12sqM Sharpie European Championship 2025 at Brancaster Staithe Sailing Club

by James Case 17 Aug 23:11 BST 10-15 August 2025

European Championship at Brancaster Staithe © James Case

The Sharpie class continues to thrive thanks to classic gaff rig and sleek lines, Olympic pedigree, competitive racing, and 94 years of history handed down through many family generations in the Sharpie class, very often in the same boats.

Seventy years ago, both my parents crewed Sharpies in the Duke of Connaught week at BSSC, preceding the Olympic trials for Melbourne in 1956.

That meeting was unique as the 30 strong fleet included five Dutch boats who dominated the event, albeit unable to attend the Olympics due to politics. The advent of the current European Championship format began in 1964.

This week's euros fleet of 48 boats contained eleven Sharpies also on the 1955 list including this year's winning boat, NED 128 Spotvogel.

European Championship at Brancaster Staithe - photo © James Case

NED210 Rakker (Now GBR136) was at both events, with members of the same Van Wijk family sailing NED 76 Lightning this week, the UK Bronze medal winning boat GBR63 Chuckles was at both events.

Brancaster Staithe SC delivered the perfect championships, both on and off the water, with free camping and free post racing beer!

PRO Andy Turner delivered a full ten race programme at sea during a rare sun drenched championship, with variable but sailable winds, fortunately avoiding a difficult Northerly blow until the day after the racing had concluded!

European Championship at Brancaster Staithe - photo © James Case

Well drilled beach teams, plus nine or ten RIBs launched, towed, and cajoled the fleet to sea and back in a seamless logistical operation, greatly appreciated by the competitors, enabling the longest possible racing time on the tidal waters.

No single boat dominated the racing, giving 5 different race winners, with the consistent eventual champions NED 128 Patrick van Raalte and Jeroen Kool failing to win a single race. Triple race wins for NED119 Doordrijver - Tom Weller and Jeroen van Veen were accompanied by some heavy numbers, leaving the outcome of the event open to five possible winners on the last day. The above mentioned two boats, joined by former champions Daan Versteeg and Marcel Verlaan in NED14, Klaus Eisenblatter and Sven Ove Baumgartner in GER377, and NED15 All Weather helmed by class newcomer Wouter Stiphout and stalwart Ton van Berkel, all had a chance of the title.

European Championship at Brancaster Staithe - photo © James Case

A familiar name in OK class circles Alex Scoles, and Dugan Aylen in Tern1 - GBR71 came good at the end of the week with a 3,3,1 finishing as top UK Sharpie.

The "Sharpie family" had rallied round pre championships, returning rarely sailed boats to raceable condition and matching keen new crews to loaned boats, five under 18 teams new to the class sailed the week. The recently relaxed class rules also allowed Alastair Drew to sail "3 up" with his two children in GBR77, aged 10 and 8!

The final results swung heavily after the last day's races, with some previous contenders posting results in the teens, and four boats falling victim to the black flag on the final race. Congratulations to Patrick van Raalte and Jeroen Kool on winning, this was Patrick's sixth title, and the eighth for his Sharpie Spotvogel!

Next year sees the Championship rotate to Portugal as host nation, retaining the unique European flavour of this endearing class.

European Championship at Brancaster Staithe - photo © James Case

Overall Results:

