Royal Varuna Yacht Club Masters Championship Overall
by Mark Jardine 2 Feb 03:55 PST
30 January - 1 February 2026
The final day of the inaugural Royal Varuna Yacht Club Masters Championship saw a variety of different wind strengths and directions as competing breezes battled it out.
The windows of relative stability allowed two races to be held for the International OK Dinghy and ILCA 7s before the 2.30pm cut-off, while just one was held for the ILCA 6s.
The Race Officer and his team were quickly resetting the course as the wind changed, setting races off and abandoning if the conditions changed again, making the best use of the time to get in as much racing as possible for the competitors.
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Terry Sutcher won the final race, enabling him to discard the only blemish on his scorecard (a second place from Saturday) and win the event by a comfortable 11 point margin from fellow Brit Max Hunt, while Japan's Kiyoshi Sato completed the podium ahead of top female sailor Carla Canturri, who beat Legend Neil Dunkley on countback.
In the ILCA 7 fleet, Georgii Pimkin wrapped up the win with victory in the final race, with the USA's Michael Matan finishing second - a sailor originally from the north of England who was really appreciating the exceptional conditions - and Australia's John Sweeny third.
The legendary French offshore sailor Bruno Peyron finished fifth. Crossing tacks with him was the kind of honour I never thought I'd ever have. Chatting with the man who sailed with Sir Peter Blake and Sir Robin Knox Johnston in 1995 on ENZA New Zealand to become the first Jules Verne Trophy holder, who then broke the record twice on Sport Elec and the same yacht renamed Geronimo with Olivier de Kersauson in 1997 and 2004 respectively was such a highlight.
Morten Jakobsen wrapped up the win in the OK class, despite Nick Craig finding the groove to win both races on the final day and climbing to second overall. Chris Caldecoat finished third, holding off the fast-charging Matt Norton, who's 2,3 score on the final day moved him up to fourth.
An illustration of the event ethos was when Indian ILCA 7 sailor Rohit Behl was talking with me about his old sail, and John Sweeny offered him an almost new spare that he had, not just to borrow, but to keep. All he would take in return was a pizza from the club restaurant.
The camaraderie and social side of the event is so good thanks to the club's open plan veranda, which allowed everyone to mingle and meet new friends. It encourages you to socialise, combined with sundowners at the beach bar having one of the best views in sailing.
A huge thank-you to the organising team led by Apple, the race team led by Oat, the mark layers, the bar and catering team. They have all worked tirelessly to make this an event to remember. Also heartfelt thanks to Element 6 Evolution for their sponsorship of the event. The nearby boatbuilder works closely with the club, and the company's John Higham is currently the Commodore.
The club is already planning the 2027 event, and there is no doubt that all who took part this year will be going back to the four corners of the earth to persuade their friends to come and enjoy racing in paradise. To be honest it's not a hard sell, so I think this event will grow and grow.
The build-up and preparation has started in earnest for the 2027 International OK Dinghy World Championship, which will see over a hundred sailors battling it out here.
Nick Craig, who finished as runner-up in the OK Worlds when they were held here in 2013, is looking to go one better in 2027, spending a week out here to race and train. On sailing at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club Nick said; "It's so refreshing to come out here - it's the warmth of everything. I've been sailing through the winter in the UK, breaking the ice, and the club has such a good setup with the excellent food, the boats in front of the club and the warm sea just yards further down."
If sailors are sitting on the fence, Nick has these words of advice: "It's one of the best places to go sailing, it's as simple as that. The perfect winter escape!"
I couldn't agree more. If you're an OK sailor who aims to use the 2027 Masters as a warm-up for the Worlds, or an ILCA sailor looking for winter warmth, then I'll see you there.
Overall results can be found here.