The weekend of 16–17 August brought perfect sailing conditions, with the weather gods delivering exactly as promised: sunshine and steady light winds of 5–9 knots across both days.

From our 24-boat fleet, 14 of them lined up to contest the title of National Champion.

Day 1

Three windward/leeward races opened the event. After consistent sailing, David Clarke on Harliquin topped the leaderboard, chased closely by Neil Murphy on Yellow Peril. Meanwhile, newcomers to the class, Nimon helmed by David Johnston, suffered an early setback with an OCS in the first race.

Day 2

Race 4 brought the introduction of discards, dramatically tightening the standings. Paul McMahon on Shiggi Shiggi and Nimon moved into joint first on 6 points, with Yellow Peril and Harliquin close behind on 6.5 points. With four boats in contention, everything was still to play for.

Races 5 and 6, however, saw Nimon deliver back-to-back bullets, securing the title of Puppeteer National Champions 2025. The final podium standings were:

1. Nimon – David Johnston
2. Shiggi Shiggi – Paul McMahon
3. Harliquin – David Clarke
4. Yellow Peril – Neil Murphy

Handicap Results

On corrected time, Dylon Murry (Nefertari) claimed top honours, with Ian Dickson (Weyhey), Conor Twohig (Gold Dust), and Philip Byrne (Odyssey) completing the podium.

U25 Entries

A special highlight this year was the strong youth participation, with two under-25 helms competing. Jack McMahon (Pinocchio) took first place, with Matthew Knowles (Intersceptre) in second.

All in all, it was one of the finest weekends of sailing — sunshine, steady breeze, and close competition throughout.

Many thanks to our very generous sponsor Sutton Cross Pharmacy.

Congratulations to all competitors, and roll on 2026!