Zenith National Championships 2026 at Poole Yacht Club - Overall

From survival conditions to champagne sailing

After the full-on opening day, Day 2 looked set to dish up more of the same — only more so. With the breeze still howling through Poole Harbour, the decision was made not to race. It was the right call, although it did leave a fleet full of sailors with plenty of energy and nowhere to spend it.

Instead, the shore became a rolling technical forum. People compared notes on boat set-up, rig tension, sail shape and the finer points of race-course tactics. If Hartley Boats wanted a live research-and-development session, they could not have designed a better one: every corner of the boat park seemed to have a different theory being tested, challenged or quietly copied.

Day 3 - Zenith National Championships at Poole - photo © Phil Jackson / www.digitalsailing.co.uk

Day 3 brought a very different picture. The wind had moderated to a far more civilised 8-10 knots, and the race team made the most of the window to complete four races. After Friday's survival conditions and Saturday's enforced shore leave, it was a chance for everyone to show whether all that boat-park chat had translated into extra speed on the water.

In the Zenith fleet, Nick Craig continued where he had left off on Day 1, adding two more race wins and a second to take the championship with just 7 nett points. Sam Watson mounted an impressive late charge, including a race win, to finish second on 16 nett points, while Mark Hartley completed the podium in third on 24 nett points.

Day 3 - Zenith National Championships at Poole - photo © Phil Jackson / www.digitalsailing.co.uk

The Day 3 Zenith racing also mixed things up behind the leaders, with Graham Flynn taking a race win and moving up to fourth overall, while Richard Instone rounded out the top five. The change in conditions gave the fleet a proper all-round test: heavy-weather courage on Friday, patience on Saturday, and light-to-moderate speed and consistency on Sunday.

In the Zen fleet, Adam Prior was in commanding form, counting five race wins from the seven-race series to win on 7 nett points. Martin Cooney kept the pressure on and finished second on 12 nett points, including victory in the final race, with Richard Willows third on 24 nett points.

The Zenith II fleet was equally decisive at the front. Sam McKay and James Vyse added two more wins on the final day to take the title on 7 nett points. Justin Jones and Christopher Anderson finished second on 14 nett points after a strong, consistent Sunday, while Stephen Blake and Simon Johnson were close behind in third on 16 nett points.

So, the first combined Zenith, Zen and Zenith II Nationals at Poole Yacht Club had a bit of everything: breeze, swims, boat-speed talk, tactical debate and, finally, some excellent lighter-air racing in the sunshine to decide the championships. Huge thanks must go to Poole Yacht Club, the race team, safety crews, volunteers and all the competitors who travelled to support the event.

Day 3 - Zenith National Championships at Poole - photo © Phil Jackson / www.digitalsailing.co.uk

Zen Overall Results:

Zenith Overall Results:

Zenith II Overall Results:

Day 3 - Zenith National Championships at Poole - photo © Phil Jackson / www.digitalsailing.co.uk