P&B Phantom National Championship 2026 at Tenby Sailing Club - Day 1

Welcome to the 2026 P&B Phantom National Championships, Tenby © Phantom.Sailing

Harry Briddon leads the way after action-packed opening day

The 2026 P&B Phantom National Championships got under way at Tenby Sailing Club in classic Pembrokeshire conditions, with a lively sea breeze, Atlantic swell and close racing producing an entertaining opening day for the fleet.

With lighter winds forecast for Saturday, Race Officer Nigel Denchfield and his team elected to make the most of the conditions and complete three races on day one. Racing took place on a TRA3 course featuring two windward-leeward laps before a triangle leg to the finish.

The fleet quickly discovered that Tenby was going to reward good decision-making whilst punishing even the smallest mistake.

Race one saw pre-event favourite and defending champion Jon Rickard lead around the first windward mark. Harry Briddon and Rob Richardson were close behind and by the first leeward mark Richardson had worked his way into the lead. A capsize briefly interrupted his charge but he recovered to remain in front until the final triangle leg. With the finish in sight, another capsize during the final gybe proved costly, allowing Briddon to surf through and claim the opening race victory ahead of Richardson, with Rickard taking third.

Race two belonged to Will Gulliver, who rounded the first windward mark in front. Briddon was once again firmly in contention alongside Richardson, local sailor Ben Dancer, Sam "One Leg" Coxon and Rickard. By the leeward mark Briddon had regained control of the race and from there steadily extended his advantage to secure a second consecutive victory. Richardson again finished runner-up, with the chasing pack fighting hard behind.

The third race produced another twist. Gulliver, now sporting the entirely unofficial title of "Tenby Traffic Manager" after his arrival antics earlier in the week, once again led at the first windward mark. Richardson, Rickard and Dancer were all close enough to keep the pressure on, but Gulliver looked set to take a popular victory as he led virtually the entire race. However, with less than 50 metres remaining, an unfortunate encounter with the back of a wave slowed his progress at precisely the wrong moment, allowing Richardson to surf through and snatch victory on the line.

At the end of the opening day it is Harry Briddon who leads the championship with an impressive scoreline of 1, 1, 5. Consistency rather than outright race wins proved the key, and Briddon takes a slender advantage into day two. Richardson's day of both brilliance and bathing leaves him firmly in contention, whilst Rickard has also shown enough pace to remind everyone why he started the week as Sprucey's favourite.

Race Officer Nigel Denchfield praised the fleet after a demanding day afloat.

"That was a tough day. These conditions were tricky. Races one and two were sailed in 17-19 knots, with race three in 14-16 knots. The lead boat finished races one and two in just over 43 minutes. As the fleet was looking a bit tired we reduced the course size for race three, aiming for 40 minutes. The leader finished in 39."

Nigel also explained a course issue that affected racing throughout the day.

"The spacer mark caused a problem and lifted its anchor as the fleet approached the windward mark in the first race. It was swept upwind by the tide and could not be relaid in time, so for consistency we decided not to use it at all for the remainder of the day."

Beyond the serious business of championship racing, the fleet once again embraced the now traditional Phantom daily prize-giving.

D**k of the Day

As always, the standard of nominations was exceptionally high.

Will Gulliver earned consideration for allegedly attempting to redesign Tenby's road network using a double-stacker trailer. Rob Richardson came under scrutiny for demonstrating that it is entirely possible to lead a race whilst simultaneously reviewing the hull side of his brand-new Phantom, managing three capsizes across the day.

However, the eventual winner was Alex Carr. After months preparing a new boat, improving his fitness and arriving fully committed to the championship challenge, he quietly asked on the class WhatsApp group the night before whether anyone was travelling past Devon on their way to Tenby.

It turned out the boat was ready. The sailor was ready. Unfortunately, all of his sailing kit was still at home.

With three races completed, the fleet will now be split into Gold and Silver fleets from tomorrow onwards. With lighter conditions forecast and the leaderboard still tightly packed, the battle for the 2026 Phantom National Championship is only just getting started.

Results after Day 1: