Phantom class at Burnham Week 2026

Phantom class winner Bill Taylor at Burnham Week © Stu Brewer

The Burnham Week regatta over the bank holiday weekend kicked off with free drinks in the Corinthian yacht club,which the fleet of three accepted, normally Burnham week is two weeks before the Nationals but this year was only half a week before, but one of the fleet Mark (Sprucey) spruce wanted a tune up with two of Creeksea's finest before the nationals, the forecast was fresh to frightening so that also helped to a depleted fleet.

Saturdays wind was a force 4 gusting 6 so the weather men got that part right, what they didn't say it was going to chuck it down multiple times,the racing started with 2 boats on the start line, there was a one-way discussion about where to start (the committee boat), but didn't hear anything back in that regard,so when the start sequence started to my surprise I saw Sprucey hanging around the pin,so I quickly made my way there to begin the match race.

Sprucey won the start with a good trigger pull, on the way down to the first mark which started as an open reach then turned into a run where Taylor made up the couple of boat lengths he'd lost,so a close rounding to starboard heading up the roach for the first of two beats where Sprucey showed good up wind speed rounding with a ten boat length lead.

Very close racing throughout back to the crouch when the two match racers saw the 3rd phantom for the first time, Stu Brewer had been late launching from Creeksea so started late but was catching up,on the 2nd run from the roach the fleet was capsized by a squall, Taylor being first to right the boat went on to take the win,as the wind had not settled back down the 2nd race was cancelled by the race officer Edwin Buckley.

The forecast for the Sunday was much the same force 4 gusting 6, with only 2 on the start line again because Stu Brewer had some boat repairs to do due to yesterday's squall,so match racing it was again definitely only one place to be starting the committee boat end,both sailor's getting a good start saw them reaching across the river, neither wanting to bare away towards the mark found themselves on the opposite side of the river from where the mark was, Taylor having made a nice lead, then not being able to find the second mark on the course handed the lead back to Sprucey who went on to take the win.

The second race of the day saw much of the same good starting from both sailor's, great first reach by this time a theme was forming Taylor taking the lead one the run only for Sprucey to catch up on the beat,on the second run Sprucey found some good down wind speed,so Taylor narrowly rounding the last mark first for the last beat up the river to the finish, Taylor having to dig in to hold the fast charging Sprucey off, which Taylor just did finishing with a five boat length lead.

The last days racing was held in front of the Burnham sailing club, with a change of race officer Sally Harbott was in charge, the sailors set off from the Corinthian,we had the full complement of 3 with Brewer having fixed his boat, only to find the outer distance mark had pulled it's anchor,so it was windy.

The safety boats did a great job of informing the fleet it was to be a full river start, whilst waiting for the start sequence to begin the wind building the decision was made to cancel the racing for the day, which meant Taylor had done enough in the previous two days to win the Burnham week phantom open, Sprucey second and Stu Brewer in third, having had a good tune up we're expecting big things from Sprucey at the nationals, good luck to all attending the nationals.

Results at www.burnhamweek.com/results-2026

The next event on the eastern calendar is Waverly and oulton broad sc at the end of October.