PRO-SET Epoxy and Ovington Boats Flying Fifteen Worlds at the WPNSA, UK - Day 1
by Mark Jardine 16 Aug 2025 22:05 BST
16-21 August 2025
'Glamour' was the word used by many of the sailors when they came ashore on Impact Marine Race Day at the Flying Fifteen Worlds, headline sponsored by PRO-SET Epoxy and Ovington Boats. A 15 to 22 knot easterly with a big rolling swell and sunshine made for a perfect start to the event.
The fleet of 82 boats was clearly exceedingly keen to get racing, as it took them four attempts to get away in the first race. Race Officer Mark 'Woodsy' Woods kept things in control with the Black Flag to tame the fleet, and the second start took only a single general recall to get the sailors on their way.
The upwind legs often had boats, and sometimes the sailors themselves, hidden behind waves, while the downwind legs provided a thrilling sleigh ride down the waves.
For Graham Vials and Chris Turner it wasn't just the conditions which were perfect, as they opened up a five point lead on their nearest competitors after collecting the winner's gun in both of today's races. The five-time world champions put their mixed Pre-Worlds behind them to power to two exceptional wins, including coming out just on top of a superb tussle with Ben McGrane and Russ Clark in Race 2.
Chris Turner said after the day, "A nice day, plenty of wind, bumpy sea and an even racecourse. It was glamour out there, it doesn't get any better than that; windy, wavy, sunny, the water's quite warm, what more could you want? To come away with two firsts makes it even better!"
On the ding-dong battle with McGrane and Clark, Chris added, "It was a bit stressful. On the first drop of the run I managed to get the spinnaker guy under the bow, so I had to get forward to sort that out, which had me gasping for air at the bottom end of the beat, and then at the windward mark we managed to get the spinnaker sheet wrapped in the mainsheet, so when I pulled the spinnaker sheet it pulled the mainsheet into the block at the transom and I couldn't sheet on. Graham and I had to pull the two sheets apart, trying to get them to separate, but then Ben and Russ had a problem on the gybe, so we came through again."
Russ Clark added his thoughts on the day and the battle with Graham and Chris, "It was a belter. 20-knot easterly with a lumpy sea state that was probably six feet in places, and a very enthusiastic fleet on the startline made for a cracking day to start. In the second race Graham and Chris had a slight problem with the final spinnaker hoist on the final lap, so we fizzed away, but then the outboard end of the spinnaker came off. We managed to get it back on with a bit of jiggery pokery, but not quick enough to stop them coming through.
Ian Pinnell & Ian Codwallader finished the day in second place after a fourth and a third in the two races, which left Pinnell feeling very happy as he described, "It was champagne sailing in those waves. Really good. We were quite quick today, especially down the reaches on the last lap."
Greg Wells has been a regular Flying Fifteen sailor for many a year, and seems to be finding top form in 2025, finishing 13th in the Pre-Worlds and now lying eighth overall in the Worlds after the first day of racing, which he's particularly happy about, "We're not one of the heavier crews at 165kg, so it's hard work for us in that chop to keep the boat driving, but thankfully one of the advantages of not being heavy is we have rocketship downwind speed, and we went from 11th round the windward mark to fourth on the first run in the second race. Woodsy set a beautiful set of reaches today which kept us hiking on the end of our toes, depowering everything we could out of the mainsail, but we held on and it was great fun.
On the lasting appeal of the Flying Fifteen, Greg added, "It just fits a superb purpose. The raked-back design of the keel and rudder looks a bit odd compared to modern boats, but if you've ever sailed in an estuary where there's loads of weed, you don't have to worry about things like that. The same if you go aground, like in Poole Harbour, you can just push off and get back in the boat. It's a really clever design that has been thoughtfully modernised over the years, and so here we have 82 boats which are pretty much the same speed."
Ben Cooper from Lymington described the day as one of the best day's sailing he'd had for a long time: "It was bumpy, not very shifty, and a brilliant job by the Race Committee made for a really fun day out on the water. Everyone had a bit of itchy fingers at the first start, but the Race Officer did a great job pulling everybody back, and it was fourth start lucky - our worst start, but never mind!"
Australian sailor Peter Barblett, crewing for Greg Leaversuch in the aptly-named 'Glamour Buoys' are in 33rd after a mixed day on the water as he recounted, "Quite exciting at times and disastrous at others. I think I may be a little bit too old now for the heavy stuff, but I love it. They turned it on really well here today, the Race Officer did well, we got away after a couple of starts and it was all good fun! The downwind legs were sensational - some great rides where we took a lot of people, but then lost them uphill."
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club sailor Carlyon Knight-Evans, crewed by Howard Williams on Snaffu are lying in 58th after the first day and described how fun was had throughout the fleet, "It was awesome today, great fun and a bit challenging for us, but we really enjoyed it. We got the wind we were expecting, the sun was out, so happy days!"
There was a bit of damage in the boisterous conditions, with one boat holed in a collision, while Alastair Stevenson and David Culpan lost their mast when a shroud broke at the spreader in the second race. Both are hoping to get back out on the race course as soon as possible.
The tired but happy fleet was greeted with bowls of pasta in the boatpark at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, starting their recuperation ahead of Sunday's racing, where more of the same is forecast. Glamour conditions for a glamorous fleet.
More information on the event noticeboard here.
Full results so far can be found here.