Blaze Western Championship 2026 Report by David Shafto This year, North Devon Yacht Club hosted the BCA Western Championships. NDYC is located in the beautiful seaside village of Instow, where the river Torridge merges with the river Taw before flowing into the Bristol Channel. Those competitors who arrived on Friday evening were treated to a warm sunny evening and a spectacular sunset behind the picturesque village of Appledore. Friday night discussions revolved around the

Burghfield Blaze Training and Open Report. Blaze Training - Friday 27 th March After a cuppa, a welcome and a morning briefing by coach, Ben Harden, 16 Blazes took to the water in a shifty but mostly manageable wind at the upper end of ideal (shifts notwithstanding). Starting with speed-varying drills in follow-the-leader got us all focussed and in control. Then followed a windward/leeward exercise peppered with tacks and gybes to change the direction of flow at the whim of

30th Anniversary season preview The Blaze dinghy - designed in 1996 by Ian Howlett and John Caig and originally built by Topper, it has evolved through several marks incorporating changes predominantly limited to the deck, materials and construction. All marks, including the modern Hartley Boats Mk4, feature the original hull shape which helps keep all boats equally ready-planing and competitive. Blazes today are cherished by a robust and thriving community which prides its

2025 has been a fun, full year with a spread of events from Cornwall’s Porthpean SC to the Scottish Champs in Helensburgh. We have growing fleets at many clubs and continue to attract top talent from other classes who, alongside rising stars within the existing fleet, help keep Blaze front-runners on their toes. Blaze Class Association events for the year have now drawn to a close. A well-earned rest for the committee and sailors alike, and perhaps the time for overdue boat,

Marine13 Blaze Scottish Championship 2025 Incorporating Blaze Northern Championship and Blaze Nations Cup Helensburgh Sailing Club 6-7 th September 20205 Report by Douglas Clow Helensburgh SC had hosted a feisty, mostly blown-out one-day event in 2024 and were keen to put on a much bigger, grander event for 2025 – and they certainly did that with bells on! Helensburgh is home to the largest Blaze fleet in the world (OK, there’re not so many Blazes outside the UK, but it’s