2026 Flying Fifteen National Championship Preview

by UK Flying Fifteen Association 18 Jun 14:24 BST 9-12 July 2026

A return to Tees & Hartlepool YC and a different emphasis this year

Entry is open and final preparations under way for the 2026 Flying Fifteen National Championship which takes place from 9th - 12th July at Tees & Hartlepool Yacht Club, our first return to this club in some 25 years.

It's fair to say that this year's Nationals will have a very different flavour when compared to the same event in 2025, that being the highly-charged final qualification event for the World Championship that took place the following week - all very glamourous and exciting, and great for the profile of the Flying Fifteen, but perhaps not particularly relevant to the "grass roots" class membership.

For this reason the UK Flying Fifteen Association is making a deliberate effort to now refocus directly back onto these important core members - those regular club sailors who love their boats and race every weekend on their local lake or reservoir, but who perhaps rarely pack them up and venture further afield.

Alongside this support for existing members we of course wish to do everything we can to encourage and welcome new people to come and sail our wonderful boats, and also to help sailing clubs themselves in their efforts to to build or rebuild their own Flying Fifteen fleets.

This year we hope to bring all these objectives together at the 2026 Flying Fifteen Nationals "Plus".

Nationals "Plus"? What's that then?

Essentially we're making an extra-special effort to make this year's event an inclusive and welcoming 'festival of sailing' where everyone has fun on the water and off, regardless of their skill level or equipment. Activities will obviously still revolve around the racing but an entry limit has been put in place to reduce the intimidation factor, and activities such as on-shore boat tuning and bimbling sessions have been incorporated to help everyone get up-to-speed. There will also be a buddy system to support the less experienced, coaching de-brief discussions and periods set-aside for trial and test-sailing.

Flying Fifteen sailors of course are famous for enjoying their events off the water just as much as on it and needless to say this year's Nationals will have a busy programme of social events for both competitors and their families, and the club is going overboard with full catering provision throughout the event too.

So what of the venue? In terms of location, sailing area and facilities Tees & Hartlepool YC really is the ideal spot for the type of event we have planned, and special efforts have also been made to make all aspects of the event as affordable as possible for visitors.

THYC Commodore says: "It is a pleasure to host the Flying Fifteen fleet once again after so many years. Tees & Hartlepool Yacht Club has a long tradition of supporting high-quality sailing, and we are delighted to provide a friendly, inclusive venue for this important championship. We look forward to meeting every competitor and sharing our fantastic sailing waters with you."

The club itself is located in the newly-redeveloped Hartlepool Marina area which is easily accessed and offers a plethora of accommodation options.

More information about the club and the event can be found at www.thyc.org.uk/dinghy-home, and if you fancy having a go but haven't actually sailed a Flying Fifteen before - or perhaps are simply short of a crew or a helm for the event - please still get in touch as we'll be operating our own brand of match-making service!