Mirror Northern Area Championship 2026 at Sunderland Yacht Club

Dave and Edward Gebahrd at the Mirror Northern Area Championship at Sunderland © Ashley Bel

Joshua and Austin Gebhard win the Mirror Northern Area Championship at Sunderland © David Matthews

Sunderland Yacht Club welcomed twelve Mirrors to the 2026 Northern Area Championship over the weekend of 6th & 7th June. On Saturday, following careful examination of the conditions in Seaburn bay, the experienced SYC race officer (Mr David Addison) decided to organise sailing within the confines of Sunderland harbour.

Despite the continuous harbour dredging operations there was still enough room available to run a windward/leeward course on the falling tide. All twelve boats launched under grey skies with a fresh South-South-Easterly wind. The compact race course provided for close racing and some lively surfing on the downwind leg. Race one was won by Andy/Olivia Tunnicliffe from Phil/Lucy Smith, followed by Josh/Austin Gebhard. In view of the prevailing weather conditions and the falling tide the race officer decided to abandon sailing for the day and get everyone safely ashore. An afternoon of pool in the clubhouse and a trip to the ice cream shop ensued for many.

Sunday dawned with sunshine and a building breeze, and with the wind shifting to a SW direction a much flatter sea state. The fleet planned for four races to make up for Saturday and launched in 25kts of breeze, quickly heading out of the safety of the harbour into the open North Sea. Sailing past a pod of Dolphins on the way to the start helped kept the numerous young crews distracted from the reality of the conditions.

Race one started promptly with a windward/leeward course. Phil/Lucy Smith led from Andrew/Olivia at the windward mark with James/Felix Eastbury hot on their heels. A vicious gust on the run had James/Felix capsize to windward on the run and with it ended their days sailing after a swim in the very chilly North Sea. Brain failure on the part of team Smith led to rounding the leeward mark the incorrect way, with Andy/Olivia following suit. The rest of the fleet made no such mistake with David/Edward Gebhard sailing a solid race in building breeze to win from Tim/Benji Hall.

As the breeze and sea state continued to build, Andy/Olivia and Jethro/Evelyn Gebhard called it a day and followed James/Felix home. Race two saw Oliver/Naomi Smith lead at the windward mark, being overhauled by Phil/Lucy on the run who went on to win the race. A battle between David/Edward and Oliver/Naomi looked to be playing out in the Gebhard's favour, until the final short beat from the leeward mark to the finish line, when Josh/Austin and Becky Priest/Ella Saunders came storming through to take second and third respectively.

Race three saw a change of course to a triangle. Becky/Ella continued their good form, leading at the windward mark but being chased hard by Josh/Austin and Tim/Benji. The breeze was building and it's unclear whether some of the fleet were opting not to fly spinnakers due to conditions or gear failure. After a great race Josh/Austin pulled through to beat Becky/Ella on the finish line.

With deteriorating conditions, the Race Officer rightly called an end to the days racing. Everyone sailed home in challenging conditions, but the numerous dolphins sailing in and around the boats made for a fantastic experience that money couldn't buy.

Joshua and Austin Gebhard win the Mirror Northern Area Championship at Sunderland - photo © Ashley Bel

As the scores were counted, Josh/Austin were declared deserved winners, with Phil/Lucy second, David/Edward third, Becky/Ella fourth.

Special mention to David Carpenter from SYC who sailed in his first event and very much threw himself into the spirit of the Mirror fleet by standing chest deep in the sea to aid other teams launch and recover.

A huge thanks to SYC - for the amazing onshore hospitality and first-class race management, as is standard from this great venue. The dolphins are a real bonus and delight too.

Date for the diary - Mirror Nationals 2026 will be held at Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club with racing July 26th - 28th. This event is being held to remember and celebrate the life of Jackie Gebhard.

Overall Results: