International Inclusivity Keelboat Championship 2025 – Full Event Report

Rutland Sailing Club · 7–9 November 2025

The International Inclusivity Keelboat Championship 2025 delivered its most exciting edition yet, bringing together Blind, Deaf, Neurodiverse and Limited Mobility sailors for a spectacular weekend of close racing, camaraderie, and celebration at Rutland Sailing Club.

Now in its third year, the championship has evolved from a Blind Sailing-only event in 2023, to Blind and Deaf sailors in 2024, and now—more impressively than ever—welcoming sailors across multiple sailability communities in 2025, taking input from the former RYA Multi Cass events. The result was a vibrant, competitive fleet that truly embodied the meaning of inclusivity in sport.

A Championship Defined by Atmosphere, Determination, and Joy.

The weekend opened on Friday with an evening buffet and welcome ceremony—a chance for teams from across the UK and overseas to reunite, meet new competitors, and build the sense of community that this event is known for. As one sailor put it, “the banter was epic”—and it set the tone perfectly.

Across Saturday and Sunday, the racecourse came alive. Perfect sailing conditions, with steady 8–12 knot winds, allowed 33 races to be completed—an extraordinary achievement and a testament to the slick operation of the race management team.

Starts were fiercely contested, mark roundings were full of drama, and many finishes saw boats overlapped as they charged downwind toward the line. The keelboat league format, using five RS21s with rapid on-water crew changes, ensured every team sailed against every other team at multiple points during the regatta.

All teams completed at least 18 races, pushing skills, teamwork, and strategy to the limit.

Coach’s Eye: Becky Ellis “What an event—a day of training and then 33 races completed in 2 days! It was a huge success and a privilege to be on the water seeing the teams pushing themselves whilst having fun. Well done to all the competitors and a massive thank you to all the volunteers that made this event so successful. There was some very close racing throughout the fleet and it was great to see the seasoned racers pushing alongside some newer teams. No one held back, and many battles were won and lost around the race course, testing everyone's strategical and tactical game.” — Becky Ellis, Coach “Coaching the GBR Blind Sailing squad this year and putting teams together for this event and the World Championship, it was awesome to see everyone's hard work pay off and the teams continually growing and learning.”

Community, Connection and Representation

This year’s championship welcomed teams from Blind Sailing, Deaf Sailing, and Sailability groups, including a strong team from Rutland Sailability led by Paul Pearson.  And a mixed disability team under Blind Sailing were some of our blind sailors and our helper with disabilities made a team and got out there racing.  Several teams used the event as preparation for the World Inclusive Championships in the coming weeks.

As sailor Logan Bell shared:

“Sailing with the Blind GB team, I feel I belong. We are a family and support each other. The opportunities to sail and socialise—who could ask for more! This weekend I have not enjoyed myself more or laughed so much in a long time.”

Race Results

1st – UKBS3 Inclusion

2nd – UKBS1 Resilience

3rd – BS Sweden

The perpetual trophy, presented by Rutland Sailability, was awarded to the victorious Inclusion team.

A Behind-the-Scenes Triumph

A huge thank you goes to Rutland Sailing Club staff and volunteers, UK Blind Sailing volunteers, the safety boat teams, race officers, mark layers, shore crew, and support teams. The event ran “like a well-oiled machine”.

More Than a Championship

From the Friday night buffet to the Saturday three-course dinner, teams mixed, shared stories, supported each other’s races, and built friendships that stretch far beyond the sailing world. The social side is not an add-on—it is a core purpose of the championship.

Looking Ahead

With momentum building year on year, and with several teams now heading to the World Inclusive Championships, the future of inclusive keelboat sailing looks incredibly bright, looking to next November.

Here’s to many more years of growth, competition, and community.

Big thanks to those that supported: Rooster, Inspiration In You, ARB Tree and Garden Solutions, RYA Salability.

And final thanks to David Wilkins, who made it all happen.