2026 Weston Sailing Club Catamaran Open

2026 Weston SC Catamaran Open © Rob Britton

A diverse fleet of 30 catamarans gathered at Weston SC for two days of racing at the annual Weston SC Catamaran Open Meeting, enjoying a range of conditions and a full schedule of racing.

The 18 entrants in the Fast Handicap fleet included seven boats competing for the F18 National Championships, as well as a mix of Nacra 15s, Hurricanes, F16s and Nacra 20s. The 12 entries in the Slow Handicap fleet were made up of the ever-competitive Shearwater fleet, as well as a solitary Unicorn.

2026 Weston SC Catamaran Open - photo © Rob Britton

2026 Weston SC Catamaran Open - photo © Rob Britton

In the Fast Handicap fleet, the Nacra 20 Carbons set the pace in each of the four races on Day 1, chased hard by the leading F18s.

As conditions gradually built during the day, Will Smith & Tom Hales revelled in the stronger breeze, capitalising on a well-judged port flyer to win Race 3 - finishing over five minutes ahead of the next F18!

Another standout performer was the Nacra 15 pairing of Marcus King & Maddie Jinks - winners of the 2026 RYA Youth National Championships - who showed exceptional upwind pace to mix it with much faster boats and finish the day with a pair of 3rd place results.

Dan Jarman's Unicorn proved the boat to beat in the Slow Handicap fleet, taking four bullets on the water and on handicap. Behind him, a consistent day for Mark Norman & Catherine Tulley saw the recently crowned Shearwater National Champions score 2,2,3,2. Four different teams took podium race results behind the leading pair, showing that the racing remains close in the Shearwater's 70th year!

2026 Weston SC Catamaran Open - photo © Rob Britton

The fleet returned ashore and enjoyed the hospitality of a well-stocked bar and event BBQ, provided by Bespoke Dining, as the sun set over Southampton Water.

A damp and grey morning on Sunday contrasted with the sunshine of the previous day, but the forecast remained promising for the day's two scheduled races. The fleet headed afloat at midday after a relaxed morning, with 6-10 knots across the course. The powerful Nacra 20s broke away from the fleet in the lighter conditions, with Grant Piggott & Jon Cotgreave taking the win in Race 5. Ben Harris & Izzy Smith held on to the faster F18s in their Hurricane 5.9 SX throughout the race, using some local knowledge to avoid the wind shadow of a large container ship and leapfrog the F18s to take 2nd place on handicap from F18 pairing of Tim Neal & Robbie Garka.

2026 Weston SC Catamaran Open - photo © Rob Britton

In the final race of the day, the lead F18s stuck closer to the Nacra 20s, helped by a building breeze on their final lap, with Adam Stubbings & Sam Turner winning the race to secure their 2026 UK Formula 18 National Championship title. Tim & Robbie were hot on their heels, excelling in the lighter conditions, whilst Ben & Izzy proved that their 30-year-old Hurricane 5.9 SX still had what it takes to mix with the latest F18 designs, finishing in 3rd.

The Slow fleet showed a similar story to the previous day, with Dan Jarman taking the opening race of the day and securing his event win. Mark Norman & Catherine Tulley continued their form, finishing 2nd in Race 5 and following that up with a race win in Race 6. Local sibling pairing Chloe & Ruben Stuart showed steady improvement across the event, culminating in a close 2nd place in the final race of the weekend.

2026 Weston SC Catamaran Open - photo © Rob Britton

After six fantastic races, sailed in wind ranging from 5-20 knots, the prize-giving rewarded achievements in the two handicap fleets as well as the extracted Formula 18 rankings, with prizes generously provided by event sponsors Grant & Lindsay Piggott of GP Sails. Huge thanks went to race officer Tim Johnson who has overseen the event for several years, as well as to Tim Buckley and family who returned with their yacht 'Gracor' to generously provide a great committee boat.

The biggest round of applause went to all of the volunteers from the club who worked hard behind the scenes to prepare for the event and supported both afloat and ashore throughout the weekend, with a special mention to Olly & Judy Harris who ensured the event ran smoothly on and off the water (with results even published before sailors were ashore!)

Massive thanks to Weston SC who organised a fantastic event, and to everyone who attended for supporting the brilliant catamaran community in the UK. It was particularly encouraging to see the next generation of sailors across both fleets, with some impressive sailing from the youth Nacra 15 teams, plenty of former youth catamaran sailors now competing in the Hurricanes and F18s, and the Shearwater fleet featuring plenty of family pairings!

Overall Results: