Competitors at the 2026 UK Flying Fifteen National Championship woke to clear and sunny skies on the final day of the event, although some no-doubt would have been grateful for more sleep after an evening of live music at Tees & Hartlepool YC followed by a late-night screening of the England-Norway World Cup match.
After several days of light and sometimes fickle winds the forecast for today was for a more substantial breeze and it was noticeable how the shorty wetsuits & T-shirts that had thus-far been de-rigueur had today given-way to long-johns and in some cases drysuits.
After a short hold on-shore waiting for the incoming tide the fleet ventured out into the bay and into conditions that were quite different than to those we had hitherto seen, the north-easterly wind rolling a moderate swell in across the race area from the North Sea.
The race team once again got proceedings underway promptly, and the fleet once again promptly pushed the first start into a general recall which provoked the use of a black flag for the rest of the day. Once finally underway the first race of the day saw almost all of the leading campaigners heading out to the right-hand side of the beat where they built a substantial lead over those that had gone left, with the fleet becoming noticeably more strung-out in this race than had been seen previously.
Downwind the course configuration favoured those who bore-away onto a long starboard gybe from the mark, and the conditions were just sufficient to allow occasional surfing, or occasional soaking down, and thus rewarded the skill of the most expert crews. Of these it was Ian Cadwallader & Steve Graham – already leading the regatta – who came out on top, with the husband and wife pairing of Andy & Michelle Tunnicliffe in second and the Irish team of Niall O'Brien and Dermot Flaherty in third
And so on to the final race of the event:- this being held in very similar conditions to the previous one but with a fleet that now knew the best way around the course and thus served-up some very close racing – racing in which minor tactical errors could have big consequences, not least when scrabbling against the tide to get around the windward mark or on the final short reach to the finish line which was just a smidgen too tight to fly a spinnaker.
Mastering it all was the familiar pairing of Jeremy Davy & Martin Huett from Draycote Water SC, followed by Steve Goacher & Tim Harper who were no-doubt breathing a sign of relief after having only managed 16th place in the first race of the day. In third place was the resurgent Tunnicliffes who had rocketed-up the overall standings thanks to their strong results on this final day.
And at the head of those overall standings, and thus becoming 2026 Flying Fifteen National Champions, were Ian Cadwallader & Steve Graham from Chew Valley SC who led the field by a ten point margin - a feat made even more remarkable by the fact that their boat was fresh out of the build shed and had never seen water before this event.
In second place were Steve Goacher & Tim Harper from Royal Windermere YC – three time Flying Fifteen World Champions and old dogs in the fleet, albeit ones who have been away from it for a couple of years. It's good to see you back Steve & Tim
And by contrast Andy & Michelle Tunnicliffe - from Bassenthwaite SC and finishing in third place overall - are comparatively new to the fleet, especially in the case of Michelle who was competing in her first major Flying Fifteen regatta – but no doubt many more are to come!
Finally, thanks to Tees & Hartlepool YC for hosting this event with such aplomb, and especially to all of the club's hard-working volunteers who made such an effort to make us welcome and ensure everything ran smoothly. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and the Flying Fifteen fleet will certainly be back for more of your hospitality in the future (if you'll have us!) - and we thoroughly endorse Tees & Hartlepool YC to any other class looking for a tidal championship venue in the North East. Thank you.
