The Royal London Yacht Club (RLYC) hosted an epic edition of the Rovika Open UK SB20 Nationals and Open Championships at Cowes.
Gathering 31 teams from across Australia, France, Belgium, Singapore and the UK, four days of action spanned from 25-knot Solent blasts to nail-biting light-air tactical battles setting a new benchmark for the UK Class.
The regatta opened on Saturday with a fast-paced, three-race Sprint Series, won by Mark Gillett on PBTwenty II sailing with Paul Hine and Richard Anderton.
The Open UK SB20 Nationals and Open Championships were delayed due to strong winds Sunday and eventually opened Monday.
The 2026 UK Championship was a victory for 2025 SB20 World Champion (and reigning UK National champion) John Pollard on XCELLENT – reunited with his 2025 World Championship winning crew of Henry Wetherell and David Chapman.
They stamped their authority on the fleet, winning six of the eight races and holding off the pressure from Nils Razmilovic’s Glasgow Kiss who took second, and Australia’s Paul McCartney in third, who each included a race win in their score.
With this victory team XCELLENT now turn their attention to defending their title at the 2026 SB20 World Championship in Hyères, France.
Final Leaderboards
Open Championship Top 3
- XCELLENT – John Pollard, Henry Wetherell, David Chapman (GBR)
- Glasgow Kiss – Nils Razmilovic, Marcus Tressler, David Salembier (SIN)
- Porco Rosso – Paul McCartney, Will Sargent, Sam Tiedman (AUS)
UK National Championship Top 3
- XCELLENT – John Pollard, Henry Wetherell, David Chapman
- PBtwenty II – Mark Gillett, Paul Hine, Richard Anderton
- Reservoir Bod – Charlie Whelan, Richard McAdam, Patrick Whelan
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