2025 Season debrief and 2026 look-ahead

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, body and kit maintenance after a hard season’s trailing and racing. Or, if there’s more left in the tank, you won’t be short of options to Blaze away the winter chill.

Throughout 2025 Hartley Boats have been kept busy with new Blaze orders and the relatively low price-point of both new and preloved Blazes means class newcomers and progressors at every level have a very affordable option for exhilarating, high-performance racing. Hartley Boats are continuing their wallet-friendly Blaze and Fire mainsail offer. Take advantage while you still can!

Bang-for-buck, new or old, you can’t beat a Blaze!

Blaze Class Association committee have worked hard to be active and proactive in making sure all Blaze sailors are well supported and represented. BCA membership numbers have remained solid which nods to a prospering class within an increasingly challenging dinghy environment. Blaze Class itself is in a good place, but there’s always work to be done to keep on the right track with guidance from our sail-addicted, fun-loving fleet. Unless we hear otherwise, BCA will carry on delivering events with the same focus on great locations, quality race teams and off-the-water cheer. While bigger numbers at Blaze events are always welcome, continuing attendance by stalwart Blaze travellers and new faces alike suggests there’s something fundamentally attractive in what we’re doing. If you’re new to the Blaze and think you’re not ready for travelling to events, think again; there’s a place on the start line - and a seat at the bar - for you. Attending class events is the best way to improve, exposing you to a wealth of advice, help and encouragement by friendly sailors who’ve walked in your booties. Get involved!

2025 Blaze season recap.

The Blaze Open at Burghfield SC’s inland water cast the season off with an agreeably moderate wind and was well-attended for a non-championship event. Some big Blaze names had trailered-up to set out their season’s stalls creating a competitive day. Chris Smart was first to assert himself taking a tidy win.

Sailing Chandlery Blaze Eastern Championship was preceded on the Friday by the 2025 Training Day. 15 Blazes took direction and advice from multi-Nationals winner, Ben Harden. It proved to be a busy and productive day taking full advantage of excellent practice conditions on Royal Corinthian YC’s portion of the sunny River Crouch.

For the main event RCYC delivered high-quality racing matched by high-brow victuals - excellent service from both PRO and club chef. Challenging tides and decent winds had kept us all necessarily focussed and it was Alan Harris who’d mastered the conditions best to collect his first Blaze championship win.

Alan Harris - winner of Sailing Chandlery Blaze Eastern Championship 2025

Eastern Champs quiz night 2025

Fire National Championship was held at POSH (Paignton Open for Single Handers). 16 Fires enjoyed the lively, multi-class weekend at the characteristically well organised Devonian sailing showcase. Chris Smart again Fired himself neatly to the top of the table.

Chris Smart - 2025 Fire Champion

Battle Brewery and Hartley Boats Blaze National Championship 2025 The 2025 Blaze Nationals attracted sponsorship for the first time from Battle Brewery, whose eminently quaffable wares slotted-in nicely to the standard Blaze spirit. Brutal winds on the water had taken their mechanical casualties but with thanks to well-drilled, attentive Pevensey Bay SC safety and beach teams, had all arrived safely back to trollies without hull touching pebbles. A 1940s themed fancy dress helped keep smiles wide ashore while a hilariously riotous raffle played out. For the more serious stuff throughout a windy weekend, Ben Harden held off a genuinely close challenge by Alan Harris to muscle through to his 5^th consecutive Nationals win becoming the most crowned sailor in Blaze Nationals history. Many congratulations to Ben.

Ben Harden doing his best to scupper the competition - Nats 2025

Windy Saturday at Nationals 2025

Burnham Blazers and their boozy Battle bounty at Nationals 2025

Blaze Western Championship Porthpean SC, Cornwall’s picturesque, blaze-suited venue hosted the Western Championship in a first collaboration between club and class. Joining a rapidly growing local fleet, travellers had failed to thwart Alan Harris in his claim on home-club championship victory.

Alan Harris, Chris Smart and Stacey Bray (left to right) - noone's giving up without a fight.

