Hayling Island Sailing Club welcomed 33 Flying Fifteen entries to the Southern Championship on 24th-25th May 2025 in conjunction with the historic Bulwark Trophy. From the home club, a strong turnout of HISC’s finest, with around half the fleet made up of visitors from Parkstone right up to Royal Windermere.
The event promised to be one of the best attended regattas of the year prior to the World Championships, as only large fleet sea based racing before the big event in August. And so it was, with a 20-25 knot west-south-westerly forecast all weekend.
Saturday’s racing was off to a boisterous start, with a steep chop and a few breakers through the channel over Chichester bar. Once out in the bay, the swell moderated somewhat, the Fifteens, sharing the venue with the Osprey and 505 open meetings on their own trapezoid course. The Fifteens were happy to race a challenging length windward-leeward course, punching into the swell upwind and white-knuckle rides down the run, and increasingly large short-fetch waves approaching the bottom end of the course.
Chris Waples and Simon Weatherill showed excellent upwind pace in these conditions in race 1 and powered out to the favoured right-hand side of the beat to lead narrowly at the windward mark closely pursued by Charles and Charlie Apthorp, Ian Pinnell and Ian Cadwallader and Greg Wells and David Tulloch. Greg Wells and David Tulloch found some great waves down the first run to take the lead which they held to the finish with Ian Pinnell and Ian Cadwallader passing Waples and Weatherill on the second downwind run to take second, in third Waples and Weatherill.
Attrition started to set in by race 2 both sailors and kit were taking a beating. Andy McKee and Rich Jones limped home with a snapped T-Terminal and a banana-shaped mast, some crews soldiered on feeling decidedly ropey, and others chose to head for shelter. First place was a comfortable win for Hamish MacKay and Andrew Lawson sailing upwind low and very fast to punch through the awkward chop, father and son Apthorps in second, with Waples and Weatherill again in third. By now, the adverse current was strong at the windward mark and quite a few teams misjudged their starboard lay lines causing a bit of windward mark carnage on the first lap with many boats having to bail out and gybe round!
Greg Wells and David Tulloch, winners of the 2025 event
While the wind direction was remarkably steady all day, the 25-27 knot gusts came back by mid-afternoon and by race 3, with bodies aching and some hairy gybes under their belts, for a couple more, enough was enough. Hamish MacKay and Andrew Lawson continued with the low and fast technique and repeated their success from the previous race, Jeremy Davy and Martin Huett pushed them hard though and took their best result of the weekend in second, the two Ian’s made up the podium.
An enjoyable meal and evening in the bar was well deserved with the 505 and Osprey crews; more than a few of the Fifteen teams retired earlier than usual, hoping they would be able to get out of bed in the morning.
Sunday dawned even windier and wavier, so the PRO wisely kept the fleet inside Chichester Harbour on a windward/leeward course. Only Race 4 was sailed before conditions became too strong to continue, after which racing was sensibly abandoned. The water was flatter, but the gusts were larger (up towards 30 knots).
Most entertainingly, Sunday brought the chance for the 505 and Ospreys to bear away at the windward mark, hoist the spinnaker, and point the boat straight toward the oncoming Flying Fifteen fleet (who started six minutes behind). Good seamanship across all the fleets kept boats safely apart, though the closing speeds in more restricted waterway would make many marine insurers wince. The general thought was the right side of the first upwind leg would pay with flatter water, less current and a lift off the beach. Therefore, Paul Hammett the excellent race officer set a port biased start line to encourage the fleet away from the CB. Wells and Tulloch along with Russell Peters and Zeb Elliott started on starboard tack at the pin end and sailed for some time along the Stocker sand bank before tacking on the first shift. This proved to be a winning tactic as both boats were 1 and 2 by some distance at the windward mark. Peters and Elliott took the lead on the 2
nd beat but Wells and Tulloch regained their lead on the last gybe into the finish to win the race and the regatta. Russell Peters and Zeb Elliott were second with Andrew Jameson and Matt Alvarado scoring their best result of the weekend in third.
Trophies:
Championship Trophy – Greg Wells and David Tulloch
The Medway Fifteen Trophy – Greg Wells and David Tulloch
The Pitsford Salver – Hamish MacKay and Andrew Lawson
The Silver Fox – Hamish MacKay and Andrew Lawson
The Broxbourne Chiller – Greg Wells and David Tulloch
Marine Consultants International Half Hull – Kato Childs
The Rydon Trophy – Greg Wells and David Tulloch
Report: Charlie McKee/Greg Wells
Photos: To be confirmed
Final Results
Sailed: 4, Discards: 1, To count: 3, Entries: 33, Scoring system: Appendix A
Rank |
Sail No |
HelmName |
CrewName |
Club |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
|
|
Total |
Nett |
1st |
4112 |
Greg Wells |
David Tulloch |
HISC |
1.0 |
(5.0) |
4.0 |
1.0 |
|
|
11.0 |
6.0 |
2nd |
4089 |
Hamish Mackay |
Andrew Lawson |
HISC |
(7.0) |
1.0 |
1.0 |
4.0 |
|
|
13.0 |
6.0 |
3rd |
4142 |
Ian pinnell |
Ian Cadwalader |
HISC |
2.0 |
6.0 |
3.0 |
(19.0) |
|
|
30.0 |
11.0 |
4th |
3760 |
Jeremy Davy |
Martin Huett |
Draycote Water SC |
6.0 |
4.0 |
2.0 |
(9.0) |
|
|
21.0 |
12.0 |
5th |
4143 |
Charles Apthorp |
Charlie Apthorp |
HISC |
5.0 |
2.0 |
(7.0) |
5.0 |
|
|
19.0 |
12.0 |
6th |
4061 |
Chris Waples |
Simon Weatherill |
HISC |
3.0 |
3.0 |
10.0 |
(12.0) |
|
|
28.0 |
16.0 |
7th |
4107 |
Russell Peters |
Zeb Elliott |
HISC |
9.0 |
(10.0) |
6.0 |
2.0 |
|
|
27.0 |
17.0 |
8th |
3904 |
Ben Cooper |
Richard Bundock |
Royal Thames |
(8.0) |
7.0 |
5.0 |
6.0 |
|
|
26.0 |
18.0 |
9th |
4082 |
Andrew Jameson |
Matt Alvarado |
WYC |
(34.0 DNC) |
8.0 |
9.0 |
3.0 |
|
|
54.0 |
20.0 |
10th |
4037 |
Neville Herbert |
Mark Fowler |
Lymington Town SC/
Tewkesbury CSC |
14.0 |
9.0 |
8.0 |
(18.0) |
|
|
49.0 |
31.0 |
11th |
4030 |
Alastair Stevenson |
David Culpan |
HISC |
10.0 |
11.0 |
(12.0) |
10.0 |
|
|
43.0 |
31.0 |
12th |
4046 |
Miles Odell |
Andrew Streeter |
HISC/NSC |
12.0 |
14.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
8.0 |
|
|
68.0 |
34.0 |
13th |
4132 |
Simon Childs |
Kato Childs |
HISC |
11.0 |
12.0 |
(17.0) |
11.0 |
|
|
51.0 |
34.0 |
14th |
3884 |
Mark Nicholson |
Steve Culpitt |
Hayling Island SC |
13.0 |
(24.0) |
13.0 |
13.0 |
|
|
63.0 |
39.0 |
15th |
4065 |
David Mckee |
Mal Hartland |
Dovestone SC |
(16.0) |
15.0 |
16.0 |
14.0 |
|
|
61.0 |
45.0 |
16th |
4126 |
James Yearsley |
Johnny Costard |
HISC |
19.0 |
13.0 |
14.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
|
|
80.0 |
46.0 |
17th |
4111 |
Mervyn Wright |
Ralph Singleton |
Parkstone YC |
(24.0) |
17.0 |
11.0 |
21.0 |
|
|
73.0 |
49.0 |
18th |
3994 |
Ian Nicholson |
Jez White |
HISC |
17.0 |
16.0 |
18.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
|
|
85.0 |
51.0 |
19th |
4069 |
Bill Chard |
Josh Preater |
Chew Valley SC |
20.0 |
18.0 |
15.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
|
|
87.0 |
53.0 |
20th |
3903 |
Gary Stuart |
John Wayling |
Northampton |
18.0 |
19.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
16.0 |
|
|
87.0 |
53.0 |
21st |
4130 |
Adrian Tattersall |
John Mathie |
Parkstone |
21.0 |
(22.0) |
20.0 |
15.0 |
|
|
78.0 |
56.0 |
22nd |
4091 |
Jeremy Arnold |
Richard Hope |
RYA / Draycote Water |
22.0 |
(25.0) |
23.0 |
17.0 |
|
|
87.0 |
62.0 |
23rd |
4097 |
Matthew Thompson |
Dave Chandler |
Tewkesbury |
23.0 |
20.0 |
19.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
|
|
96.0 |
62.0 |
24th |
4148 |
Simon Patterson |
Simon Thompson |
Draycote Water SC |
26.0 |
21.0 |
22.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
|
|
103.0 |
69.0 |
25th |
3918 |
Paul Busby |
Neil Barford |
NSC/HISC |
15.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
21.0 |
34.0 DNC |
|
|
104.0 |
70.0 |
26th |
4005 |
Andy McKee |
Rich Jones |
Dovestone SC |
4.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
34.0 DNC |
34.0 DNC |
|
|
106.0 |
72.0 |
27th |
4086 |
Nigel Davenport |
Klaus Beyaert |
Draycote |
28.0 |
23.0 |
(34.0 DNF) |
22.0 |
|
|
107.0 |
73.0 |
28th |
4133 |
James Fawcett |
Dave Dobrejvic |
HISC |
(34.0 DNC) |
34.0 DNC |
34.0 DNC |
7.0 |
|
|
109.0 |
75.0 |
29th |
3736 |
Peter Bannister |
Susan Bannister |
HISC |
27.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
34.0 DNC |
20.0 |
|
|
115.0 |
81.0 |
30th |
3912 |
Charlie McKee |
Adrian Simpson |
HISC |
29.0 |
26.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
34.0 DNC |
|
|
123.0 |
89.0 |
31st |
4147 |
Tony Woods |
Keith Jamieson |
Royal Windermere |
25.0 |
(34.0 DNC) |
34.0 DNC |
34.0 DNC |
|
|
127.0 |
93.0 |
32nd |
4135 |
Dave Lucas |
Harry Lucas |
GWSC |
(34.0 DNC) |
34.0 DNC |
34.0 DNC |
34.0 DNC |
|
|
136.0 |
102.0 |
32nd |
3951 |
Chris White |
Tony Sanders |
NSC/HISC |
(34.0 DNC) |
34.0 DNC |
34.0 DNC |
34.0 DNC |
|
|
136.0 |
102.0 |