Craftinsure Phantom Super Series final round at Lee-on-the-Solent Sailing Club

New Ovington drop cockpit boat - Craftinsure Phantom Super Series final round at Lee-on-the-Solent © Mark Spruce

New Ovington drop cockpit boat - Craftinsure Phantom Super Series final round at Lee-on-the-Solent © Mark Spruce

With over 20 entries, Phantom sailors made their way to Lee-on-the-Solent Sailing Club for the final round of the 2026 Craftinsure Super Series. The fleet arrived on Friday to classic "champagne" sailing conditions, setting up camp on the cliff top with panoramic views of the Solent - a beautiful vantage point that would prove rather lively later in the weekend!

Friday afternoon began on the beach with an invaluable pre-event coaching session focused on mast rake, bend, and the intricate relationships between primary control lines. The fleet then hit the water in a glorious 12-15 knot breeze for a short, highly productive tuning session, joined on the water by a few SailGP F50s out for a practice run. Once back ashore, cold beers were enjoyed beside the vans before heading into the clubhouse for an insightful video debrief.

Saturday morning offered a relaxed start, giving sailors travelling from further afield time to arrive. Among them was Rob Richardson, who had made the long journey down from the North East with the stunning new dropped-cockpit Ovington Phantom.

Despite a stiff breeze forecasted, the fleet launched with the assistance of a brilliant shore crew into a gentle 8-10 knots. The excitement for Race 1 was clearly high, as the entire fleet jumped the gun on the first attempt - despite a clear transit and a tide holding everyone back.

Once recalled and cleanly away, the line showed a port bias. Early chargers Cook, Rickard, and Dancer opted for the left-hand side, but it was the right that paid huge dividends. Richardson, revelling in his new ship, blasted out into the horizon. Downwind, with little apparent wind, a helping tide, and light chop, Cook and Rickard made up significant ground by sticking left.

The second beat brought major drama and reshuffled the pack. The leading bunch of Richardson, Cook, Thorpe, and Coxon stuck to the right, but those behind either spotted pressure building on the left or were forced to tack into clear air. Even a brief hitch to the left yielded massive gains. The biggest beneficiaries were Young and Rickard, who navigated the shifts perfectly to leapfrog Richardson, finishing in that order.

Several competitors questioned whether Race 2 should proceed in the fickle, light conditions, but the weather gods quickly silenced them. In a matter of seconds the wind suddenly ramped up from 7 knots to well over 20 knots.

The left side of the track proved favoured this time, and Rickard showed his National Champion pedigree with superior boat speed and positioning. Other front-runners included Carr, who demonstrated blistering pace all day, and Richardson, proving the new Ovington hull is fast across all wind ranges with some silky downwind technique in a rapidly building sea state. The racing behind was razor-sharp, you could have thrown a blanket over 3rd through 7th place but Rickard took the bullet, followed by Carr in 2nd and Richardson in 3rd.

The fleet had thinned out slightly for Race 3 as gusts began pushing into the high 20s, with Bramblemet recording a peak of 32 mph. The brave Race Officer, who did a phenomenal job all day, reset the anchor just a stone's throw from the lee shore (pun fully intended) to give the fleet another cracking course.

Rickard took an early lead and threatened to walk away with it, but a chasing pack had dialled in their heavy-weather speed to keep him honest. Recently crowned Inland Champion Sam Coxon suffered an outhaul failure on the first beat, unfortunately ending his challenge.

After a thrilling downhill sleigh ride, the final beat saw the top six crossing tacks in a temporarily moderating breeze and subtle, high-stakes shifts. Rickard yielded his lead as Dancer and Richardson picked their way through, with Carr, McDonald, and Cook in hot pursuit. Following further downwind place changes, Richardson secured the win, with Dancer in 2nd, and Cook just pipping Rickard on the line for 3rd.

A tired but buzzing fleet enjoyed a short blast back to the beach, seamlessly recovered by the superb shore crew. After the usual post-race banter in the sunshine, sailors gathered outside their vans on the hilltop with cold beers. Entertainment was provided in equal measure by the returning SailGP fleet coming back from Portsmouth and several brave souls attempting to pitch tents in a solid 25-30 knot breeze on the exposed campsite.

Saturday evening was spent in the clubhouse enjoying a fantastic meal, a few drinks, and watching the SailGP broadcast, with plenty of armchair experts volunteering to give Dylan Fletcher and Hannah Mills a few tips on how to start!

Those who managed to sleep (primarily those not in flapping tents!) woke up to bright sunshine, but a relentless 23-26 knot wind with sustained periods topping 30 knots. With conditions deteriorating, the Race Officer made the sensible call to abandon racing for the day on the grounds of safety and extreme risk during launch and recovery.

The overall results for the 2026 Craftinsure Super Series will be presented at the National Championships in Tenby, running from the 3rd to the 6th of September.

A massive thank you goes to everyone at Lee-on-the-Solent Sailing Club for hosting an exceptional event both on and off the water.

Overall Results: