ILCA UK Chair Blog #184
Avid followers (apparently there are maybe a few) may have noticed a couple of weeks hiatus in the Chair’s Blog. Rumours that I may have gone AWOL or succumbed to the pressure of actually now being the real Chair after the AGM are alas unfounded. But WOW after the UK National Championships in Weymouth I felt like I might have a week or so off, both to recover but also to reflect.
Those of you who were at WPNSA I hope will generally agree that we had a superb week; a few observations from me to follow. Those of you who were not there I will do my best to describe some of what you missed.
For years the Class has worked hard at making the Nationals a festival of sailing. A must-do event that has something for everyone and isn’t just about hard core racing. Top quality, fair racing for sure, but striving for something more on top. Achieving that is difficult – everyone of course will want something different; that’s just life. But I do feel this year we came as close as we have yet to achieving this nirvana. Our hub this year had a huge – I mean huge – digital screen which allowed us to show race tracking, on the water live video streaming, SailGP, weather briefings, you name it. Combined with a great sound system, it was next level in terms of tech and as a result many many more people hung around and added to the vibe. The line dancing evening was a great success, ditto the live band, paella night, hog roast, volunteers drinks (Thankyou Noble Marine). It’s rare for WPNSA to have that sort of atmosphere but together with Jon, Sally and their team we cracked it. They even ran out of beer! Thankyou’s all round to those who delivered such a great onshore show.
And the sailing too. Providing high quality racing for 242 ILCAs across 6 days is not an easy task. The Race Management team worked tirelessly, in many cases well over 12 hour days and of course they too are all unpaid volunteers. Imagine finishing in the region of 3,000 ILCAs and getting them all in the right order irrespective of whether they are coming at you in bunches of 7 or 8 boats on a reach or sometimes when conditions dictate across a hastily relaid windward Finish Line. There was a good mix of racing outside in the bay and in the harbour – one of the unique features of sailing from WPNSA – and across wind strengths. There were days when the weather dictated that we deviate from the preliminary schedule but these were decisions taken in the interests of the whole fleet. Safety first, always. But importantly, under Regatta Director James Hynes (Heinzy) and IRO Somers Kempe, we did our best to explain our thinking in a transparent fashion at the morning briefings. So I think at the end of the event no one could argue that we had 3 worthy champions in each of the 4, 6 and 7 rigs as well as numerous gender and age category champions too.
I hope that description is enough to ensure that we see a bumper turnout not just for our Autumn National Opens, Inlands and Masters Inlands but also for next year’s Nationals in Largs. If the enthusiasm of the Largs volunteers is any indication I have no doubt it’ll be worth the trip. Remember we put a lot of effort into supporting sailors on the water so if you’re unsure if its for you do come and give it a try.
To reflect. It does strike me that as a collection of individuals and as a Class as a whole we are far stronger and far more effective when we all pull together. I was delighted that several people came forward and volunteered for various committee and sub-committee roles as the week progressed and similarly when there’s been a medical issue on the water that has necessitated a volunteer having to be rushed ashore it’s a great reassurance to receive an email from said volunteer who happens to be a doctor saying how well things have been managed.
There does seem to be a slight tendency for a small minority to question what we are doing both around safety and coach / support boats. Of course, if you don’t understand something it's fine to come and ask but spending time trying to find and exploit loopholes in NORs, SIs and Race Management decisions doesn’t really add a lot and will usually prove fruitless.
And finally, some more huge Thankyou’s. To our Class Sponsors – Ovington, Rooster, Sailingfast, Noble Marine, Fernhurst Books, Tideway Wealth and Wildwind. We simply cannot put on this level of event without your support. Whilst we undoubtedly don’t always nail everything 100% I do hope our intent is clear. Our volunteers – again we need volunteers to operate. To those that come forwards thankyou. For others please ask if you can get involved. For certain you have more fun at an event if you get stuck! And finally, Ellie left us at the end of a superb Nationals and so our Admin role now sits with Claire. We are lucky to have her but theres a tonne of things to do so please support her too.
Sponsors:
Ovington Boats https://ovingtonboats.com/ilca/
Sailingfast https://sailingfast.co.uk/product-category/sailing/boat/ilca/
Rooster https://www.roostersailing.com/
Noble Marine https://www.noblemarine.co.uk/boat-insurance/ilca-dinghy-insurance
FernhurstBooks https://fernhurstbooks.com
Tideway Wealth https://tidewaywealth.co.uk
Wildwind https://wildwind.co.uk
For your support Rooster are providing a discount code for ILCA Members : CAILCA1026 for 10% off a range of Rooster products!
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See all the results here: https://ilca.uk/ilca-uk-results-2026
Skills Weeks:
ILCA Skills Week 2026 WPNSA - 15/19 August 2026
Other Snippets:
Youth World Championships 2026 - Notice of Selection