Farr 1020 National Championship - Flashwave wins five of seven races
by Tony Evans 28 Jun 11:34 BST
Flashwave to windward in a light airs start - Farr 1020 National Championship - Buckland Beach YC - June 13-14, 2026 © Anton Post
Light winds tested the six boat fleet over two days of racing in the 2026 Farr 1020 National Championships, conducted by the Bucklands Beach YC from June 13-14.
Entries for the Nationals were down on expectations in recent years. The forecast for the weekend was for light, fickle conditions, and the two were no doubt linked.
It was always going to be a tough weekend, and so it proved. Despite the challenging conditions, the racing was as exciting and closely contested as you could expect from this class.
Day 1 – June 13: Starting the the fog
Race 1 got away on time, although it was sailed in thick fog. The wind was light, the shifts were difficult to read, and from the start line the top mark could not even be seen.
The V Team won the pin-end start and led the fleet away. This would become a theme of the weekend, with them getting the better of almost every start.
Another trend that emerged was Flashwave, helmed by Andrew MacDonald, recovering brilliantly from less-than-ideal starts.
Halfway up the first beat, The V Team looked well placed but tacked onto port too early and found themselves stuck in a hole. Flashwave continued left, found the favourable shift and rounded the top mark with a comfortable lead.
Starmaker and Shortie rounded second and third, with Perpetual Motion fourth. The V Team drifted in behind them.
Perpetual Motion had a 360-degree penalty to complete and, with the breeze so light, the downwind run became a frustrating drift. Flashwave lost much of the lead they had built but just managed to cross the shortened-course finish line ahead of a fast-finishing The V Team, who had fought their way back through the fleet.
Race 1 Results
1. Flashwave
2. The V Team
3. Perpetual Motion
4. Shortie
5. Starmaker
Race 2 started soon after. The race committee was determined to make the most of whatever wind was available and rattled through the programme whenever conditions allowed.
The breeze had steadied enough for two laps of the windward-leeward course. Once again, the light weather made conditions difficult.
Both Starmaker and Perpetual Motion were over the line at the start. Starmaker's return was so delayed that they hoisted the spinnaker simply to get back to restart more quickly. It would not be their last spinnaker drama of the race, as they later lost the halyard on a drop and had to send a crew member up the mast during the race to retrieve it.
At the front, Flashwave and The V Team made the most of the conditions and escaped from the fleet. Both boats picked the shifts well, but Flashwave somehow linked the course together more effectively and secured a second consecutive victory, with The V Team taking their second straight runner-up finish.
Race 2 Results
1. Flashwave
2. The V Team
3. Starmaker
4. Perpetual Motion
5. Shortie
Race 3 was sailed in similar conditions with light but more consistent breeze.
Again, The V Team won the start and again Flashwave recovered from an average getaway to take victory in another close contest.
Race 3 Results
1. Flashwave
2. The V Team
3. Shortie
4. Starmaker
5. Perpetual Motion
Race 4: The start was relatively even, and the wind shifted slightly left. Starmaker had a moment to forget when they tacked onto port immediately in front of The V Team, forcing an evasive manoeuvre and earning themselves penalty turns.
The incident sent Starmaker out to the right while the rest of the fleet favoured the left side. As the breeze shifted back, the right paid and Starmaker found themselves right back in contention alongside Flashwave and The V Team.
The three boats sailed in close company throughout the race. As the breeze faded on the final run, tensions rose with The V Team steadily reducing the gap from third place.
A final gybe that came just a little too late cost The V Team the opportunity to attack the leaders on starboard, leaving Flashwave to drift across the finish line first, with Starmaker second.
Race 4 Results
1. Flashwave
2. Starmaker
3. The V Team
4. Perpetual Motion
5. Shortie
Race 5: It had already been a long day, and the wind appeared to be fading away as it tracked around from the southeast through northeast.
There was, however, just enough breeze to squeeze in one final race.
Once again, The V Team got away best and headed left before eventually tacking onto port towards the starboard layline. Flashwave stayed close, as did Shortie and Perpetual Motion, making this the closest first beat of the day.
Starmaker remained left throughout and, with a final shift in their favour approaching the mark, emerged in the lead. The course was shortened at the weather mark, bringing Day One to an end with Starmaker taking the win ahead of Flashwave and The V Team.
Race 5 Results
1. Starmaker
2. Flashwave
3. The V Team
4. Shortie
5. Perpetual Motion
Day 1 Review
The racing had been incredibly close. Although Flashwave finished the day with four wins from five races, many of those victories had been hard-earned and could easily have gone another way.
The V Team's exceptional starting performance repeatedly put them in contention, but they were unable to convert those opportunities into race wins.
Starmaker endured several self-inflicted setbacks but recovered strongly with a second and a first in the final two races.
Perpetual Motion continued the progression they showed last season, while Shortie remained consistently in the mix throughout the fleet.
Flashwave unexpectedly spent a night at Half Moon Bay after getting towed there by Perpetual Motion. When leaving Westhaven early that morning Flashwave had noticed a water blockage and promptly turned the engine off and managed to sail to the starting area just in time. The water blast the previous day had apparently resulted in debris in the sail drive which blocked the water intake.
Day 2 – 14 June
Day 2 arrived with even less wind than the opening day. Fog again covered the course area and, unlike Saturday, was reluctant to lift.
The fleet drifted around from the scheduled 10am start until nearly 1pm before enough breeze arrived to get racing underway.
This time Flashwave finally got the break they had been threatening all weekend and built a comfortable lead around the first lap of the windward-leeward course.
Behind them, Starmaker and The V Team were locked in another close battle, with Starmaker generally holding the advantage.
Then the race took an extraordinary turn.
On the final leg, the breeze disappeared around the leading group and none of the front three boats could keep their spinnakers drawing. Further back, however, fresh pressure filled in and brought Perpetual Motion charging down the course.
They sailed straight through the middle of the leading trio to take the gun and claim their first-ever race victory at a Nationals — a fantastic achievement.
Race 6 Results
1. Perpetual Motion
2. Starmaker
3. Flashwave
4. The V Team
5. Shortie
The result effectively secured the regatta for Flashwave, with only enough time remaining for one final race at best.
Meanwhile, The V Team and Starmaker were now level on points, with Starmaker ahead on countback thanks to their race win.
The Final Race: After two days of light and variable winds, the breeze finally filled from the southwest. Over the course of the regatta competitors had raced in southeast, northeast, northerly and northwesterly winds, so the southwest completed the compass.
Another race was held in which the leading boat finished just outside the 60 minute time limit, which meant it was abandoned.
The final race started just ten minutes before the day's 3pm cut-off time and delivered one last twist.
The start was tight, with every boat appearing slightly early but somehow managing to remain on the correct side of the line, albeit at reduced speed.
Flashwave, The V Team and Starmaker again separated themselves from the rest of the fleet and traded places throughout the race.
At the leeward gate, Flashwave chose the left-hand mark while The V Team and Starmaker rounded the right. The V Team suffered a messy spinnaker drop and struggled to get the genoa fully deployed. By the time everything was sorted, Starmaker had gained enough room to tack and cross ahead, forcing The V Team to follow them around the top mark.
The three boats remained tightly packed on the final run. The V Team steadily closed the gap, staying right a little longer and carrying slightly more speed towards the finish.
Starmaker gybed onto starboard close to the line, but The V Team slipped through to finish eight seconds ahead and just behind Flashwave, who claimed their fifth race victory of the regatta.
Race 7 Results
1. Flashwave
2. The V Team
3. Starmaker
4. Perpetual Motion
5. Shortie
Final Thoughts
Flashwave were deserved National Champions, winning five of the seven races and demonstrating an uncanny ability to recover from difficult starts and consistently find the right side of the course.
The V Team's starting performances were arguably the best of the fleet and kept them in contention throughout, while Starmaker recovered from several costly mistakes to finish strongly and secure a place among the leading boats.
Perpetual Motion's breakthrough race victory was one of the highlights of the weekend and evidence of the continued improvement they have shown over the past year. Shortie, meanwhile, remained competitive throughout and was never far from the action.
Despite the light winds, fog and constant shifts, the 2026 Nationals delivered exactly what the 1020 class is known for: close racing, tactical battles and a regatta that remained in doubt until the final race.
Overall Results
1. Flashwave
2. The V Team
3. Starmaker
4. Shortie
5. Perpetual Motion
6. Diamonds
Full results :
Click here