We bring a set of photos with results from this event which took place on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 August 2025 on Ullswater. This is the first time all six OGA Gaffling 4.1s have been available to race. The 2025 Championships were held as part of the OGA North West Rally on Ullswater. Racing was very competitive with some heats and the final being extremely close finishes.
Heat 1
Pete & Clare Thomas: ‘Shrimp’ | Chris Stanger & Cana Witt: ‘Essling’ | Naomi Filio & Amana Wynne-Morgan: ‘Tunstall Tide’
Heat 2
Jeremy Lambert & Dave HIndle: ‘Linling’ | Steve Yates & Yvonne Mitchell: ‘Suffling’ | Daniel Jaroschik & Alasdair Simpson: ‘Jabberwocky’
Heat 3
Nick, Ollie & Elliot Phillips: ‘Shrimp’ | Pete Elliston & Beverley Yates: ‘Tunstall Tide’ | Nick Costen & Mary Gibbs: ‘Essling’
The first National Championship was cancelled due to poor weather in 2023 and in 2024, when the postponed first Championship was run on the River Deben, only three boats took part: ‘Suffling’, ‘Essling’ and ‘Shrimp’. The event on Ullswater, ably organised by the North West OGA in collaboration with the East Coast Gaffers (who trailed four Gafflings to the Lake District from Essex and Norfolk), was a great success. All six boats took part in a final after three sets of heats allowed 20 OGA members wanting to ‘have a go’ to race in a Gaffling 4.1. Racing was very competitive with some heats and the final being extremely close finishes. This boat is proving to be popular with both young and older Gaffers, with the youngest participant this weekend being just five years old.
The Final
WINNER: Pete Elliston & Beverley Yates (EC): ‘Suffling’
2ND PLACE: Pete & Clare Thomas (EC): ‘Linling’
3RD PLACE: Naomi Filio & Amana Wynne-Morgan (NW): ‘Tunstall Tide’
Nick, Ollie & Elliot Phillips (EC): ‘Jabberwocky’
Jeremy Lambert & Dave Hindle (NW): ‘Essling’
DNF (CAPSIZED) Steve Yates & Yvonne Mitchell (EC): ‘Shrimp’
Presentation of Trophies
Jeremy Lambert, President of the North West OGA
“I just want to say that the weather was beyond expectations for the whole weekend. This made the sail to Glenridding, which is probably one of the most exciting and challenging fresh water sails in the country, with the fast return to Ullswater Sailing Club a day to savour for a long time. The winds on Monday for the Gaffling Championship gave us good competitive racing which finished an excellent Bank Holiday weekend.”
Young Gaffer, Maddy Masters enjoyed sailing a Gaffling at the Swallows & Amazons event in 2024: “I had the pleasure of sailing one of the East Coast OGA’s very own Gafflings, it was an absolute blast! With Will Roberts on the helm and me as crew we whizzed round the course on Saturday’s race, the conditions were excellent for this speedy little gaffer and it was great to get out on the water again. As much as I love my family’s smacks dinghy, she can be a little lethargic at times and it was awesome fun so sail this twitchy little boat in conditions to which she seemed very well suited. I would definitely recommend taking one out!”
We would like to thank the following who ensured everyone enjoyed a safe time on the water:
Officer of the Day: Mike Dixon, East Coast Area
Race recorder: Sarah Adie, East Coast Area
Safety Boat helm: Alasdair Simpson, NW Area & David Bewick, SW Area, boat loaned by Arnside Sailing Club
Photography: Mary Gibbs, Naomi Filio & Beverley Yates
Hosts, providing launch, storage and campsite area: Ullswater Yacht Club
OGA Officers from the North West, East Coast and South West Areas
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