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July 15, 2025 2 min read
On the 12th to 13th of July, the A Class National Championships were held. After having graduated the day before, I saw fit to race the event (especially since I missed it last year due to work).
The event was combined with a Spitfire open event to help boost numbers and create a more interesting racecourse.
Friday saw the first day of event prep, including double-checking the sailing instructions – they were definitely read well in advance, I promise!
This was in addition to a long drive from Southampton to Grafham.
Saturday morning brought an interesting forecast with very variable winds between 5kts and 20kts. After being informed that the committee were hoping to run four races, the fleet were more than keen to hit the water. Among the entrants were eight Classic A Cats, including international legend Hugh Macgregor, and three Foiling A Cats, with several new faces competing in the event!
Quickly after everyone had launched, Race 1 was underway and featured close battles throughout the fleet. I had a good start (for a change) and was well in the running to be at the front of the fleet at the top mark.
Typically, both the Classic and Foiling A Classes start together and are evenly matched upwind when upwind foiling conditions aren’t possible.
Unfortunately, the wind wasn’t strong enough to make it work—hence the close racing on the upwinds. I settled on a low and fast mode and was more than happy to be competitive against the front of the Classic fleet, rounding the top mark in second.
On Sunday, all boats took to the water. However, the forecast didn’t look hopeful, and due to the minimum class racing limit of an average wind speed of 5kts, racing had to be canned for the day.
The decision was made early for the benefit of getting people who had travelled a long way on the road slightly earlier.
Hugh had driven all the way from Largs for the event! Then, soon after, the prize giving concluded the Nationals.
It was fantastic to see new faces racing both the Classic and the Foiler, and I hope that in the coming years, more people will join and help grow the class.
Unfortunately, since COVID, the class has seen a significant drop in the UK, which is a shame since the international class is bigger than ever!
For anyone who might be interested in switching to a challenging boat with one of the friendliest fleets I’ve ever been a part of, I urge you to just have a go at it!
Boats—both Foiling and Classic—can be had for not too much money these days, with Tom, a new A Class competitor, racing his sub-£2000 foiler at the event!
You don’t need the newest boat to be competitive, and even converted boats can be competitive at UK events with some tuning.
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