2025 UK Wayfarer Racing Preview
by Sam Pygall 4 Jan 2025 15:25 GMT
Wayfarer Inlands 2024 at Datchet © DWSC
The 2025 Racing season promises to be an exciting one for the Wayfarer Class. We hope to build on our numbers in 2024 and encourage anyone that has an interest in racing at any level of this tremendously versatile boat to come along to our events this year, shared with other fleets in the form of the Larks, Contenders and Wanderers. We are grateful for these alliances with other fleets and we look forward to the connections both on and off the water.
We start with what has become our traditional circuit opener at Datchet Water Sailing Club on the 5-6 April. This has a highly competitive event in the last few years and is not one to miss. Last year's winners and local team Andrew and Tom Wilson will look to retain their title at this open and will be difficult to beat. This is followed by an open meeting shared with the Wanderers at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club on the 10-11 May which always provides close and competitive inland water sailing. Both these events are shared with the Wanderer fleet and we are delighted to able to pair up at a few venues in 2025.
Moving towards the middle of the year, we have a double header of open meetings at Aldeburgh Yacht Club and Banbury Sailing Club (7-8 June). Both these events were excellently run in 2024 by both venues and offer picturesque sailing at some delightful venues. We then have a short gap before a great opportunity to race at Whitstable Yacht Club, a premier venue on the Kent coast, running alongside the Wanderer National Championships (28-29 June) before a welcome return to Medway Yacht Club on the 12-13 July.
The summer presents an opportunity to race at numerous regatta weeks (Falmouth (8-17 Aug), Poole Week (24-29th August) but this year we have our International Championships in Denmark (2-10th August). Held every three years with the last We close the summer with the opportunity of a trip "up north" and a return to Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club (30-31 August).
In addition to our open meetings and International Championships, we are looking forward to the 2025 Wayfarer National Championships, which will take place at the fantastic venue of Shoreham Sailing Club in September (4-7th September). This annual event is a highlight of the Wayfarer racing calendar, featuring a series of challenging races, social events, and opportunities to meet fellow sailors from across the country. Last year, Wayfarer legends Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend regained their title at a windy event excellently hosted at Paignton Sailing Club. Can they retain the title this year? We encourage all Wayfarer racers to participate and make the most of this exciting opportunity to race at a fantastic sea venue.
The season closes with a trip to Northampton Sailing Club for the Inland Championships (27-28th September) which should give everyone a relatively short trip for a competitive championship, this time shared with the Larks. The Inland championship is always a great event and Northampton offers an excellent venue. We close the season with the traditional finale to be held at Bough Beech Sailing Club at Edenbridge (8-9th Nov) where the reigning Club Team from this year's nationals will be keen to put on a good performance on home waters.
Finally, we want to extend a sincere thank you to our sponsors (Craftinsure, Hartley Boats, McNamara Sails and Allen Brothers) and supporters/volunteers who continue to back the Wayfarer Class racing in the UK. Their contributions are vital in helping us create an enriching and enjoyable experience for all members. We are eager to see new faces on the water, so please spread the word about our upcoming events to anyone who might be interested in joining the Wayfarer racing community across the UK.
Happy sailing!
Current Racing dates for the Wayfarers in 2025:
Generously supported by Craftinsure, Hartley Boats, McNamara Sails and Allen Brothers
- 5-6 April - Season Opener - Datchet Water Sailing Club
- 10-11 May - Open Meeting (shared with Wanderers) - West Oxfordshire Sailing Club
- 7-8 June - Open Meetings - Aldeburgh Yacht Club & Banbury Sailing Club
- 28-29 June - Open Meeting (alongside Wanderer Nationals) - Whitstable Yacht Club
- 12-13 July - Open Meeting - Medway Yacht Club
- 2-10 August - Wayfarer International Championships - Skive Sailing Club (Denmark)
- 30-31 August - Open Meeting - Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club
- 4-7 September - Wayfarer National Championships - Shoreham Sailing Club
- 27-28 September - Inland Championships - Northampton Sailing Club
- 8-9 November - Season Finale - Bough Beech Sailing Club