Back-to-back wins for Pank's Firefly at the GJW Direct 50th Bloody Mary
by Tony Bishop 10 Jan 20:59 UTC
10 January 2026
Jono Pank and Isobel Bretherton won the GJW Direct Bloody Mary Pursuit Race, the sixth leg of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, held at Queen Mary Sailing Club on Saturday 10th January 2026.
Second place went to Angus Cook and Lucie Hopkins, also sailing a Firefly, while third place was taken by Ian Dobson and his son Ted in their Mirror dinghy.
Jono Pank became the first sailor to win the Bloody Mary two years in a row, having taken the trophy last year with his son Freddie. This is a remarkable achievement, considering the number of variables and conditions required for such a result. The winning team from Imperial Poona Yacht Club crossed the line ahead of a 124-boat fleet, featuring sailors representing 42 boat classes from 62 sailing clubs. The race was held in a north-easterly Force 2-3, with the sun making a welcome appearance throughout.
The 50th edition of the race was attended by distinguished guests, and we were delighted to welcome The Worshipful the Mayor of the Borough of Spelthorne - Councillor John Doran, with Councillor Sue Doran, who helped with the prize presentation. We were also joined by the founder of the Bloody Mary Pursuit race and former Commodore, Bryan Willis, and by Bruce Smith, who was Commodore when the event was first event held in 1974, Bruce also gave the event its great name. In total seven past and present commodores were in attendance for this 50th celebration, with the presentation hosted by the current Commodore, Adam Jennings-Frisby.
Overall Results: (top ten)
1st Firefly 4400, Imperial Poona YC - Jono PANK and Isobel BRETHERTON
2nd Firefly 3695, Castaways - Angus COOK and Lucie HOPKINS
3rd Mirror 71053, Royal Thames - Ian DOBSON and Ted DOBSON
4th 2000 2203, Thorney Island SC - Simon HORSFIELD and Katie HORSFIELD
5th 2000 2190, Castle Cove SC - Benjamin PASCOE and Sam PASCOE
6th National 12 3530, Burghfield SC - Graham CAMM and Zoe BALLANTYNE
7th Merlin Rocket 3732, Hollowell SC - Arran HOLMAN and Tom PYGALL
8th RS200 1700, Swanage SC - Ben WHALEY and Isobel STEWART
9th Firefly 2065, Papercourt SC - Jason ALDOUS and Josephine MASON
10th Firefly 3007, Netley SC - Nigel WAKEFIELD and Leila FARMER
Helm prizes:
First Female Helm: Firefly UEA/CCSC Erin PANK (28th)
First Queen Mary Helm: RS400 Richard GRAY (17th)
Grand Master: RS400 Queen Mary SC - Richard GRAY (17th)
First Junior Helm: 2000 Castle Cove SC - Benjamin PASCOE (5th)
Class prizes were also awarded to:
RS200 Swanage SC - Ben WHALEY and Isobel STEWART (9th)
ILCA 7 Castle Cove SC Archie MUNRO-PRICE (12th)
ILCA 6 Greig City Academy - Corneille LEPRINCE (19th)
505 Trophy Netley SC - Ben McGrane and James Ross (30th)
Full Provisional Results can be found here
GPS tracking can be found here
A huge thank you to our sponsors GJW Direct Marine, our catering team Claire Cooks Surrey and to all the volunteers and QM team who make the event happen.
Thank you to all competing this year we look forward to seeing you back at Queen Mary on Saturday 9th January 2027, for the next Bloody Mary!