When getting involved with the National Redwing dinghy you probably didn’t know that you were in fact joining a collection of dedicated enthusiasts. We are from a huge range of backgrounds and ages that all love our boats and socialising with those who are also interested in them. Being so dedicated our events are well supported, we just love to race against each other and socialise with each other afterwards!
2025 Class events
23rd-29th August 2025 – Redwing National Championship 2025 – Tenby Sailing Club
The National Championships were a great success, a bit limited in entries but enjoyed by all who took part.
Past events…
Inland Championships – Llys-y-Fran Reservoir 21st and 22nd June 2025
24th & 25th August 2024 – Redwing National Championship 2024 – Looe Sailing Club
With it being Looe Sailings Club’s 90th Anniversary, and it being the birthplace of the Redwing dinghy, plans were put in place to make this year’s championship a very special event. However, with six Looe boats and just one committed visitor from Tenby entered, all hopes had been dashed. A very disappointed committee at LSC had to make the decision to either cancel the event altogether or amend the format. It was decided to hold a two-day bank holiday event with the hope of having three races a day.
The Saturday started with a gentle offshore breeze, but as the fleet sailed out to the start line the wind quickly gained in strength and became very squally and shifty being in the hight teens with gusts in the twenties. A very late Bill and Nan in R228 arrived on the line as the start gun fired for the first race, sailed up the beat and swiftly carried on past the windward mark, exited the course straight back to the safety of the seafront! Meanwhile Colin and Alex R245 suffered a broken mast and retired. The rest of the fleet enjoyed some fantastic reaches, hard beats and numerous capsizes.
The remaining five boats sailed a second race in the same conditions. Mark Carnell and Triss R252 sailed the last beat without any rig tension due to a collapsed jib mast sheave and it was obvious everyone was getting tired and so it was decided to call it a day and take on much needed alcoholic refreshments back at the club, where everyone enjoyed a successful barbeque evening. With the remnant SW swell left over from a previous blow and the strong gusty wind, together with many breakages, one competitor described the conditions as brutal!
Sunday’s forecast gave a SW wind of much the same wind strength and the race committee decided to have an earlier start on a starboard course, with the gybe mark in a more sheltered position closer inshore. The idea being to slip one more race in to make the championship count before the conditions became too boisterous. In the event we managed to hold two races in absolute champagne conditions.
Arthur and Tamsin R243 took an early swim and retired, leaving just four boats left, while Peter and Antoine R250 suffered a failure of the lashing at the top of the jib which keeps the cloth taught. After struggling to tie the lashing they sailed the rest of the race with a jib which resembled Nora’s baggy tights! Luckily, they managed to carry out a proper repair between races and had no further issues. Kudos to Morgan Streeper and Jack Sargent R254 for completing all four races in between swimming lessons.
Once again, Looe Bay proved to be the perfect sailing venue, it rarely disappoints, and gave the conditions the Redwing was designed for. An exhausted fleet all agreed that despite the disappointing turn out, the event was a success. Congratulations to the new Redwing champions Dave Jackman and Peter Greenwood in R253 who excelled in the conditions and won all four races. Many thanks to LSC, the race officer and crew, the safety boats, beach master and all those involved with the event.
P. Kinver
2nd-9th September – Redwing National Championship 2023 – Plerin
It was exciting to be heading back to Plerin for the championship again ion 2023, it is always an amazing event on a perfect bit of sea for racing with several really nice evening events to follow. The Grande Lejon are excited to have us back for our delayed return to France and we thank them for going to great lengths to make sure we have a good time. Really worth making the effort to get there if you can. More details to follow in time.
21st-27th August – Redwing National Championship 2022 – Tenby Sailing Club
It was truly fantastic to go back to Looe this year for the Championship, we have not been back to this particular home of the Redwing in many years. Congratulations to Mike and Deanna in R225 sweetsong, our 2022 national champions – an excellent performance and very well deserved.
Thank you very much to Tenby Sailing Club for having us and for the countless hours of work that their members have given up to complete all aspects of organising and staffing the event. Hopefully we will be able to return yet again in the not too distant future.
See the full write up here.
18th-21st August – Uffa Fox 2022 Regatta – Cowes
This was a once in a lifetime event, racing solely against Uffa Fox boats just off of Cowes. Three Redwings attended, R2, R249 and R255. It was lovely to be able to see R2 and R255 in the same space and which represented the class perfectly from both ends of the Redwing spectrum.
Thank you to the event organisers for their work on putting together some great racing but also a very full social calendar all of which was incredibly well sponsored from ferry tickets, endless Gin and fantastic prizes. please see the event website for more information and a very large gallery of the event.
17th-19th June – Redwing Inlands 2022 – Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club
Congratulations to Mike and Deanna in R225, Our 2022 Redwing Inland Champions!
We had 5 boats attend from all over and incredibly close racing. R249 excluded, every boat won a race! Another award has to go to R255, not for their intimidating boat speed (great to see) but for the best save including a trapeze artist that can apparently run on water! Sadly no camera present at the time unlike Paul Dunns forever famous feet up photo moment!
Saturday was a hold on situation with some great reaches and epic dead downwind goosewing planing action. Race 2 and 3 abandoned as the wind increased above our agreed limits. Sunday the conditions were ideal with a lighter race followed by 2 full trapeze races. Lots of ducking and passing upwind, some serious tacking on the shifts, fast planing and intense wind shadowing trying to get the inside overlap made for really interesting and tight racing. Outside of racing there was all the usual antics with a meal out, a meal in, a table tennis invitational and some (plenty of) drinking.
