Gill Xtremity 420 Inland Championships 2025 at Rutland Sailing Club

by Ralph Cawthorne & Harry George 17 Mar 14:49 GMT 15-16 March 2025

Rutland Water played host to the highly anticipated GBR 420 Class Inland Championships this past weekend, where the UK's most promising youth sailing talents converged for two days of tactical racing and fierce competition.

The event, held at Rutland Sailing Club, saw 28 teams battle for supremacy in this crucial stop on the 420 class calendar.

Challenging Inland Conditions

Rutland Water's infamous shifty winds lived up to their reputation, providing a stern test for competitors. Day one delivered moderate northeasterly breezes of 8-12 knots with frequent 30-degree shifts that kept teams constantly adjusting and reassessing their strategy. Day two introduced slightly stronger conditions with 10-14 knots, allowing the more athletic crews to showcase their trapezing skills.

Race Officers Stoggs and Antonio managed to complete the full schedule of seven races across the weekend.

The championships showcased remarkable talent across the fleet, with particularly tight racing at the front. The team of William Fletcher and Matthew Rayner emerged as overall champions, demonstrating exceptional consistency with no finish outside the top five across all races. Their upwind speed in the shifty conditions proved decisive, particularly during the challenging middle races on day one.

Boats in second and third finished on equal points adding to the final day excitement. Two day 1 bullet finishes gave the second place to mixed pairing of Joe Jones and Hennie Burlton, who mounted a serious challenge on day one but couldn't quite overcome their more inconsistent results from the second day. The duo showed formidable upwind decision making, especially in the gusting conditions of Saturday morning. Completing the top trio were Harry George and Ralph Cawthorne missing out on the silver by 1 bullet compared to the 2 of Joe and Hennie. This pairing, notorious for their downwind speed, had some good starts and gains on their upwinds.

The top placed all female boat of India Eastwood and Isla Fletcher finished fourth overall. A consistent weekend with many moments of leading the fleet ensured their success in this category.

Youth Development on Display

The event highlighted the strength of the UK's 420 development pathway, with several graduates from the junior classes posting impressive championship results. The U17 top prize went to a new pairing of Sebby Bailey and Tom Eastwood, narrowly beating Pippa Shepherd and Lauren Mecklenburgh.

Particularly noteworthy was the performance of first time team of Hugh Walker and William Keys-Batson in their first ever 420 event.

GBR 420 Class Association Chair, Gareth Greenfield, expressed satisfaction with the technical standard on display: "What we're seeing is the result of our structured winter training program really paying dividends. The level of boat handling and tactical awareness has notably improved across the entire fleet."

The event marked another successful championship hosted by Rutland Sailing Club, with the added extra of a sailor social event on the Saturday evening. The fancy dress theme of UK icons led to costumes ranging from the Spice Girls to Peaky Blinders. Well done to the team of Bananas in Pyjamas for winning 'the most creative' prize.

Looking Ahead to Selection Events

For many teams, the Inland Championships represented the first selection event that will determine GBR representatives at the World and European Championships in the summer of 2025. The second selection event takes place at the Royal Southern Yacht club in two weeks' time with the final event in the series being the RYA Youth Nationals in Pwllheli. The race for selection remains wide open, though this weekend's top performers have certainly established themselves as the crews to beat.

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Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Pts
1st	57411	William Fletcher	Matthew Rayner	Royal Southern YC	2	1	2	2	‑4	3	4	14
2nd	57501	Joe Jones	Hennie Burlton	Burghfield SC/Royal Southern YC	1	5	4	1	6	4	‑10	21
3rd	57477	Harry George	Ralph Cawthorne	Lymington Town SC	5	2	3	4	‑9	1	6	21
4th	54482	India Eastwood	Isla Fletcher	Itchenor SC	6	6	1	6	3	6	‑8	28
5th	56007	Laragh Epstein	Charlie Howard	CBYC	‑10	4	10	3	2	8	2	29
6th	56954	Sabine Potter	Merle Nieuwland	Warsash SC	7	3	6	7	7	2	‑9	32
7th	57701	Hugo Fletcher	Alex Flint	Royal Southern YC	8	9	8	5	1	‑10	3	34
8th	57004	Zac Shepherd	Bea Greenfield	Itchenor SC	11	8	9	‑13	8	5	5	46
9th	54483	Patrick Bromilow	Tom Kelsall	West Kirby SC	3	(UFD)	7	8	5	UFD	1	53
10th	56467	Arthur Greaves	Angus McEwen	Royal Lymington YC	4	10	11	11	(UFD)	14	7	57
11th	57502	Tabitha Davies	Sophia Sfaxi	Royal Lymington YC/Trearddur Bay SC	9	7	14	19	‑22	7	13	69
12th	57274	Ella Martin	George Self	Cardiff Bay YC	13	11	13	14	‑20	9	11	71
13th	56383	Ed Upton‑Brown	James Davies	Bosham SC/Itchenor SC	15	14	‑24	10	17	11	12	79
14th	57499	Jessica Skelding	Edie Carter	Winsford Flash SC	‑21	12	5	16	15	19	16	83
15th	54983	Fin Waterhouse	Chris Hampshire	Budworth SC	16	18	‑19	18	11	12	17	92
16th	57349	Sebby Bailey	Tom Eastwood	Oxford SC	19	17	17	‑20	12	17	15	97
17th	57224	Pippa Shepherd	Lauren Mecklenburgh	Itchenor SC	‑26	16	23	15	14	15	14	97
18th	54849	Olivia Creasy	Adela Jiraskova	West Kirby SC	(DNF)	22	22	9	10	16	19	98
19th	56339	Isobel Sandow	Edie Rogers	Trearddur Bay SC /West Kirby SC	14	(DNC)	12	12	24	23	20	105
20th	55189	Jasper Bramwell	Eva Murphy	Hollingworth Lake SC	12	19	15	22	13	‑25	24	105
21st	55854	Nia Mecklenburgh	Adam Aziz	RLymYC	20	15	16	21	16	18	‑23	106
22nd	57289	Charlotte Self	Zach Aziz	Cardiff Bay YC	17	20	18	‑25	21	13	18	107
23rd	55169	Callum Harris	Fraser Ferguson	Bough Beech SC/Shoreham SC	‑23	13	20	17	23	22	21	116
24th	52915	Freya Halsall	Alexandra Miller	Oxford SC	18	25	‑27	23	19	21	26	132
25th	55871	Hugh Walker	William Keys‑Batson	Southwold SC	25	23	25	‑26	25	20	22	140
26th	55244	Hector Davies	Lucas McLaughlin	Royal Lymington YC	22	21	21	24	‑27	27	25	140
27th	54418	Tabi Blackman Northwood	Jenna Berry	Hunts SC	24	24	26	(DNF)	26	26	27	153
28th	56091	Niamh Epstein	Molly Martin	CBYC	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	18	24	DNF	158