2025 ILCA UK National Open 2 at the WPNSA - ILCA 4 fleet report

The second ILCA UK National Open event of the season took place at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) over the weekend of 22-23 March 2025. A competitive fleet of 49 ILCA4 sailors took to the water, eager to test themselves in a range of challenging conditions. Parents were notably missing the TracTrac trackers this weekend, but the fleet delivered plenty of action to make up for it.

Race 1 opened the event in a steady 10 knots, with Tom Semmens immediately setting the standard for the weekend. Winning the pin at the start, he headed left and led from the front to secure the first bullet. Leo Gosling, making his debut in the UK ILCA4 fleet, showed impressive downwind speed to take second, while Thomas Saunders rounded out the top three.

As the wind built to 14 knots for Race 2, hiking conditions came into play, and Leo Gosling capitalised on the stronger breeze to secure his first win of the event. Chloe Grayton sailed consistently to take second, with Ethan Rhodes finishing a solid third in a spread-out fleet.

ILCA 4 UK National Open 2 at the WPNSA - photo © James Harle

Race 3 saw the wind drop off to around 5 knots, forcing the race committee to shorten the outer loop and consider an early finish. Finding pressure was key, and a significant right shift on the second beat increased the challenge, but Leo Gosling handled the tricky conditions to claim another victory. Ollie Atkin adapted well to the light breeze to secure second, while Felix Harle demonstrated his skills in the dying wind to take third in a tight finish.

Day 2

Sunday morning greeted the fleet with an early breeze of 18-20 knots, and the race committee decided to stay inside the harbour, much to the relief of many sailors.

Race 4 delivered a closely fought contest, with Ollie Atkin rounding the windward mark first, chased by Tom Saunders and Chloe Grayton. Tom Semmens soon joined the battle. Chloe Grayton edged ahead on the final downwind leg to take the win, with Zac Chappell, Leo Gosling, Merry Lewis, and Harry Dence all in the mix for the top positions.

The breeze began to ease for Race 5, allowing Merry Lewis to capitalise and lead at the windward mark. She was joined by a leading group including Tom Semmens, Phillipa Knights, Will Moss, Noah Mathers, and Nina Marsh. Will Moss eventually edged ahead to secure his first race win of the event, while Tom Semmens kept himself in the fight for the overall title with a strong second place, and Merry Lewis claimed third.

ILCA 4 UK National Open 2 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

Heading into the final race, Leo Gosling and Chloe Grayton were tied at the top of the leaderboard, with Tom Semmens sitting in third. Leo and Chloe found themselves tangled in the fleet, while Tom Semmens built an early gap and held his lead to take the race win. Noah Mathers followed in second, with Jacob Jull securing third.

Tom Semmens' strong finish was enough to secure a narrow overall victory, with Chloe Grayton taking second and Leo Gosling completing the podium in third.

A huge thank you to the race committee for delivering another full and varied regatta at the awesome WPNSA, and to event sponsors SailingFast and Rooster for the fantastic prizes awarded during the prize draw - keeping the crowds engaged right to the end.

Series and Event Sponsors: Noble Marine, Sailingfast, Rooster, Ovington Boats, Trac Trac/Blue Sky, Tideway Wealth.

Interviews with Competitors on the ILCA UK Facebook Page

Overall Results:

ILCA 4 UK National Open 2 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com