Melges 15 UK National Championship at Warsash Sailing Club
by GP Watercraft 22 Sep 10:35 BST
18-20 September 2026
The hugely successful inaugural Melges 15 UK National Championship was held at Warsash Sailing Club over three very different days in the central Solent.
After the opening day's racing on Friday, it was Archie Munro-Price and Ed Stubbs and GP Watercraft's own Shaun Priestley, crewed by Jake Davis, who were tied at the top on three points, each picking up a win and a second place.
Saturday saw the winds build to top end conditions. Elsewhere in the Solent and beyond racing was cancelled, but the Melges 15 thrives in these conditions, with four incredible races held. Centreboards were showing regularly under the hulls as the boats leapt off the waves, giving the entire fleet a day which will live long in the memory,
Sam Whaley and Isobel Stewart excelled in the conditions, winning all three races, with Ian Martin and Emma Hivey and the consistent Archie Munro-Price and Ed Stubbs competing the podium positions in each of the races.
Sunday saw much lighter winds where Ian Martin and Emma Hivey came to the fore. Their 1,2,1,1 scoreline pulled them up to third overall, and if it wasn't for the fact they couldn't compete on Friday they would have been pushing event winners Sam Whaley and Isobel Stewart all the way. Archie Munro-Price and Ed Stubbs finished second, discarding their only result outside the top three.
The hospitality of Warsash Sailing Club was hugely appreciated by all the sailors, and getting racing in on all three days was exceptional, especially on Saturday in the wild conditions. Thank you to the whole race team and everyone ashore.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 1038 | Sam Whaley | Isobel Stewart | | 3 | (DNC) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| 2nd | 1043 | Archie Munro‑Price | Ed Stubbs | WPNSA | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑4 | 3 | 2 | 18 |
| 3rd | 1027 | Ian Martin | Emma Hivey | | (DNC) | DNC | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| 4th | 1046 | Shaun Priestley | Jake Davis | Warsash SC | 2 | 1 | 4 | (DNF) | 9 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 34 |
| 5th | 1056 | Jon Willars | Jess Willars | Notts County SC | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | ‑7 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 37 |
| 6th | 1030 | Martin Lown | James Saunders | Selden | 6 | (DNC) | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 51 |
| 7th | 1050 | Joseph Shorter | Vince Shorter | Southampton University | 5 | 6 | ‑8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 53 |
| 8th | 1053 | Henry Knowle | Freddie Simpson | Warsash SC | (DNS) | 5 | 6 | DNF | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 63 |
| 9th | 1034 | James Noel | Paul Caiger‑Watson | Warsash SC | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 64 |
| 10th | 683 | George Davies | Dan Lockwood | Warsash SC | (DNC) | DNC | 10 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 64 |