Pos	Name	Sail No	Helm	Crew	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Pts
1st	Spotvogel	128	Patrick van Raalte	Jeroen Kool	2	2	4	5	3	‑8	‑6	2	6	4	28
2nd	Doordrijver	119	Tom Weller	Jeroen van Veen	1	6	1	3	‑15	1	8	5	7	(BFD)	32
3rd	Donderstien	14	Daan Versteeg	Marcel Verlaan	8	1	‑13	7	6	2	7	1	4	‑14	36
4th	Bunyip	377	Klaus Eisenblaetter	Sven Ove Baumgartner	3	8	10	4	1	(BFD)	1	6	‑13	3	36
5th	All Weather	15	Wouter Stiphout	Ton van Berkel	‑27	9	14	1	2	6	2	‑16	1	2	37
6th	Tern I	71	Alex Scoles	Dugan Aylen	5	‑34	9	12	8	9	‑13	3	3	1	50
7th	Annamarie	9	Paddy Spink	Tim Andrews	‑11	10	2	11	‑13.5	10	5	7	2	6	53
8th	Lightning	76	Bouw van Wijk	Bouwie van Wijk	6	7	3	10	‑12	(BFD)	4	12	5	9	56
9th	Windspiel	125	Chris Gibbs	Tim Gibbs	9	5	7	8	‑11	4	‑21	8	8	8	57
10th	Bries	8	Jan Pieter Braam	Ingrid Braam	7	12	16	2	‑25	5	9	‑19	15	5	71
11th	Rockabye	12	Will Gibbs	Charlie Orton	4	3	12	‑14	4	14	(OCS)	11	14	11	73
12th	Sirius II	138	Sam Neal	Nick Loweth	‑17	11	5	9	‑19	7	15	9	10	13	79
13th	Rakker	136	James Nunn	Mark Whitaker	16	‑17	6	6	9	15	12	10	‑20	7	81
14th	Wodan	145	Dennis van Vliet	Ben Kloos	10	4	‑25	15	10	11	(OCS)	4	11	17	82
15th	Skybird	127	Adam Anthony	Gus Marshall – Andrew	‑22	13	8	‑19	7	3	14	17	12	16	90
16th	Geep	181	Frank Steeneken	Jitze Hazendonk	(RET)	(RET)	23	13	5	12	3	18	25	26	125
17th	Poelsnip	135	Martin Read	Sally Wynne	18	16	18	‑35	18	13	10	27	19	(BFD)	139
18th	Witwiek	94	Derk Jan Konijnenberg	Patrick Neal	15	19	11	‑34	23	16	11	23	‑30	21	139
19th	Brandaris	55	Arie van Vliet	Ronald v d Poel	14	14	21	23	27	‑34	17	14	16	(BFD)	146
20th	Saint	123	Eric Payens	Lotte Koome	13	24	20	26	‑36	19	18	‑29	17	10	147
21st	Marionette	57	Ben Johnson	Will Worsley	23	15	19	‑28	13.5	‑38	28	21	24	12	155.5
22nd	Fuut	226	Richard Mulderij	Izzy Mulderij	21	18	15	‑37	‑33	20	25	13	21	24	157
23rd	Adventurer (GBR69)	69	Kai Kulle	Emma Kulle	12	21	‑37	24	‑30	18	20	24	26	23	168
24th	Chuckles	63	Brian Lambert	Rosie Newport	24	20	‑32	‑32	17	32	23	25	18	18	177
25th	Capella	128	Alex Smith	Paul Beachell	20	29	22	‑30	28	26	22	22	9	(BFD)	178
26th	Houri	3	Henry Burkitt	James Nye	‑28	22	27	20	22	23	‑29	15	22	27	178
27th	Cassiopea	75	Ben Goakes	Paul & Liberty Goakes	‑40	‑35	24	25	16	17	31	30	31	15	189
28th	Sea Witch	101	Magnus Medcalf	Harry Spink	29	28	29	18	21	22	‑34	‑35	23	20	190
29th	Westwind	131	Stuart MacCallum	Jim Church	19	25	‑36	29	20	27	16	33	32	(RET)	201
30th	Redwing	78	Chris Hardy	Alex Mulderij	32	23	28	16	24	21	33	31	(RET)	‑34	208
31st	Maid of Arnhem	77	Alastair Drew	Henry & Emily Drew	‑38	30	31	17	29	25	37	‑45	28	19	216
32nd	Titania	16	Andrew Cracknell	Justine Sykes	31	31	26	31	‑34	30	24	‑40	29	22	224
33rd	Poejse	134	Will Adams	Olly Adams	‑36	27	34	21	35	24	‑39	32	27	28	228
34th	Luffa	123	Sarah Kemp	Will Knights	26	26	30	27	‑44	31	35	‑36	36	30	241
35th	Rose of Sharon	105	Will Ellison	Tom Godwin	25	32	43	36	38	29	19	20	(DNC)	(DNC)	242
36th	Madrigal	129	Tim Ashby	Charlie Borthwick	30	33	‑35	‑39	32	28	32	28	35	25	243
37th	Miranda	106	Bruce Kemp	Kata Kemp	‑39	36	17	22	39	39	‑44	34	37	29	253
38th	Dita	31	Holly Newport	Sam Worsley	35	41	33	33	26	(BFD)	38	38	(RET)	DNS	292
39th	Dragonera	122	Elliot Hall	Mia Hall	‑46	43	41	44	46	(BFD)	27	26	33	35	295
40th	Teriodin	79	Sam Moore	Tansy Moore	37	38	39	40	‑42	33	40	‑41	38	32	297
41st	Tern III	95	Keith Painter	Maddie Gibbs	41	40	38	42	‑47	35	41	‑43	40	31	308
42nd	Whimbrel	100	Rod Thorpe	Angela Cracknell	33	37	(DNC)	(DNC)	37	RET	NSC	37	34	33	309
43rd	Liebchen	132	Simon Neale	Darnell Empson	34	45	40	38	40	(BFD)	30	39	(RET)	DNS	314
44th	Northern Lights	116	Minty Petch	Kate Stevens	45	42	42	41	31	36	(DNS)	‑46	41	38	316
45th	Kelpie	102	Georgie Child	Jemma Macfadyen	42	39	44	43	‑45	37	43	(RET)	39	37	324
46th	Ghost	133	John Corney	Matt Whitaker	43	(RET)	(DNC)	DNS	48	BFD	26	42	42	36	334
47th	Southern Cross	111	James Ashby	An Ashby	44	‑46	(RET)	45	41	40	42	44	44	39	339
48th	Kira	363	Marie Kulle	Freya Worpenberg	47	44	DNS	(DNS)	43	(BFD)	36	47	43	40	347