16 teams from across the globe gathered together to compete in the sailing regatta at the 12th Gay Games in Valencia in June 2026.  Five of those teams had S&CA members in the crew with three of those teams winning silver, bronze and 4th place in the competition.  

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The S&CA Crews

Here's who represented the club on the water:

• Jolene - Julie F, Nicky F, Marcus C, Dee M‍
• Gusty Springfield - Mark M, Steve B, Reggie B, Reg K*‍
• Pet Shop Buoys - Ed H, Paul L, Toby L‍
• British Dutch Drift - Amanda H, Jim N, Dorette K, Marjan H‍
• Born this Wave - Dániel M, Chris W, Jon B, Jonas B

*Sadly, Reg was injured while racing the week before the Games and was unable to attend.

Training on the Isle of Wight

Prior to the games in Valencia, three teams headed to the Ilse of Wight for two days training on a fleet of J70’s provided by the Royal Thames Yacht Club and organised by Ed Hall. We were privileged to be coached by Richard Moxey, former National Keelboat Development Manager at the Royal Yachting Association. Former Team GB 470 sailor Ryan Orr, and one of Cowes most respected race officers, Phil Hagen. It was an opportunity for crews to get acquainted or re-acquainted and proved to be an exciting, if somewhat challenging, two days on the water.

Finding our feet in Valencia

Arriving in Valencia we had an opportunity to look over the boats we would be racing in but sadly no opportunity to take them out before the event started. The boats, Comet 21s, had been rigged with new sails for the competition and overall were in very good condition. Day one was a practice day which gave us the opportunity to get used to the boats in fairly light conditions. The majority of the boats had a crew of four with a smaller number carrying a crew of three. More on that later!

The first two days of racing

With six boats available for racing the teams were divided into 3 groups, drawn by lots, and racing commenced on day two. Each group competed in three races each and the groups were re-drawn for day two and three more races each. The first two days were raced with white sails only. Winds tended to be light at the start of racing building as the day progressed. The location of the racing was spectacular as we raced off-shore of the Las Arenas and Malvarrosa beaches, not dissimilar to the area where the America’s Cup races of 2007 and 2010 were held.

Final day

For the final day of racing the teams were split into 3 groups: Gold, Silver and Bronze, with the Gold fleet allowed to sail with spinnakers for the final two races. The positions prior to day three were as follows: Jolene in first place, Lost in Translation (French) in second place, Gusty Springfield in third place, Born This Wave in forth place, Dutch British Drift in seventh place and Pet Shop Boys in eleventh place. Three of the six boats in the Gold fleet were representing the S&CA, not to shabby at all!

We were given an hour to practice hoisting and dropping the spinnaker before the two final races. Now I am not making excuses here, well I am, but Gusty Springfield was the only boat with a crew of three and that did make things just the little bit more exciting and quite challenging when it came to managing the spinnaker.

In the end the win and our congratulations to Lost in Translation who sailed a blinder in the final two races to nudge past Jolene for the Gold medal.  Likewise to Born This Wave who captured the bronze. Not for getting the incomparable Team Jolene who took the silver medal. British Dutch Drift came in eight overall with Pet Shop Buoys improving their final position to tenth place.

More than a medal

Our thanks also go to SomVela whose organisation of the regatta was outstanding. The welcome we received and the atmosphere throughout the competition was amazing.  There is something very special about competing in the Gay Games, this is my third now.  Reconnecting with people who you may not have seen for many years and of course making new friends is very much part of it. Competing against fellow sailors who are very experienced and competitive on the water and great fun off it is quite a magical feeling.

Valencia put on some show for the games and was so welcoming - what a great city. We will all have memories to cherish from these games and of course the excitement as we look forward to 2030 in Perth, Australia for the next games. Those of us who competed in Valencia are keen to keep the momentum going for the next games and to encourage others to get involved at an early stage, particularly younger members who would really benefit from the experience.  

Thank you to everyone who participated this time. You were all brilliant!