Beautiful Rutland Water hosted the British Finn Inland Championships over the weekend of the 12th & 13th September 2026. This was the last event of the UK Qualification series for the 2027 Gold Cup in La Rochelle, so plenty at stake for the top sailors!
Boats arrived from all over the UK to join the growing Rutland fleet. On the Friday afternoon a few boats were out for a practice and a nucleus then convened for the essential pre-regatta hydration at the Wheatsheaf in the evening.
Saturday morning dawned bright and blustery. It felt fairly benign in the lee of the dinghy park but as the boats made their way towards the dam the westerly breeze was already quite fruity. With the prospect of 5 races in big breeze, some of us were ruing not going for a second breakfast..
Our excellent race office set a good fair line and a good length windward-leeward course. The choice all day was to fight for the pin end and reach a consistent left shift on the south shore or start further up the line in clear air. Generally, the former was preferable If you were able to hold a spot near the pin.
In Race 1 John Greenwood (Blithfield/West Kirby) took off on port and joyfully crossed the fleet. He led quite comfortably in the end to the finish. Behind him Pete McCoy (Warsash), Simon Percival (Christchurch) and Cameron Tweedle battled between themselves and finished in that order.
In Race 2 the wind picked up and Cameron took off to win. Pete and John had a minor incident near a fishing boat that was on the course. Pete looked (and sounded !) cross, John looked innocent and the fishermen looked confused. The resulting swim for Pete put him back into the pack.
Cam finished ahead of Simon and John. During this race some a few swims were occurring as the gusts rose and usually involved significant changes in wind direction.
Pete took his frustrations out at the start in Race 3 by port tacking the fleet. He led Richard Sharp (Emsworth Slipper) to the windward mark ahead of John G. By this stage the safe option was to round the bottom right-hand gate, sail to the shore and then tack on a lifting lefty all the way to the windward mark. The order stayed Pete, Richard and John.
After 3 longish races tiredness was becoming a factor so the final 2 races were shortened.
In Race 4 both Simon and Cam were called OCS. Pete was flying and won again, followed by John and Jamie Morgan (Rutland) who was sailing superbly in his first Finn event.
In both Race 4 and 5 Jonathan Pyke (HISC) sniffed out some great shifts coming in from the right which opened up more options for the fleet. Race 5 was again a Pete show. He won from Cam and John.
We all watched our Legend Richard Phillips (Christchurch) serenely sailing around the racecourse without any dramas – a fantastic effort in those conditions.
A slightly depleted fleet sailed back to the club nursing their wounds. The changing rooms were almost silent as tired fingers struggled to removed wetsuits etc.
However, a generous donation behind the bar from the Rutland lads seemed to raise the spirits and, after some very good advice during a Q&A from John and Cam, smiles returned.
Sunday morning was a bit damp and cooler with very little wind. The fleet were a bit late getting out as we watched the Rutland Triathlon runners circling the lake. Of course, the Finn fleet had completed their own unique Triathlon the night before – Guinness, lasagne and cheese cake,
Race 6 started with a general recall as the wind went hard right. After a committee boat move Race 6 started in the fickle breeze. At the windward mark Mattew Webb (Blithfield) led followed by John, Richard Sharp and Richard Phillips who had effortless glided through the fleet.
John took the lead leaving Matt and the 2 Richards fighting for the minor places. Pete, Cam and Simon were buried at the top mark but Simon and Pete went out hard left and found the pressure they needed to pass numerous boats.
John won ahead of Matt and Richard (S). Richard Phillips secured a great 4th. At this point it was clear that the wind was gone for the day and we headed for home.
But who had won? Pete thought it was John but, on countback, he had secured the 2026 Inland Championship. This was a very popular result after his performances on Day 1. He also was sailing a boat from the 2000 Olympics – showing that you really can succeed in the Finn without breaking the bank.
Once the results had been confirmed the final top 5 order was:
- Pete McCoy
- John Greenwood
- Simon Percival
- Richard Sharp
- Cameron Tweedle
The prize giving was carried out and the fleet departed after a lovely weekend’s sailing. Many thanks to the Rutland fleet for putting on a great event which is set to become a permanent fixture in the British Finn Calendar.
Report by Richard Sharp
Photos by Richard Smith.
