SYH Classic Regatta 2025

First held in 2002, the Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta – organised by Haven Ports YC and sponsored by Classic Marine as well as the Yacht Harbour - is now firmly established in the East Coast sailing calendar. This year’s event, which was attended by thirty-three sailing boats and fourteen motor boats, coincided with June’s mini heatwave, bringing glorious sunshine accompanied by light winds initially and then fresher breezes on the Sunday. The programme started on the Friday evening with a short informal race for the sailing boats which started and finished on the Haven Ports YC line just off the entrance to the Yacht Harbour and which was not part of the main series. Ten boats took part, with Robert Gillespie’s Spirit 30 Lady Elena coming out as the eventual winner.

For the main series, three races were scheduled – two on Saturday and one on Sunday – with the sailing boats competing in five different classes. Saturday morning’s race took place in a light breeze, starting on a line near Harwich’s Dovercourt breakwater with the courses going out to sea and back. After winning line honours in the Fast Bermudan Class, the crew of Will and Jenny Taylor-Jones’ 1965 S&S Sunstone realised they had strayed into the shipping lane and so retired, handing the race victory on corrected time to Lady Elena which was followed by two S&S boats: Michael and Jason Wheeler’s 1974 Golden Fleece and Andy and Jane Easdown’s 1968 Illiria. In the Gaff Class, two Aldous smacks - Dan Tester’s 1898 Yet and Eloisa Rule’s 1890 ADC – were competing in the event for the first time. Yet had a perfect start and sailed away from the rest of the fleet, crossing the finish line with a significant lead and winning by almost nineteen minutes on corrected time, while ADC was second and David Smith’s 1910 Lidstone-designed Nightfall third. Simon Lewington’s 1948 Brittany class Droleen II had a comfortable line honours victory in the Slow Bermudan Class, and saved her time to also win on handicap, with Stephen Jones’ 1958 Rummer class Phialle second and Neil Collin Gridge’s Twister Cheetah of Burnham third

Meanwhile in the three-boat Stella Class, Mark Montgomery-Smith’s Lodestar had her first victory with Edward and Ellie Harvey-Bates’ Lys of Slaughden second; and Matt Lis’s Jubilee beat Will Risdill Smith’s Lindy Lou in the Deben Cherub Class.

The Deben Cherubs then got promptly under way for their second race with a course going up river, and this time the results were reversed with Lindy Lou taking the victory. But not long after the start of the second race for all the other classes – again off the Dovercourt breakwater and with courses going out to sea - it became apparent that the strong flood tide was getting the better of the dying breeze, and so Race Officer Peter Martin made the difficult decision to abandon it

With a stronger wind forecast for the Sunday, Peter set courses for all classes inside the Rivers Orwell and Stour, starting and finishing a short distance downstream of the Yacht Harbour entrance. In the Fast Bermudan Class, Sunstone made up for her previous day’s misdemeanour by winning comfortably. “Today’s race was awesome and the course suited us very well,” said Will Taylor-Jones who has competed with his wife Jenny in the Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta about fifteen times, not just in Sunstone but previously in their Lion and Folkboat. “We love his regatta, it is a terrific event.” But Golden Fleece and Ben Van-Dijke and Amanda Stear’s Nini showed that consistent results can pay better than occasional race wins by finishing the race in third and second places, to give them, respectively, first and second places overall. But it was all very close with just a single point between them, and Lady Elena just one more point behind in third place. “This is the first time we have raced Nini,” said Amanda, “and I am gobsmacked that we came second. I’m so happy!”

Once again, Yet dominated the Gaff Class while Nightfall’s second place also gave her second overall, just a point in front of ADC. “It was a great race today,” said Nightfall crew member Nick Wood who owns a trimaran but has sailed on several iconic classic boats. “We love sailing in these beautiful rivers and it was an opportunity to see Suffolk and Essex at their best.”

In the Slow Bermudan Class, the stronger winds were so much more to Ross Wey’s 1920 Mylne yawl Gudgeon’s liking that she beat second placed Justin Miller’s 1950 Solani class Malwen by nearly twelve minutes on corrected time. This gave Gudgeon identical results (a fourth and a first) to Droleen II with the tie broken in favour of Gudgeon by virtue of her better place in the last race. Cheetah of Burnham had another third, putting her in that same position overall.

Lodestar was the first Stella again, but this time with Roger Reid’s Persephone second; and Lindy Lou had the last say to give her overall victory in the Deben Cherub Class.

Eleven of the motor boats were Faireys of various types, several of which had been restored at Suffolk Yacht Harbour. Just as the first sailing race was finishing on Saturday, they took part in a Parade of Power, the winner of which was Chris Wright’s Fairey Huntsman 31 Trident of Hamble, while Peter and Sue Jackson were awarded a special prize to mark the fact that they had had to shut down an overheating engine on their Fairey Huntsman 28 Nauti Bear. They all then moored up together in Harwich; and on Sunday they had a short cruise to Woolverstone where their crews enjoyed lunch at the Royal Harwich YC.

The Concourse d’Elegance prize was awarded to Peter Wilson’s 1925 Silver Maudorces; and the final prize – the Je Ne Sais Quoi trophy – was also presented to Peter in recognition of a long lifetime of highly successful sailing and boatbuilding as well as the invaluable assistance and advice regularly given by him to many classic boat owners. “I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to receive this trophy,” said Peter.

But the event wasn’t just about activities afloat as the social programme also played an important part, particularly the Saturday night party and live music on board the Haven Ports YC lightship.

It has been a great event and everyone seems to have really enjoyed themselves,” said Jonathan. “We very much look forward to welcoming everyone back in June 2026.”