Marine13 Blaze Scottish Championship Helensburgh SC, just north of Glasgow, had laid on an expanded format Blaze Scottish Championship with generous support from long-time HSC Blaze sponsor Marine13. A combined event with Blaze Northern Championship was further inflated to include the inaugural BCA Blaze Nations Cup, formalising a groundswell of patriotic swagger from respective nations’ sailors. Stacey Bray justified his slog from Porthpean to wrestle event victory from promising local representation. But, ultimately, it was Wales that earned Blaze Nations Cup team bragging-rights with Pembrokeshire’s Chris Smart leading their 3-boat assault.

Blaze Fleet at the windy Scottish Championship 2025

Lomo Blaze Inland Championship

A windless forecast had kept numbers modest for the LOMO Blaze Inland Championship yet the 17 sailors who did stubbornly hit the road were rewarded with unexpectedly raceable conditions. Hiking racks on Saturday gave way to knee pads on Sunday and both winds had drawn agreeable, competitive racing. Approaching the event with only two points between them, neither Chris Smart nor Alan Harris was a poor bet for the Traveller Series. But it was Alan that made the best of the varying winds and once again excelled to secure his 3rd Blaze championship win.

Blazes at Bala Lake

Blaze Traveller Series 2025

So, a hard-fought 2025 Traveller Series salutes 2024 Blaze newcomer, Alan Harris, for consistently skilful progress to top spot. Bravo Alan! Great to see tight competition at the top end with new names to the class reinforcing a rising challenge, keeping racing unpredictable and fresh.

A total of 81 different Blazes competed over all Traveller events – a fantastic turn-out.

Final Blaze Traveller Series 2025 Results:

Racing out the winter

2025’s not over yet. For the hardy sailors who choose to continue travelling through the winter there’re still good events for Blazes to throw yourselves into – The SailJuice series continues (not BCA affiliated):

6^th – 7^th December 2025          Datchet Flyer – Datchet Water Sailing Club

13^th December 2025                 Polar Chase – Chasewater Sailing Club

27^th December 2025                Brass Monkey - Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club

4^th January 2026                       Grafham GP – Grafham Water Sailing Club

10^th January 2026                     Bloody Mary – Queen Mary Sailing Club

31^st Jan – 1^st Feb 2026             John Merricks Tiger Trophy – Rutland Sailing Club

14^th February 2026                    Oxford Blue – Oxford Sailing Club

Blaze Fire Sail Demo Scheme

Where winter sailing often involves stormy winds the Blaze Fire sail is a go-to choice for many. The smaller 8.8m² Fire sail can be sailed unhandicapped at any Blaze event or raced at Fire Class events in its own right.

The Fire is designed for racing by lighter / smaller helms, or as a high-wind alternative to the powerful Blaze sail. The Fire sets on regular Blaze mast and boom with minor adjustment to your regular Blaze rig for best results.

With grateful thanks to Hartley Boats for their sponsorship of the Fire Demo Scheme (first established in 2024) Blaze Class Association is delighted to continue to offer Fire sails for you to enjoy on your own boat, at your own club and at your leisure for up to a month - for FREE.

This scheme has been set up for any Blaze sailor to take delivery of one of our demo Fire sails. We'll have the Fire delivered to you in a box for you to trial and we encourage you to pass it around your club so anyone and everyone can experience for themselves what a fun and exhilarating sail it is, whatever your size or weight. All that we ask is that you give it a good go - race it if you can (RYA Experimental PY 1050) - and make it available to your fellow club members.

We'd love to see maximum exposure for this growing class of sail and forecast seeing the Fire burning brightly throughout the dinghy world.

For more information contact BCA at sailingblaze@gmail.com.

Or complete the simple, no obligation ‘register of interest’  form here.

BCA Celebrates 30 Years of Blaze Sailing - 1996-2026

BCA Blazing through 2026

Looking ahead to Blaze Class events for 2026, we have a full calendar already lined-up with massive thanks to Lee Marriott, BCA Events Coordinator, for his unyielding efforts to deliver the best service to Blaze sailors. And to all the venue representatives who’ve been exceptionally accommodating of BCA’s commitment to the interests of our sailors.

