Alton Water
by Paula Irish 10 Dec 2025 05:46 PST
6-7 December 2025
A young team from Royal Hospital School claimed the RYA Women's Team Racing Championship title over a weekend of close racing on home waters.
Hosted by the Royal Hospital School and supported by kSail, nine teams competed in Firefly dinghies at Alton Water, Ipswich (6-7 December 2025).
The conditions on both days allowed a packed programme of 3v3 boat team racing.
With a breezy and variable Force 3-4 gusting 5 from the South / South-West, a busy Saturday saw teams competing to the max with cut down storm sails and close racing.
Enjoying mild temperatures for the time of year, with the sun even making an appearance, the racing continued until dusk and right up to the last 10 minutes before sunset.
With 48 races on the books by the end of day one, the top three teams had established their authority over the fleet and the overnight leaders were Southampton Light Blue, followed by Exeter University SC in second with Royal Hospital School Blue in third.
Day two then dawned with a lighter and more South Easterly breeze along with drizzle. By 11am the wind had stabilised and built to provide a Force 2-3, which similarly to the Saturday was shifty and challenging for the teams but manageable for course-setting.
All teams completed 16 races in Stage 1, racing each other twice ahead of Stage 2 for the semis and finals. Both semi-finals went down to a deciding third race after each team took a win.
Southampton Light Blue made it hard for themselves with OCSs and a couple of penalties, losing their semi-final to Bristol University Teal. Royal Hospital School Blue meanwhile took the third race in their semi-final to win from Exeter University SC.
Although Southampton Light Blue lost only a single race in Stage 1, the team struggled to find their earlier form and finished fourth overall after losing 2:0 to Exeter University SC in the Petit Final.
Royal Hospital School Blue went on to win the final and claim the RYA Women's Team Racing title with two wins against Bristol University Teal.
The winning RHS Blue team included Sarah Davis and Scarlett MacLennan who retained the title having won it in 2024 at Spinnaker.
Overall top three:
1. Royal Hospital School Blue
2. Bristol University Teal
3. Exeter University SC
Competing teams included members of the National Firefly Association, all of whom were former BUSA or international team racing hotshots in their day, and pleased to finish in the middle of the overall rankings among the UK's current crop of top university teams.
Event director Ed Sibson said: "All of the races in the two semi-finals were quite tense and could have gone either way, with the results only settled on the final beats of each race. It was ding-dong team racing at its best which was really great to watch. We were fortunate on the weather front and with no breakages on the boats it all ran without a hitch, so we were pleased to get through the whole schedule for a full weekend of fantastic team racing."
Ed is the Director of Sailing & Watersports at Royal Hospital School, and commenting on the win for RHS Blue added: " I don't know whether our team had a little more experience of sailing together or a bit of a home advantage knowing the venue, but we could not be more proud of our RYA Women's Team Racing National Champions!"
Over the weekend, winning team Royal Hospital School Blue won 17 of the 21 races they sailed, and were the only team to beat all of the other teams in the event.
Team captain Sarah Davis said: "Our team experienced some ups and downs over the weekend but ultimately, what truly distinguished us was our remarkable ability to reset and refocus for the next races. This was particularly crucial after our initial loss to Exeter University in the semi-final. Our teamwork and determination really shone through in the final where we delivered an exceptional performance and emerged victorious against Bristol University."
Presenting the prizes were Royal Hospital School headmaster Irfan Latif and his wife Jo, with a thank you to Anglian Water for allowing the RHS to host the event on behalf of the RYA at Alton Water. Thanks also went to Race Officer Eilidh Millar and Chief Umpire Chris Atkins along with all of the race officials, volunteers and helpers, including RHS staff, sixth formers and parents who came along to support the event.
Find all the photos at Team Racing UK Facebook and see the full results breakdown