49er and 49erFX UK National Championships 2026 at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

49er and 49erFX UK National Championships at Weymouth © Joel Davey Photography

This year's 49er Nationals were once again hosted by WPNSA from the 24th-27th September. With 26 entries spanning from first-timers to Olympians, we welcomed friends from Ireland, Spain, America and Uruguay to join the event.

Both the 49er and FX fleets were hotly contested, and the fleet was looking forward to four full days of racing...

Day 1 - Rolling Swell, Light Winds

Weymouth Bay greeted the fleet with some tricky conditions on the opening day. Starboard tack was straight into the waves, making technique and boatspeed critical. The international entries hit the ground running in both fleets. For the 49er, the Uruguayan team of Hernan Umpierre and Fernando Diz were the fastest, using their speed to take the first two race wins by quite a way. The final race of the day went to Spanish brothers Jaime and Martin Wizner.

In the FX fleet, the American team of Maddie Hawkins and Lilly Myers led, taking two race wins and a third. Ellie and Jess started their week as they meant to continue, with three second places.

49er and 49erFX UK National Championships at Weymouth - photo © Joel Davey Photography

Day 2 - Evening Racing

After waiting most of the day for the breeze, a surprisingly good 10-14 knots filled in across the harbour for day two. With the top mark over near Castle Cove, the fleet found more consistent pressure on the left, although occasional big lifts came in from the shore on the right-hand side.

In the FX fleet, Ellie and Jess stayed consistent, bagging three second places and a third to move into the lead overall. Ellen and Erin, travelling over from Ireland, shot up the leaderboard with an impressive 3, 1, 2, 3.

In the men's fleet, the day belonged to the other Spanish team of Conrad and Antonio. They sailed some exceptional second beats to score 4, 1, 3, 2 and jump up to second overall. Charlie and Ewan managed to sneak around the leaders with a gybe set on the last race of the day and held on to take the win.

49er and 49erFX UK National Championships at Weymouth - photo © Joel Davey Photography

Day 3 - New Faces at the Front

Day three brought lighter, patchier conditions. Gusts and big left shifts coming off the Bill opened the door for some shake-ups in the results. However, in the men's fleet, the leading teams continued to show their consistency and began to pull clear. Hernan and Fernando with two second places, while Conrad and Antonio posted two thirds.

A special mention must go to Daniel Larson and Charlie Smail, sailing their first event together in an old-style hull complete with sliding wings. They put together some excellent first beats and managed to card some good results in a competitive fleet.

In the FX fleet, Ellie and Jess finally slipped outside the top three with a 6, 4. Freya and Sas capitalised with a 3, 1 to close the gap at the top. Karrie and Felicity sailed a great first race to take a win, but the most exciting finish came in the second FX race. A patchy final downwind produced a photo finish between second and fifth. Even after VAR, it was too close to call, and the race committee were unable to split the Irish team of Elysia and Alana and GBR 647, Eve and Megan. Both teams ended up being awarded 3.5 points.

49er and 49erFX UK National Championships at Weymouth - photo © Joel Davey Photography

Day 4 - All to Play For in the FXs

The FX fleet was poised for a tense finale. Ellie and Jess started the day on 19 points, with Freya and Sas just two points behind on 21. Maddy and Lilly were not completely out of reach either on 26.

A windy southerly filled the harbour, with some strong gusts rolling down off the Bill. The right-hand side was patchy but could occasionally come in very well. Downwind, the straight set was typically the better option, but crews had to be careful not to overlay with right shifts further down the course.

A sixth in the opening race put Freya and Sas on the back foot and allowed Ellie and Jess to take control of the championship. They finished the event with a 2, 2, 5 to secure the overall win. With eight - yes, eight! - second place finishes across twelve races.

In the 49er fleet, Hernan and Fernando had already established a (nearly) unassailable lead. The real battle was for second place, with ESP 17, Conrad and Antonio, and GBR 4, James and Rhos, only a point apart.

James and Rhos started the day with a win, but a breakage in the second race forced them to retire. This handed second place to Conrad and Antonio, while also opening the door for third place and the British title. Fin and Richie took advantage and put down the strongest final day with a 4, 1, 3 and took third overall. The new partnership of Sam and Billy also impressed, taking their first race win together in the final race of the championship.

Overall

After four days of varied conditions, close racing and plenty of drama, we crown Ellie and Jess as FX National Champions for the third year running, and Fin and Richie as 49er National Champions for the second time together. We will return next September to see if anyone can break the streaks!

Many thanks to the event sponsors Allen, Marlow, Shock and Ovington for providing some excellent prizes. We would also like to thank the UK 49er Class for organising an awesome event, all volunteers for helping out and providing on water support as well as WPNSA staff for being great hosts.

49er and 49erFX UK National Championships at Weymouth - photo © WPNSA

49erFX Results:

49er Results:

49er and 49erFX UK National Championships at Weymouth - photo © WPNSA