Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship 2026 - Day 2

Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship at Torbay Day 2 © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

Hot, hot, hot! Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship at Torbay © Failingo on tour

Day 2 of the Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship dawned 'Scorchio!' but with a promising 8-9 knots out on the race course.

Once teams had compared stories from the first night of B14 socialising everyone launched to a new race course from Day 1, further out in the middle of Torbay in the hopes of some more consistent breeze.

The race course greeted teams with some pretty big waves, seeming a bit out of place in the Mediterranean conditions. This set the scene for the day with the heavier teams struggling for pace upwind with the sea state and some big gains downwind for those that could master light wind surfing!

Race 2 got under way with a port biased line that saw teams tussling for the pin only to then get pinned going left by a lift off the line. This led to a number of teams being forced left into a big wind hole, one of the many to plague the race course over the day.

It was ultimately teams from the right that led the charge at the windward mark.

The first run was pretty intense with missing a surf on a wave often leading to place changes and a bit of rolling the dice to avoid the holes..

Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship at Torbay Day 2 - photo © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

Lap 2 and 'Asbo' Crispin Taylor/Dan Newall led round from a pack of boats. The lead group heading right downwind into the wind hole of doom! A few boats in the front group spotted the developing hole and broke left. 'Wonkey Donkey' Mark Watts/Matt Johnson leading down the middle.

The race officer made the good call to shorten at the bottom gate with day 1 leaders 'Squirrel' Ralph Singleton/Lucy Loughton coming through on pressure from the left to just pip Wonkey Donkey. 'Trunky' Kathy Sherratt/Stu Moore smashing hard left down the run to do a full cowboy round the outside to take third.

Race 3

With a light and fickle breeze no one was under any illusion that this would be an easy race. The start took place in marginal at best conditions which made it imperative to be on the line with minutes to go for what was another port biased line.

Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship at Torbay Day 2 - photo © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

It was something of a repeat of race 2 where starting near the committee boat against the bias and being able to break right was the winning strategy. Left it turned out was a disaster with a number of boats becalmed for a long time including race 2 podium finishers Trunky and a number of other usual contenders.

I honestly have no idea what happened at the front as like many of the fleet it was a case of having your own race to keep clear and avoid the numerous, and often vicious snakes out on the course.

Apparently leading round mark 1 were fleet legends Leaky and Gerry in 'Leaky's Bunk' Asbo recovered from race 1 disappointment to round close behind.

Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship at Torbay Day 2 - photo © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

The race developed into a 3 lap 1h10 epic. ASBO pulled through to hold on for 1st from 'Bandit' Glenn Caldwell/Karen Branch proving it wasn't all about the flyweight teams. 'Leakys Bunk' taking third and winners for the day with a consistent 5,3 scoreline whilst sailing with a broken rib! (Apparently from some kind of bear wrestling or tree crashing misadventure in the preceding weeks!)

Overall it is the UK Starcross YC teams that have now taken out all 3 race wins with Squirrel leading overall despite an 11th in Race 3. Most of the fleet now counting some big scores and the pre event favourites all over the place.

Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship at Torbay Day 2 - photo © Tania Hutchings / www.50northphotography.co.uk

Special mention to some of the new teams that were really mixing it into the front pack today, great to see.

The fleet retired for Day spot prizes with the daily Fail Flamingo 'Failingo' going to Crispin for NOT winning race2 and a great meal organized by Lucy and Amy (Thanks for the efforts guys) at Meat 59 where the fleet took over the venue for a great, if slightly sweaty evening of food and beer.

Sadly Crispin mislaid the Failingo who is now on a seaside tour of Torquay leading to numerous penalties that may continue into tomorrow unless he is found and returned to his rightful place on Crispin's head until the next race!

Tomorrow looks even hotter/lighter so might well be a day for the beach or will it be another day of snakes and ladders?

Results after Day 2: