OGA Gaffling Championship at Ullswater Yacht Club
by Alasdair Simpson 1 Sep 20:13 NZST
25 August 2025
Six boats in line on a broad reach during the Gaffling Dinghy Championship at Ullswater © Mary Gibbs
The OGA held their second Gaffling Championship at Ullswater Yacht Club on Bank Holiday Monday 25th August.
The OGA are the Association for Gaff Rig Sailing. They have over 1000 members with boats ranging in age from 125 years or more to more modern replicas. Boat lengths varying from 10 feet to more than 60 feet for larger sea going vessels.
The OGA promote the Gaffling 4.1 dinghy as an entry level boat to sailing gaff rig boats. They are available in kit form from Fyne Boats near Kendal for £3395. Fyne Boats offer courses in how to build their boats. Alternatively, they can build one for you. The Gaffling was designed by Andrew Wolstenholme. At 4.1 metres long the boat is similar in size to a GP or Wanderer. One of the boats "Jabberwocky" was built by three teenagers from Arnside Sailing Club with lottery funding. One of the teenagers has subsequently got a job as an apprentice at Windermere Jetty Museum. Tunstall Tide was made by a school in the North East. To date six Gafflings have been built.
All six Gafflings took part in the Championship, the first time all six boats have been in the same place. The weather was hot and sunny with temperatures reaching 26 degrees. Winds were southerly Force 4, though with stronger gusts making for ideal racing conditions. Winds increased during the day.
The championship was made up of 3 heats using a triangular course with the first and second boats going through to the final. The heats were made up of one lap each and the final in the afternoon by three laps. Crews were allocated to boats by a draw.
Racing was very competitive with some heats and the final having extremely close finishes. In the final there was only 14 seconds between first and second boat.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat | Helm | Crew | Time |
|---|
| Heat One |
|---|
| 1st | Tunstall Tide | Amana Wynne‑Morgan | Naomi Filio | 13.54 |
| 2nd | Shrimp | Peter Thomas | Clare Thomas | 146 |
| 3rd | Essling | Chris Stanger | Cana Witt | 16.35 |
| Heat Two |
|---|
| 1st | Suffling | Steve Yates | Yvonne Mitchell | 14.47 |
| 2nd | Linling | Jeremy Lambert | David Hindle | 18.34 |
| 3rd | Jabberwocky | Alasdair Simpson | Daniel Jaroschik | 18.57 |
| Heat Three |
|---|
| 1st | Shrimp | Elliot Phillips | Nick & Ollie Phillips | 13.33 |
| 2nd | Tunstall Tide | Pete Elliston | Beverley Yates | 13.53 |
| 3rd | Essling | Mary Gibbs | Nick Costen | 14.53 |
| Final |
|---|
| 1st | Suffling | Pete Elliston | Beverley Yates | 36.31 |
| 2nd | Linling | Pete Thomas | Clare Thomas | 36.45 |
| 3rd | Tunstall Tide | Amana Wynne‑Thomas | Naomi Filio | 426 |
| 4th | Jabberwocky | Elliot Phillips | Nick & Ollie Phillips | 43.58 |
| 5th | Essling | Jeremy Lambert | David Hindle | 48.32 |
| DNF | Shrimp | Steve Yates | Yvonne Mitchell | Capsized |
Both the third and fourth boats were helmed by teenagers. Elliot in the fourth boat had his father and grandfather crewing for him.
The Race Officer was Mike Dixon, with Sarah Adie as Race Recorder. Safety boat cover was provided by David Bewick, Alasdair Simpson and Mary Gibbs.
Alasdair Simpson, the North West Secretary for the OGA said:
"We would like to thank Ullswater Yacht Club for hosting the event. With on site camping and a scenic location it is an ideal venue for a championship event. It was great to see all six Gafflings racing together,"
"Once you have worked out the rigging, the throat and peak halyards, Gafflings are relatively easy to sail being sit in rather than lean out boats. They are designed to be responsive to the wind and have a good turn of speed. Perhaps surprisingly they are centre main. Gafflings row easily if the wind drops. If you want to try a Gaffling contact * OGA's East Coast area, who have two boats Essling and Suffling or Arnside Sailing Club, which is located on the Kent Estuary south of Kendal, who own Jabberwocky."