Hadron H2 National Championship at Keyhaven Yacht Club - Day 1

Gavin Fleming works hard on day 1 of the Hadron H2 Nationals at Keyhaven © Keith Callaghan

Sponsored by Allen Performance Sailing Hardware and Hadron Dinghies

The first day of the 2026 Hadron H2 National Championships presented PRO Dougal Henshall with several challenges, not least of which were the oscillating westerly wind and, in the later stages, the fast ebbing spring tide.

The Keyhaven YC support boats were always on the ball, responding to Dougal’s necessary requests to shift marks of the trapezoid course. Thanks to all that, there were clean starts for each of the three scheduled races.

Tim Blackmore, leader after day 1 of the Hadron H2 Nationals at Keyhaven - photo © Keith Callaghan

It was good to see several newcomers to the H2 among the 23 entries. One of these is Tim Blackmore from Chichester YC, who leads the field with an impressive 2,2,1 in his first H2 nationals. In second place is Tim Garvin (Queen Mary SC) , scoring 3,1,2 with Gavin Fleming (Hunts SC) in third with 1,3,4.

Richard Bowers was present on the course with camera and drone and was able to give the competitors a superbly instructive debriefing after the racing.

Keyhaven Yacht Club members and staff have been welcoming and very efficient – we could not have asked for more from a host club. The day ended with a super meal for the H2-ers in the evening.

More wind is forecast for day 2, which could signal a reshuffle of the leader board.

Results after Day 1: