Hansa UK Traveller Series at Tideway Sailability, London
by Tom Kelsey 14 Aug 09:11 PDT
8 August 2026
Traveller Series event hosted by Tideway Sailability at Greenland Dock, London © Daria Shershneva
The Hansa TT series came to South East London for the first time in
over a decade to race on Greenland Dock, hosted by Tideway Sailability
at Surrey Docks Watersports Centre.
Sixteen boats took part across three classes. With the summer sun
beating down the dock lived up to its fearful reputation for fickle
winds, and between the time of the race briefing and the sailors
launching and getting to the start line the wind had already shifted,
with southerly and westerly gusts making the start line at times down
wind.
The wind remained light however, and with the racing under way a
pattern of consistency across the classes emerged.
In the Liberty Class Mike Everitt got away first, with Paul Person
second, and local sailor Magnus Mills third. A mix up over an
individual recall led Mike Everitt to retire in the second race having
taken what turned out to be erroneous advice from the other sailors in
the fleet.
This gave Frensham Pond rival Tessa Watkiss the win, with
Pearson second and Mills third.
In the two person 303 class locals Emma Smith and Jemima Heard took
the first race with Phillip and DeeDee Hall second and Lynne and
Stuart Swan third.
In the one person 303s James Woosnam took advantage of the light winds
in the morning to place first in the first race with Margaret Foreman
second and Phil Monk third. Monk built on this in the second race
taking the win, with Woosnam slipping to third.
After lunchtime the wind filled in from the west so the course was
flipped by 180 degrees with the sailors heading back towards the city
from the start.
The racing became tighter, but the results remained
consistent - with those who had started to get the hang of the shifty
winds establishing dominance in the results.
Mike Everitt took a clean sweep in the liberty races after lunch,
Pearson and Mills resuming their second and third places in the third
race, with Alex Perairas second place in the final race not enough to
shake up the overall scoreboard.
In the solo 303s, drama came at the last gasp, with Monk - clear ahead
for another first place had a momentary lapse of concentration and
forgot to cross the finish line, thus handing first place to local
star Leslie Philip, whose results had been improving through the day.
This put Woosnam on equal points to Philip, with countback still tying
their results. Philips win in the final race broke the tie giving him
the overall third, Margaret Foremans second overall in every race gave
her second place, and Phil Monk (unsurprisingly) took the first
overall.
Finally came the double 303s where the Swans from Frensham had
achieved total dominance on the dock with a run of wins.
Locals Smith
and Heard kept up the good results, with two seconds and a third in
the final race, while Phil and DeeDee Hall's second place in the final
race put them above the other local boat (helmed by Yihe Zhao with
Maki Spanoudis) in the overall table.
As the sun continued to beat down on the dock, and the visiting boats
were packed away and back on their trailers, tea and cake was enjoyed
in the cool of the new Tideway clubhouse, and sailors reflected on a
great day out in the city.
Liberty class results:
1st - Mike Everitt (Frensham Pond)
2nd - Paul Pearson (Rutland Sailability)
3rd - Magnus Mills (Tideway)
303 single person results:
1st - Phil Monk (Whitefriars)
2nd - Margaret Foreman (Frensham Pond)
3rd - Leslie Philip (Tideway Sailability)
303 two person results:
1st - Lynne Swan, Stewart Swan (Frensham Pond)
2nd - Emma Smith, Jemima Heard (Tideway Sailability)
3rd - Phil Hall, Dee Dee Hall (Chesil Sailability)