Bishop Luffa Sailors at the 2026 National Schools Sailing Championships

Eight Bishop Luffa crews took to the water this month for the National Schools Sailing Championships, now in its 72nd year and the country's longest-running inter-school sailing events. Competing in the RS Feva fleet against a huge 82-boat entry from schools across the country, our sailors enjoyed two days of glorious sunshine and plenty of breeze, with the wind building further on the second day. Testing conditions for any sailor, let alone those racing in a big fleet for the very first time!

Leading the way for Bishop Luffa were Sam Machell (10Burrows) and Alice King (10Burrows), who sailed with impressive consistency across all six races to finish an excellent 13th overall, a superb result in such a competitive fleet. Ted Probee (10King) and Tom Mealing (10Otter) (39th) and Ari Hayman (9Andrewes) and Sienna Weller (9Andrewes) (41st) also posted strong results, with Naomi Chisnall (8King) and Isla Hayman (8Andrewes) close behind in 44th and Noah Chisnall (10King) and Henry Fraser (10King) in 46th. Well done too to Ollie Fillery (8Andrewes) and Dylan Allen (8Andrewes), Hannah Johnston (7Story) and Emily Farnell (10Burrows), and Eliza Gardner (8Otter) and Willow Ward (8Story), who all battled hard across the two days. Simply getting round the course in a fleet of 82 boats, in fresh breeze, is an achievement in itself, and every one of our crews showed real determination and improvement over the event.

With eight boats entered, Bishop Luffa fielded one of the largest teams at the championships, a fantastic reflection of the enthusiasm for sailing in our school community. Congratulations to all our sailors, and thank you to the parents and staff who supported them. We look forward to seeing what this talented group achieves next season!

Helen Williams, Team Leader of Computer Science