Scorpion National Championship 2026 at Looe Sailing Club - Overall

The after party - Scorpion National Championship at Looe day 5 © Zoe Grant

The winners at the after party - Scorpion National Championship at Looe day 5 © AJ Eaton

The after party - Scorpion National Championship at Looe day 5 © Zoe Grant

As day 5 dawned in lovely Looe, there was a nervous sense of anticipation in the air. Sailors unwrapped their chariots, spliced their mainbraces, and hoisted their mizzens.

There was a gentle buzz around the dinghy park. A small crowd of onlookers pondered whether it was class legal for Pete Gray to smear vaseline on his "transom flaps".

Three championship races remained. It was to be another intense day of racing. Transoms were wetted. Trolleys parked to one side. The beachmaster gave himself and the rest of his team a collective pat on the back after another job well done.

The SWAGS settled down for another pleasant day of sunbathing a la plage. The final day of racing began.

Conditions: Sunny (It's always sunny in Looe. It doesn't rain.) 4-7 knots (ish, I'm not a great judge of windspeed) across the course, coming from the North, oscillating shifts.

Race 7

Nige Potter and Jerry Hannabus as pathfinder got us going as boats jostled for position up the first beat.

Sam Mettam & Kerri Harris sailed a stormer of a beat and were first to the windward mark, picking a lovely shift to cross the fleet. They were closely followed by pathfinders Nige & Jerry. Onto the run and there was gybing and such other manoeuvres going on, boats trying to maximise their clear air, find that shift to take them down to the marks, and generally race as hard and fast as they could. Two busy leeward gate marks and we were onto the 2nd beat.

Here, Gillard & Gray and Mettam & Harris consolidated their positions, whilst behind them Imogen Wade & Dave "Daddy" Wade and Stevie Hall & Stevie G made good use of a right hand shift to bounce themselves into 3rd & 4th respectively.

With the wind dwindling down the second offwind leg, the race officer made the call to shorten course a lap early, so we could crack on with the final two races.

Race 8

Angus Hemmings & Kev Hope were the pathfinder for the penultimate race, and set off up the beat leaving a trail of Scorpions in their wake.

Picking their way through the shifts, Gillard & Gray once again arrived first at the windward mark, followed by Joe Warwicker & Andy Service, with Darren Roach & Fresh Abendstern hot on their heels.

Reachy reachy time and the fleet spread out a little, with Pete Gray & Rich Pepperdine surging through into 4th. This became 3rd on the next beat after some astute tactical shift-work.

Down the run, there were two schools of thought from the top 4, Gilly & Rach and Pete & Rich went for a handful of gybes, whereas Warwicker & Scurvy and Darren & Fresh pointed at the leeward gate and straight lined it. Neither method seemed to have the upper hand, as the order at the leeward mark was unchanged.

Onto the final beat and this time Darren & Fresh pounced on a shift to upgrade themselves into 3rd, to the detriment of Pete & Rich, with the top 4 consolidating their positions on the final triangle legs.

Race 9

So to the final championship race. All to play for and no room for error. This is what dreams (or nightmares) are made of.

Picking the perfect time to be pathfinder was Paul "Spanner" Cullen and Si "Squirt" Forbes. As the breeze clocked round to the right, they never looked back. With a healthy lead by the windward mark, a battle ensued behind them for 2nd place.

I'll be honest, at this point I was languishing towards the rear of the fleet, but from a distance, up there was Mike Lennon & Dave Orrell, Pete Gray & Rich Pep, youth team extraordinaire Monty Hampton & George Little, and Angus Hemmings & Kev Hope.

And that was a wrap for the 2026 Scorpion National Championships. Overall winners with a gosh darn dominant display in a range of conditions was Thomas Gillard & Rachael Gray.

2nd overall went to the stupendous Stevie Hall & Stevie G, having teamed up earlier this year to try and take the top spot off the titillating Gillard-Gray team.

3rd place (after countback!) would go to Joe Warwicker & Andy Service who just pipped Ben "Quizmaster" Whaley and Olly Rayner who ended up loitering with intent in 4th place.

The after party - Scorpion National Championship at Looe day 5 - photo © Linda Wolfenden

The after-party

If you haven't been to the last night of a Scorp Nats, you are missing out.

This year, operating under the theme of "tube stations", the fleet descended upon the sailing club with all the decorum of a toddler who's been let loose in an ice cream parlour.

On the water adversaries were once again friends bonding over a pint at the bar, the roof was indeed raised, and many a head was turned by the seven sisters who were looking rather alluring.

A brilliant end to what has been an awesome week in Looe. A reminder for many, and an introduction to some, of why the Scorps are such a special class, going from strength to strength.

Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Scorpion nationals then enter your Gear Guide information