UK Class SB20 Racing Season: Thrilling Competition in the Solent

Written by Mark Gillett, skipper onboard PBII-Twenty

The UK class SB20 racing season is in full swing. The third weekend of racing took place in the Solent, part of the Royal Southern Yacht Club's 1st Summer Series regatta. This follows the earlier Spring Championships hosted over two weekends by the Warsash Sailing Club.

Royal Southern Yacht Club © Paul Wyeth

A Competitive Team Aboard PBII-Twenty

A familiar team was back on board PBII-Twenty, including Mark Gillett, Paul Hine, and Richard Anderton. After a tough battle at the Spring Championships, where Breaking Bod emerged victorious, our eyes were set on the Southern Areas Championships this May. Our goal? To defeat Breaking Bod while tuning our skills for a busy SB20 season with numerous planned trips to the North Sea!

With light breezes and sunshine forecasted, we anticipated a possible sea breeze development. Saturday kicked off with a delayed start due to lunch, but conditions improved. The southerly breeze strengthened, and the cross-tide created a challenging course. Day 1 featured an extended start line, making strategy critical. Our plan focused on taking shifts during the beats while maintaining close coverage of competing boats.

Day 1 Results

On Day 1, PBII-Twenty consistently secured second place in every race. We faced stiff competition, with various boats leading at different points in each race. It was fantastic to see the Neilson brothers travel down from Cumbria to join the south coast fleets. They were sailing impressively, making strong tactical decisions and demonstrating exceptional upwind speed.

Breaking Bod, helmed by Charlie Whelan with Richard McAdam and guest sailor Andrew Dowley from Sailing Chandlery, led overnight by just one point. This set the stage for an exciting Day 2 of racing.

Selfie onboard Breaking Bod

Facing New Challenges on Day 2

Sunday brought cloudy skies as the northerly breeze faded away. Fortunately, a shifty south-westerly of 7-9 knots allowed the race officer to run three more races. The first race was won by the Neilson brothers after an intense battle with PBII-Twenty. We nearly snuck past them on the final run but were ultimately overtaken at the last gybe mark. The Neilsons nailed their approach to the mark and stayed ahead by a mere 0.5 meters—well done, lads!

In the final two races, PBII-Twenty needed to maintain our lead over Breaking Bod to secure the overall win. Race 2 involved plenty of lead swapping, but we managed to take the lead. Race 3 brought another solid start for PBII-Twenty. We successfully navigated the first two shifts on the initial beat, securing a comfortable lead around the top marks. As a result, we clinched the win in Race 3.

PBII-Twenty in action

Overall Results

By the end of the racing weekend, PBII-Twenty secured first place, followed closely by Breaking Bod in second and the Neilsons, who performed admirably, coming in third. The conditions provided an excellent backdrop for incredibly close racing. Looking ahead, the SB20 fleet is excited to participate in the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta from Cowes in June. This will be followed by the UK National Championships in Weymouth in July.

Additionally, PBII-Twenty will travel to Belgium for a pre-event and then the European Championships in August. By September, we will continue our journey to Holland for the Dutch event.

Join Us for More Racing Action!

The next Summer Series event at the Royal Southern YC is scheduled for 20th to 22nd June. This event will bring back the Royal Southern Mid-Summer Regatta, gearing up to be the centerpiece of the Summer Series and the largest event the RSYC will host in 2025. Sponsored by Key Yachting, it promises to attract a record nine classes competing.

Click here for the overall results of the 1st Summer Series. We invite everyone to join us this season for thrilling battles on the water.