2025 GBR National Championships.

UK A Class Catamaran Nationals Report by Jeromey Bosch

For 2025, the A Class Catamaran National Championships were held at Grafham Water, in a combined event with the Spitfire Catamaran. This resulted in an event including both the biggest single handed catamaran classes at Grafham! In addition to the familiar faces in the A class fleet, several less experienced sailors decided to compete, indicating a gradual growth of the UK class into the next years. The plan was to run 6 races across 2 days, including a BBQ on Saturday evening, however the forecast for Sunday wasn’t looking hopeful, and as such the committee was aiming for 4 races on the Saturday to allow more flexibility for the Sunday.

This was explained in the rather brief briefing, as the assumption was everyone had read the sailing instructions, and no changes had been made. (This was definitely the case, especially for myself who had ‘skimmed’ them) Soon after, the event was promptly underway, with 9 A cats hitting the start line. Initially the winds were light and especially shifty up the first beat, where Hugh Macgregor and Mark Rushton battled up towards the top mark, both making good calls, and keeping their boats fast upwind. Generally the wind favoured the right side of the course, with the majority of the fleet electing for an early tack, with the remainder following up halfway along the beat. Both A class fleets had the same start, making the upwinds more tactical, where in the lighter winds, the foiling and classic boats are evenly matched.

During the first race, wind at the top mark was exceptionally variable due to the wind shadow created by the far shore. This ensured big gains could be made if you found the shifts and gusts around the top mark. In a typical fashion for Grafham this resulted in several overtakes keeping sailors on their toes. This also crated interesting challenges for the foilers at the top end of the course, as it was never easy to decide whether to try foil by going high and fast, or following the classics in floating mode. Race one was concluded with Hugh Macgregor GBR 18 taking first in the classics, with Mark Rushton GBR 101 and Gordon Upton GBR 4 taking second and third respectively. The foiling fleet had Julian Bosch AUS 88 (sail number soon to be corrected) finish first, with newcomer and first time A class racer Thomas Hales GBR 9 taking second.

The start of race two saw light winds and big shifts along the line, with Grafham sailor Neil Klabe GBR 3 taking full advantage and crossing the entire fleet on port tack, and creating a good position for the beat. Hugh, Mark and Gordon weren’t planning to let Neil get away, and quickly the fleet were jostling for position at the top of the beat. During the race, the wind was gradually increasing, with sailors beginning to depower rigs for the gusts, and sailing hotter on the downwinds. The key to race 2 was spotting the typical Grafham thermals and capitalising on the lifts and gusts that came with them. In the end, the close battle was won by Mark, with Hugh in second, and local sailor Chris Griggs GBR 73 who sailed a blinder of a race to take third place.

As the afternoon wind started to build, race three was quickly underway due to the fast turnarounds allowed by the incredible team on the committee boat, and all boats were quick to start. Sailors were depowering their rigs more, to maintain the rapid upwind pace of the previous races. As with the previous races, the majority of the fleet decided to take the safe option upwind and follow the right side of the track, however the increase in wind brought a large shift favouring the left side. Three boats sailed out to the left, and were rewarded by quite a brief beat with Julian reaching the top mark first. In an interesting twist, race three had significantly more wind at the top mark, allowing Julian to foil the whole downwind and set the fastest lap of the day at around 9 minutes. This however was short lived, after a slightly aggressive gybe at the gate caused Julian to swim and drift towards the committee boat, while Gordon, skilfully predicting the capsize capitalised on the resulting gap that opened up! Across the finish line, in the classics it was Hugh in first, Mark in second, followed by Gordon in third. In the foiling fleet, Julian managed to maintain the lead, with Thomas in second.

With the forecast looking light for Sunday, the committee boat team made the decision to push for a fourth race, which after the intense action of the previous races, sailors were in favour of! The race was much like the third, however the stronger winds filled the race course more consistently, and as such the favoured side of the course varied over the different laps. Classic sailors were able to use the stronger gusts to get their boats skimming downwind, and as such could push more aggressively closing the difference in speed against the foiling boats downwind. The podium spots were hotly contested, eventually concluding with Hugh taking first in the classics, followed by Mark in second, and Neil taking third.

After a hard day on the water, the sailors were rewarded with a lakeside BBQ generously tended to by local Spitfire sailor Gordy Baines and Neil Klabe. Unfortunately, sufficient wind to meet the A class limits of a 5kt average didn’t materialise on the Sunday, and the committee made the difficult decision to cancel racing for the day. Though it was difficult to predict, it was appreciated that the decision was taken early, allowing for an earlier prize giving and trip home for those who had a long way to go.

The event was concluded by splitting the foiling and classic fleets and awarding prizes. In the classic fleet, Hugh GBR 18 took the overall first place to become 2025 A class classic national champion, with Mark GBR 101 in second and Gordon GBR 4 in third. In the foiling fleet, Julian AUS 88 became the 2025 foiling national champion, with Thomas GBR 9 in second.

As the A class is a growing fleet, I believe its important to hear about the experiences of all sailors in the boat regardless of experience, and to provide an insight about what its like to sail an A class nationals as your first regatta. Therefore I’ve asked Thomas to include a small section in this report to hopefully encourage more aspiring A class sailors to get their hands on a budget boat and give it a go!

“When I first sailed my boat, the way I described it to Julian was “That boat sails”. Despite its age, the boat responds to every input on the sheet and tiller immediately, making for lots of enjoyable sailing. Pairing this with a boat that can hydrofoil makes for an excellent craft. Getting the boat foiling has proven to be the most difficult part so far. Timing a bear away with sheeting, alongside lift settings on the foils and foot positioning has proven tricky for myself. However, I have managed to achieve flight on several occasions, even if for brief periods of about 30 seconds. Once the foils lock in, the acceleration is shocking, increasing by about 5 – 6 knots in moments. It feels like flying.

Recently I attended my first competitive race, the A Class Nationals. Set to be at my home club, Grafham Water, I had very little excuse not to enter. Day 1 saw very shifty winds that picked up as the day went on and tested my tactical racing skills. Despite opting to go right on the course for better wind out of the shadow of the shore, shifts saw it begin to pay off less over the day. However, I managed to come second throughout the four races on day 1 resulting in a second place overall, not bad for a first competitive race.”

An Event can’t be run without its volunteers, and so, a big thank you is deserved for Eric Joyce, the race officer for the weekend and his team on the committee boat, as well as Ian Hayhoe and Jon Sweet for taking pictures! Additionally, the aforementioned Gordy Baines and Neil Klabe for the incredible BBQ.