Buzz Inland Championship 2026 at the Grafham Skiff Challenge 2026
by Stuart Bailey 21 Jul 03:52 PDT
11-12 July 2026
Buzz Inland Championship 2026 at the Grafham Skiff Challenge 2026 © Paul Sanwell / OPP
A trio of Buzzes arrived for day 1 of the Buzz/ ansymmetric event at Grafham. The forecast (that I saw) suggested a 10mph wind, but much more arrived, a steady NE F4 with a period of F5.
Race 1 - There were 2 starts, the first was for the faster boats, Laser 4000's, Cherubs, B14's, Musto Skiffs, the second start for the Buzz, Devoti D1 and RS200. The buzzes were fairly close for much of the race with Stuart & Sophie (Buzz 1065) finishing first with Matt & Joe (Buzz 777) in second and Noah & Norman (Buzz 1036) in third.
Race 2 - A change of order this time, Noah & Norman had a great start and chose the starboard side of the course which paid off hugely. Matt & Joe had a decent start but the port side didn't pay off, Stuart & Sophie got stuck behind a couple of Devoti's and had to play catch up after that. Unfortunately for Matt & Joe some spinnaker troubles were experienced at the windward mark which allowed Stuart & Sophie to get past. Noah & Norman were still clear ahead but then had some spinnaker issues at the leeward mark. Stuart & Sophie took advantage of this moving into a very unexpected first place which they kept for the rest of the race.
There was a reel increase in the wind at this time, lots of white horses on the water and really quite challenging. Noah & Norman headed ashore leaving the others to race each other in Race 3 and 4.
Race 3 - Both Buzzes swapped places many times in a great battle upwind and downwind, great racing and great fun! On the downwind leg both were blasting on port tack deciding when to gybe for the leeward marks. Stuart & Sophie spotted that Matt & Joe were going to gybe and got ready to gybe as well, then Matt & Joe didn't! Instead they decided to carry on a bit further, which caught Stuart & Sophie out, this led to a capsize to ensure nothing worse happened. This didn't hold Stuart & Sophie up by much surprisingly, they were still close to Matt & Joe at the start of the windward leg, but Matt & Joe sailed a superb windward leg and led to the finish.
Race 4 - The last race of the day. Stuart & Sophie had a decent start allowing them to get ahead of Matt & Joe, they then took advantage of the shifts on the windward leg and got a reasonable lead. They managed to keep this lead whilst enjoying the fabulous sailing conditions.
A very enjoyable meal was had at the club in the evening, all included in the entry fee.
Again the 10mph wind forecast that I saw was wrong, in fact I'd say that even more wind arrived than on day 1, a F4- F5 for most of the races.
I'll be honest, the days racing is a bit of a blur, but I'll share the details I can remember...
Race 5 - The start was shared with the Devoti D1's which was quite difficult because the D1 is sailed quite differently upwind to the Buzz, pointing much higher so getting caught up with them is not ideal off the start line as Stuart & Sophie (Buzz 1065) found out! Matt & Joe (Buzz 777) and Noah & Norman (Buzz 1036) faired better by keeping clear of them, both leaving Stuart & Sophie behind. I think Noah & Norman led for the first half of the race, but on a following windward leg the starboard side of the course was best which is where Stuart & Sophie was, moving them from last to first Buzz around the windward mark. They then led to the finish.
The wind really got quite ridiculous at this point and Noah & Norman returned to shore which left the other 2 Buzzes to battle on against each other, and against all the other boats on handicap.
Race 6 - Stuart & Sophie arrived at the start line a little early meaning they started at the port end rather than the favoured starboard end as the race started. Matt & Joe were super speedy upwind, much faster than Stuart & Sophie. This trend was reversed downwind, but not enough to make up for the upwind legs. Positions were swapped many times though and some very enjoyable close racing was had, Matt & Joe finished ahead, well deserved I'd say!
Race 7 - Stuart & Sophie at last mastered the start managing to keep clear of the D1's and keeping Matt & Joe behind! They managed to keep ahead for the first lap and through Matt & Joes politeness by choosing the starboard leeward mark to keep clear of the D1's Stuart & Sophie gained an advantage by rounding the port leeward mark. Matt & Joe didn't let them get away though, closing at speed as the windward marks got closer. Stuart & Sophie did manage to stay ahead though and their downwind speed kept them ahead to the finish.
Race 8 - Stuart & Sophie had secured the Buzz Inland Championships win, now it was time to get a good result for the overall handicap results. A good start was had and all was going well until the second tack that ended up with a capsize! Matt & Joe, along with the D1's got away and Stuart & Sophie could do nothing but follow, oh and enjoy blasting down the downwind legs of the course! Such a Buzz!
Grafham Water Sailing Club is a great place to sail, well run racing, camping by the lake for motorhomes, campers and tents, great food in the clubhouse, what more could you want! We hope to return in June/ July 2027, dates to be confirmed soon.
Inland Championship Results:
1st - Stuart & Sophie (Buzz 1065)
2nd - Matt & Joe (Buzz 777)
3rd - Noah & Norman (Buzz 1036)
Overall Results: (out of 26 boats)
9th - Buzz 1065
11th - Buzz 777
20th - Buzz 1036