A huge thanks to BCYC for all the effort put in to organise and run the event. It really is appreciated! While our entry numbers were small the quality of the racing and social both made it very enjoyable, a great way to catch up with friends and to get back into competing in fleet racing.
Hopefully we will be able to return next year. Before then though we look forward to meeting up with our friends from the Enterprise fleet in Tenby later this year.
Well done again to R225 Mike and Deanna.
Redwing National Championship 2021 – Isles of Scilly
We were lucky to be able to have a full event in 2021 and the Isles of Scilly, yet again, put in a great performance giving us all an amazing event. The highlight has to be meeting R255 Rhubarb, the newest boat in the fleet and an absolute testament of the craftsmanship, patience and dedication of Ben and Toby Hicks. The wind varied from both ends of our limits causing some luxurious drifting in the sun (for the helms anyway, the crews were stuffed down near the bow tank!) but also some epic planing with at least one spectacular pitch pole. The fleet can confirm that Ben holds many talents and as well a bringing the immaculate R255 to its first champs we also sampled pizzas from his tractor mounted pizza oven on the beach. We look forward to returning next time.
2020 Events – Cancelled
Sadly 2020 was a poor year for sailing along with many other things. Due to COVID 19 restrictions and the resulting limitations on what the events could be, the Inlands, Nationals and Harding Cup were all cancelled this year. The decision was taken at the AGM to delay each of the nationals venues by a year making out next National Championship in 2021 at the Isles of Scilly.
Redwing National Championships 2019 – Looe Sailing Club
Again the fleet returned home to Looe in 2019. A great week and with only a little adjustment during the week we were able to have cracking racing in good wind for all races. Although there was good competition for the top places, 1st place was generally dominated by R226 Dodo sailed by Matt Jaycock and Dave Jackman – congratulations and well sailed!
What is also great to see is that we had good competition right through the fleet with tussles and (friendly) rivalries developing as the week went on. We had a great week, both on the water and off including the day off with swimming in a secluded bay. A huge thank you to all involved in organising and running the championship, it is really appreciated!
The full championship report is now available for download or you can view is on our very own news page. Many thanks to Peter for putting this together and to Neil for allowing us to use his incredible pictures.
We are very fortunate in Looe to have Neil Richardson who takes incredible in the moment photos of the events and this years Nationals was no exception. Take a look at his albums of the events by following Neil on Facebook and also this video taken by Looe Sailing Club showing races 1 and 2.
Harding Cup 2019 – North Devon Yacht Club June 29-30th
This is the second time in the Harding Cup has been awarded in recent years. This year it was awarded based on 3 races. 2 races started from a committee boat on the Saturday followed by 1 race started in the usual club format on the Sunday. Congratulations this year go to Stan Pyle in R62 Poppet who gets to take the trophy home for the year. The weather was glorious and saw 5 Redwings intending to race with the 9 stone steel centerplate in place as our class traditionally dictates. There was some incredibly close racing to be enjoyed most notably between R211 Chanty and R62 Poppet on the Sunday who continually swapped positions throughout the race. I think this format will be taken forward next year with racing on both days of the weekend with the opportunity for a good social on the evening in between – a weekend to look out for next year, especially if you have a plated boat.
Redwing Inland Championships 2019 – Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club – April 27-28th
Our 2019 Inland Championships were held by Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club on April 27-28th. This was our second Inlands held at BCYC. Unusually we were becalmed in 2018 limiting the event to a single race and causing much time for a fleet social. In 2019 we had the other extreme with plenty of wind on the Saturday causing a tent to blow away and sailing to be abandoned. There was however much socialising and a busy clubhouse especially as the event was shared with the Enterprise fleet. Sunday had great sailing conditions and we made a bit more of it by sailing 3 races instead of 2. It was close racing with each race being won by a different boat! In the end it was exceptionally close between Dragon and Cock of the Rock equal on points, countback and it coming down to the position of the final race sailed. Well done to Angus and Adam in R244 Dragon.
Many thanks to the competitors for making the trip and supporting our clubs mission to fill the recycling bins 🙂
Equally importantly the association would like to say a big thanks to the organisers of the event at BCYC for the many hours that they spent organising paperwork, preparing food and volunteers and the manning the galley, bar and boats. Thanks also to the Enterprise class association for their support with entries, results and company as well.
Redwing National Championships 2018 – Centré Nautique de Plérin
An excellent event at an incredible sailing venue organised by the Le Grand Léjon association and held at the Centré Nautique de Plérin. Please read the Yachts and Yachting report for more information.
Redwing Inland Championships 2018 – Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club
This was our first Inland event for many years and unusually for BCYC the wind was lacking leaving us with just one race. We did however make up for it with Yoga, Table Tennis and beer. It was great to see everyone and we are pleased to reinstate a routing of having an Inland Championships as a second opportunity for a class event and catch up of old friends.
Redwing National Championships 2017 – North Devon Yacht Club
We were welcomed back to NDYC in 2017 with much local excitement and Redwingers of the past coming out to see. The Redwing was a very familiar sight in the NDYC racing area in the 60’s. This event also represented 50 years since the event was last held at NDYC. You can read more in the Yachts and Yachting report.
Redwing National Championships 2016 – Scillonian Sailing Club
What a picturesque venue! Despite poor weather restricting the movements of the ferry’s, we had an excellent event with the largest turnout of recent years hitting 30 boats! More information here in the Yachts and Yachting report and pictures here.
Redwing National Championships 2015 – Looe Sailing Club
Redwing National Championships 2014 – Centré Nautique de Plérin
Please find event results here.
National Redwing Dinghy Association 