As you will all be aware, in 2025 the World Championship will be held in the UK, hosted at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy between August 10th and 21st. One of the top sailing venues in the UK, WPNSA always puts on a great event, as those who attended our last Nationals there in 2023 will remember.
As well as being a fantastic sailing venue, WPNSA is on the beautiful Dorset coast, making this an ideal spot with plenty to keep partners and families busy while you’re on the water!
The World Championship has a limit of 86 boats, and the qualification series is proving to be very competitive. But every Flying Fifteen sailor has an opportunity to be a part of the whole two-week regatta.
The Pre-Worlds event will be an open regatta, and will include the UK National Championship. Following this, in parallel with the World Championship, there is provision in the FFI Championship Regulations to hold an
International Regatta.
What does this mean exactly? Well, this is also an open regatta, meaning no qualification is necessary. While the Worlds fleet will be racing in Weymouth Bay, the International Regatta will be sailed in the more sheltered water of Portland Harbour. Although ‘inside the wall’, this still provides plenty of space for championship sized courses.
The International Regatta would be open to Flying Fifteens (and indeed sailors) of all types, including both the 'Open' (modern) boats and the older Classic & Silver fleets, and being held in the more sheltered sailing area inside the harbour (and perhaps with a less febrile atmosphere on the race course) may make the event a more attractive proposition for some.
The format is likely to be a maximum of 10 races, sailed over 6 days, and there are some great trophies specifically for this event. Sailing in the harbour means fewer hours on the water so more social or family time as well!
WPNSA has plenty of space on shore for many more than the 86 boats expected to race in the Worlds. There is easy launching down a wide, shallow ramp, and indoor and outdoor spaces for large social events. This has the potential to be a major international celebration of Flying Fifteen sailing!
If you’d like any more information on this event,
please get in touch and I’ll do my best to help.
More importantly, the organising team needs to know how many boats will be keen to attend. To this end, in the next few weeks (probably after our qualification series ends with the Scottish Championship in early October), we will be running an online poll for you to express interest in coming. Look out for details in the next newsletter.
Boat Charter
If you’re unable to take part in the event yourself but have a competitive boat, you can also help. Transporting boats to an event like this is becoming more and more difficult (anyone know a Fireball sailor who tried to go to their Worlds in Australia this year?). In some cases it’s just impossible due to insurance complications.
So to help make the Worlds a truly global event, and support teams from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa, or anywhere that would involve container shipping, we are seeking owners willing to offer their boat for charter. If you’ve not done this before, be assured that it’s not just a case of lending your pride and joy to a stranger! We will aim to organise a system either via UKFFA or the Worlds committee, with recommended charter rates, and competitors will generally bring their own sails and arrange insurance. Again, get in touch for more information or to talk to someone who has made their boat available before, for reassurance.
We will aim to launch a charter system at the same time as the poll for interest in the International Regatta, in October this year.
Thanks for reading this far, I’m sure with the support of UKFFA members we can help make the 2025 Worlds and International Regatta an event to remember and to be proud of.
Bill Chard
UKFFA President