Final Results:
| Rank |
Fleet |
SailNo |
HelmName |
CrewName |
Club |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
R5 |
R6 |
Total |
Nett |
| 1st |
Red |
4152 |
Ian Cadwallader |
Steve Graham |
Chew Valley Lake SC |
1.0 |
3.0 |
5.0 |
3.0 |
1.0 |
(6.0) |
19.0 |
13.0 |
| 2nd |
Red |
4021 |
Steve Goacher |
Tim Harper |
Royal Windermere YC |
10.0 |
5.0 |
2.0 |
4.0 |
(16.0) |
2.0 |
39.0 |
23.0 |
| 3rd |
Red |
4124 |
Andy Tunnicliffe |
Michelle Tunnicliffe |
Bassenthwaite SC |
6.0 |
9.0 |
4.0 |
(19.0) |
2.0 |
3.0 |
43.0 |
24.0 |
| 4th |
Red |
3760 |
Jeremy Davy |
Martin Huett |
Draycote Water SC |
2.0 |
(13.0) |
6.0 |
12.0 |
5.0 |
1.0 |
39.0 |
26.0 |
| 5th |
Red |
4071 |
John Lavery |
Alan Green |
National YC |
3.0 |
1.0 |
11.0 |
10.0 |
(14.0) |
7.0 |
46.0 |
32.0 |
| 6th |
Red |
4092 |
Niall O'Brien |
Dermot Flaherty |
FFC |
4.0 |
4.0 |
(20.0) |
11.0 |
3.0 |
15.0 |
57.0 |
37.0 |
| 7th |
Red |
4143 |
Charles Apthorp |
Charlie Apthorp |
Hayling Island SC |
5.0 |
12.0 |
(13.0) |
1.0 |
10.0 |
12.0 |
53.0 |
40.0 |
| 8th |
Green |
4109 |
David Chandler |
Charles Chandler |
Ullswater SC |
(23.0) |
6.0 |
8.0 |
9.0 |
6.0 |
14.0 |
66.0 |
43.0 |
| 9th |
Green |
3892 |
Emma Pierce |
Ian Smyth |
Strangford Lough YC |
18.0 |
2.0 |
(19.0) |
8.0 |
9.0 |
9.0 |
65.0 |
46.0 |
| 10th |
Red |
4142 |
Philippa Packer |
Dean McAullay |
Royal Freshwater Bay YC |
14.0 |
8.0 |
9.0 |
13.0 |
(23.0) |
5.0 |
72.0 |
49.0 |
| 11th |
Blue |
4069 |
Bill Chard |
Josh Preater |
Chew Valley Lake SC |
7.0 |
(23.0) |
3.0 |
7.0 |
15.0 |
23.0 |
78.0 |
55.0 |
| 12th |
Blue |
4033 |
Justin Waples |
Jackie McKellar |
RCYC |
11.0 |
17.0 |
17.0 |
5.0 |
7.0 |
(31.0 RET) |
88.0 |
57.0 |
| 13th |
Blue |
3733 |
Mike Preston |
Mike Harris |
Blackpool & Fleetwood YC |
8.0 |
(31.0 DSQ) |
1.0 |
14.0 |
19.0 |
18.0 |
91.0 |
60.0 |
| 14th |
Blue |
4130 |
Adrian Tattersall |
John Mathie |
Parkstone YC |
16.0 |
7.0 |
(24.0) |
6.0 |
22.0 |
10.0 |
85.0 |
61.0 |
| 15th |
Blue |
4151 |
Tony Woods |
Keith Jamieson |
RWYC |
(24.0) |
22.0 |
23.0 |
2.0 |
4.0 |
13.0 |
88.0 |
64.0 |
| 16th |
Blue |
4030 |
Alastair Stevenson |
Simon Hunt |
Hayling Island SC |
12.0 |
11.0 |
18.0 |
(20.0) |
13.0 |
11.0 |
85.0 |
65.0 |
| 17th |
Blue |
4123 |
David Heron |
Michele Kay |
Royal Windermere YC |
15.0 |
15.0 |
15.0 |
(18.0) |
18.0 |
4.0 |
85.0 |
67.0 |
| 18th |
Red |
4141 |
Chris Waples |
Simon Weatherill |
HISC / RCYC |
17.0 |
18.0 |
(21.0) |
16.0 |
8.0 |
8.0 |
88.0 |
67.0 |
| 19th |
Blue |
3849 |
Ewan Birkin-Walls |
Stan Birkin-Walls |
Grafham Water SC |
9.0 |
16.0 |
14.0 |
(22.0) |
12.0 |
21.0 |
94.0 |
72.0 |
| 20th |
Green |
3865 |
Robin Dawson |
Mike Cowan |
Bassenthwaite SC |
19.0 |
21.0 |
7.0 |
15.0 |
17.0 |
(25.0) |
104.0 |
79.0 |
| 21st |
Green |
4091 |
Jeremy Arnold |
Richard Hope |
Draycote Water SC / RYA |
20.0 |
10.0 |
12.0 |
17.0 |
20.0 |
(22.0) |
101.0 |
79.0 |
| 22nd |
Blue |
4113 |
Simon Kneller |
Ashley Painter |
Grafham Water SC |
21.0 |
20.0 |
22.0 |
(24.0) |
11.0 |
16.0 |
114.0 |
90.0 |
| 23rd |
Blue |
4103 |
Julian Clarke |
John Walters |
Royal Windermere YC |
22.0 |
19.0 |
16.0 |
21.0 |
(26.0) |
20.0 |
124.0 |
98.0 |
| 24th |
Blue |
4148 |
Simon Patterson |
Simon Thompson |
Draycote Water SC |
13.0 |
24.0 |
(27.0) |
23.0 |
21.0 |
19.0 |
127.0 |
100.0 |
| 25th |
Green |
3944 |
Wayne Fletcher |
Jess Roberts |
Scaling Dam SC / Bassenthwaite SC |
(26.0) |
14.0 |
25.0 |
25.0 |
25.0 |
17.0 |
132.0 |
106.0 |
| 26th |
Green |
4060 |
Tim Allen |
Iain McNeill |
Dovestones SC |
(27.0) |
25.0 |
10.0 |
27.0 |
27.0 |
26.0 |
142.0 |
115.0 |
| 27th |
Green |
3751 |
Peter Warne |
Graham Wilson |
Northampton SC |
25.0 |
26.0 |
26.0 |
(28.0) |
24.0 |
24.0 |
153.0 |
125.0 |
| 28th |
Green |
3829 |
Ian Shaw |
Perry Shaw |
Notts County SC |
(29.0) |
27.0 |
29.0 |
26.0 |
28.0 |
27.0 |
166.0 |
137.0 |
| 29th |
Green |
3634 |
Nick Richardson |
Graeme Boagey |
Tees & Hartlepool YC |
28.0 |
28.0 |
28.0 |
(29.0) |
29.0 |
28.0 |
170.0 |
141.0 |
| 30th |
Green |
419 |
Mick Scholes |
Jordan Cunningham |
Dovestone SC |
(30.0) |
29.0 |
30.0 |
30.0 |
30.0 |
29.0 |
178.0 |
148.0 |