Ovington Boats K1 Midland Area Championship 2025 at Bartley Sailing Club

Ovington Boats K1 Midland Area Championship at Bartley © Ellie McCusker

Bartley Sailing Club hosted the K1 Midland Area Championship on Sunday, June 15, 2025, an event shared with the Streaker Class and proudly sponsored by Ovington Boats.

Competitors travelled from as far as Salcombe and Llanfwrog sailing clubs, with 12 sailors taking to the reservoir for a day of competitive racing.

The event delivered exciting and close competition, with three different winners across the three races and the first seven places filled by competitors from different clubs. In addition to the prestigious Midland Trophy, prizes were also awarded to those who exceeded their predetermined predicted place by the largest margin.

The first race saw light winds, with the journey to the first mark hotly contested. Leighton King and Chris Swallow favoured the left side of the first beat, while Ian Duke tacked early to the right. Mark Walker showed early pace at the front, ahead of local favourite Jeremy Shinton. The shifting wind, oscillating between South West and West, played a crucial role in determining finishing positions.

Frensham's Jeremy Hudson masterfully navigated these shifts, working his way through the fleet to finish second behind Leighton King, who had established an unassailable lead.

Ovington Boats K1 Midland Area Championship at Bartley - photo © Ellie McCusker

After a lunch break, the fleet returned to the water as the wind strengthened for the remainder of the day.

Sailing the same course — two beats, two broad reaches, and two close reaches — the fleet enjoyed another clean start. The two Jeremys, Hudson and Shinton, got away cleanly, rounding the first mark ahead of the fleet. They battled intensely for the lead, with Shinton's local knowledge keeping him ahead of Hudson. In the chasing pack, Geoff King showed good speed, while Richard Sims, the picture of consistency, slipped past Ian Duke on the final beat, covering him tack-for-tack to the finish. Ian, in turn, ensured Leighton could not find a clear channel to overtake.

The third race provided the day's closest racing among a breakaway group of four boats. On the second lap, Leighton initially hit the windward mark, and while completing his turn, he impeded the advancing boats, necessitating additional turns. For this, he was humorously awarded an Ovington T-shirt for the "most spins." This allowed Ian Duke to momentarily take the lead, only for him to drop his tiller and hit the leeward mark, requiring him to complete a turn as well.

Ovington Boats K1 Midland Area Championship at Bartley - photo © Ian Duke

With places constantly switching, the race was tightly fought right to the end, with Jeremy Hudson ultimately triumphing and the final event outcome decided on countback.

Further back in the fleet, long-time K1 sailor Alan Birch delivered a consistent performance to finish eighth. His excellent effort saw him beat his predicted place by the largest margin, earning him a very well-deserved First BYPP (Beat Your Predicted Place) prize. The ever-improving Doug McCusker took home the Second BYPP prize.

Jeremy Hudson extended his thanks to the Race Officer and all the dedicated volunteers at Bartley Sailing Club for a fabulous day of racing. The K1 Midland Trophy was deservedly won by Jeremy Hudson, capping off a memorable championship.

Ovington Boats K1 Midland Area Championship at Bartley - photo © Ian Duke

Overall Results:

Ovington Boats K1 Midland Area Championship at Bartley - photo © Ian Duke