2026 marks 30 years of Blaze sailing and BCA celebrates with a bold Blaze Nationals party with all the fanfare expected of the occasion (Lee On Solent SC, 12^th–14^th June). You won’t want to miss THE event of the Trigintennial – and just to make sure of it, we’re giving you the heads-up that early-bird entries will be opening before the new year and ending on the last day of the Dinghy Show in February. Details very soon but get the date well and truly fixed in your diaries.

2026 BCA Programme What a calendar! Already washed, pressed and folded waiting for you to get Blaze-busy in 2026. Events with an asterisk* below are Blaze Traveller Series events. To qualify for the series you must race at least three of these events, including Inlands, Nationals or Scottish Nationals.

February

21^st-22^nd – Join BCA at the Dinghy Show at Farnborough International. Invitation with thanks to Hartley Boats. The Sunday marks the end of Nationals Early-bird Entry. Don't worry - we'll remind you when we see you there...

March

Fri 27^th                Blaze Training Day – Burghfield Sailing Club

Sat 28^th              *Burghfield Blaze Open - Burghfield Sailing  Club

April

25^th – 26^th          *Blaze Western Championship – North Devon Yacht Club

May

16^th – 17^th          *Blaze Eastern Championship – Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club

June

12^th – 14^th          *Battle Brewery and Hartley Boats Blaze National Championship – Lee-on-Solent

13^th                     Blaze Class Association AGM - Lee-on-Solent Sailing Club

July

11^th - 12^th          *Marine13 Blaze Scottish Championship – Helensburgh Sailing Club

August

15^th  - 16^th          Aberdeen and Stonehaven YC Blaze Open (Traveller inclusion TBA)

September

5^th – 6^th               Blaze Fire National Championship – Warsash Sailing Club

October

3^rd – 4^th               *LOMO Blaze Inland Championship – Draycote Water Sailing Club

November

21^st – 22^nd         Blaze Fire Inland Championship @ Draycote Dash – Draycote Water Sailing Club

Not enough for you???

Keep your ears to the ground for announcements about Scottish Blaze Traveller Series to be run throughout 2026.

2026 Blaze Training Day – Tickets now OPEN

BCA is pleased to announce its 2026 Class-subsidised training day, ahead of the season's first event - Burghfield Blaze Open.

Blaze Champion Ben Harden once again imparts his sailing magic with eloquence and clarity to help draw the best from you and your boat.

You can expect a full day of classroom and on-water sessions with boat rigging, set-up and tuning advice, how to improve your speed on the water, racing skills and tactical awareness.

The cost for training day is kept at a fantastic value £25 by BCA sponsorship.

We're always at the mercy of the weather, but the day may include (but not necessarily limited to):  - Informal meet and greet (rigged and dressed). Free coffee, tea and biscuits.  - Land rigging/tuning presentation and discussion (emphasised this year!)  - 2 water sessions.  - Training review and Q&A. - 18:00 finish.

Trainees will be expected to provide their own packed lunch to minimise faff and maximise training time. No food will be available at the club.

Local accommodation is available if you book early.

Training is limited to 15 boats. You MUST be a BCA member or risk losing your place and training fee. Full training fee will be payable by 23:59 Sunday 18th January 2026. If we do not receive a minimum of 10 entries by this date, the training will be cancelled and your training fee refunded. Book your training place here.

Burghfield Open race entries will be via the Burghfield SC website - details soon.

BCA Membership in 2026

All memberships help provide prizes, promote the Blaze Class and its events everywhere, support and represent Blaze sailors and keep the BCA website up and running. New for 2026, Blaze Class Association is offering single-event memberships to encourage local non-travellers at all BCA events.

Single-event membership will be £15. But if you’re thinking about doing more than one event (and you really should!) why not become a full annual member for £30? Become a BCA member HERE.

So, plenty to whet your sailing whistles and keep you busy in your Blaze, with oodles of opportunity to help us celebrate all that’s awesome about the Blaze Class. A thriving racing and socially focussed community that welcomes you to our slice of sailing heaven.

Blaze Class Association exists to help you on your Blazing journey. How can we serve you?

Blaze Class Association

email sailingblaze@gmail.com

web www.blazesailing.org

Facebook @blazesailing

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