K1 Inland Championship 2026 at Burton Sailing Club

If you have never visited Burton Sailing Club, you are missing a treat. Founded in 1902, BSC has a proud 120-year history. Originally based on the River Trent in Burton upon Trent, the club now benefits from excellent sailing facilities at Foremark Reservoir, set in the striking Derbyshire countryside at the heart of the National Forest.

Sixteen K1 sailors travelled from all four points of the compass to Burton's central location, some coming from as far afield as the Lake District and the east coast.

K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © Ian Duke

Training Day

The training day with Simon and Ben Hawkes, a father-and-son duo, was held on Friday, which also happened to be Ben's birthday. It featured plenty of valuable tips, video analysis, and good-humoured banter. Simon and Ben, both K1 national champions, clearly know how to get the best from the boat. Their training sessions are essential for anyone looking to improve their racing skills, covering topics such as boat setup, tactics, and K1-specific sailing techniques.

The next opportunity will be at the Datchet Water SC Open and Southern Championships meeting — be there if you wanna go faster.

Saturday dawned with a gentle westerly breeze across most of the lake, punctuated by unevenly spaced dark patches. Joining the dots was going to be the order of the day, and keeping momentum through the lulls would be key.

At the briefing, Chris Swallow, the club commodore and legendary K1 sailor, welcomed the fleet to the spiritual home of the K1 having held the first two Class National Championships at the club. This was followed by race officer John Edwards, who outlined the two course options planned for the six-race schedule. Windward-leeward and trapezoidal courses gave plenty of opportunities for tactical racing.

K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © John Edwards

Race 1

A five-lap windward-leeward course in light, shifty conditions set the tone. Jeremy Shinton and Swallow managed to break away from the pack and built a significant margin to the finish, crossing in that order, with Richard Sims coming in third.

Race 2

Another windward-leeward race followed, with Graham Butler starting at the wrong end of the line — or perhaps not. He pulled out into the lead and was never really challenged, with Jeremy Hudson and Andrew Wilson finishing second and third. The racing through the fleet was extremely tight, with almost every position under pressure.

K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © John Edwards

Race 3

For Race 3, the RO decided to vary the racecourse and set a trapezoidal course in similarly light and variable conditions. The layout enabled place changes on every leg, which meant no position was ever safe. Spotting the gusts was key to doing well.

Again, Butler made a good start and owned the first windward mark. The battle continued throughout the fleet, and eventually Ian Duke and Shinton claimed second and third.

This left the overnight leaders as Butler, Wilson, and Duke, with racing set to resume the following day before discards were applied.

K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © John Edwards

Evening Social

The evening featured an excellent French-themed meal of beef bourguignon, along with plenty of laughter and sailing stories.

The Sunday forecast predicted strengthening south-westerly winds throughout the day, with threatening rain clouds overhead.

Race 4

Race 4 was sailed on a trapezoidal course in highly variable conditions. Swallow went left and managed to round the windward mark in first place. Positions changed constantly, and no lead was secure. Eventually, Sims managed to overhaul Swallow, to pull clear and take the bullet, with Mark Stones and Wilson second and third respectively.

K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © John Edwards

Race 5

The course remained the same, but with the wind shifting towards the north and building, the marks were adjusted accordingly. As the breeze increased, it became a real leg stretcher and led me to consider adding more pies to my diet. Sims was now getting into his fun zone and was able to truck upwind with speed. Stones also showed great pace and stayed right with him. The top three were Simms, Stones, and Michael Clayton.

Race 6

For the final race, the RO reverted to a windward-leeward course where positions remained uncertain throughout, and a major wind shift with a long port beat added to the challenge. Sims did it again and pulled out a lead, with Wilson and Clayton behind him in that order.

Richard Sims, overall winner - K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © Ian Duke

Age Categories:

1st Masters (60-65) Graham Butler
1st Seniors (65-70) Jeremy Shinton
1st Veterans (70+) Richard Sims

BYPP (Beat Your Predicted Place):

1st BYPP Mike Clayton
2nd BYPP Graham Butler
3rd BYPP Ian Duke

Going into the event each competitor has a predicted finishing place. Those who beat their predicted place by the greatest margin win the BYPP Prizes.

Andrew Wilson, second overall - K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © Ian Duke

Additional prizes were distributed throughout the fleet, kindly donated by the class sponsors Ovington and Craftinsure.

The racing throughout the fleet was extremely close and highly competitive.

Thanks go to Burton Sailing Club for an excellent weekend, both on and off the water, and to race officer John Edwards for great course management in tricky conditions.

Jeremy Shinton, winner of the Seniors Trophy and the Craftinsure Rooster Jacket - K1 Inland Championship at Burton - photo © Ian Duke

Overall Results: