The 79th RA Keelboat Regatta took place at Seaview Yacht Club on the Isle of Wight on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th July 2025, under gloriously sunny skies with light to very light winds. Seven teams from 16 Regiment, two teams from 100 Regiment, and one retired team from the Walsh family participated. The event featured a diverse mix of male and female soldiers ranging from Gnr to Lt Col.

Day 1 started tentatively, as the first race in the late morning had to be halted due to lack of wind after two boats finished the course, and the others were given their positions at that point. After lunch, the wind filled in, and four closely contested races were completed, with all boats in the running and quickly learning how to navigate the light winds, line starts, and the effect of the tide.

Day 2 again began with insufficient wind to race, so most of the teams enjoyed a visit to St Barbara V and Witchcraft, followed by a cooling swim from the yachts to the local beach south of Seaview. Racing resumed after an early lunch, and Robert Lidbury, our Race Officer, managed to get in another three very competitive races. The Regatta result was still uncertain as the final eighth race started, but the remarkable consistency (seven second places out of eight races) of the 100 Regiment B Team, skippered by Lt Col Jim Edwards, saw them home by two points ahead of the Walsh family team. 16 Regiment/49 Battery was close behind in third, and 16 Regiment/32 Battery came fourth. Click on the following link to see the full results from the regatta, including the winners of individual races.

Regatta Video

So for the second year, 100 Regiment RA were awarded the prestigious Commodore’s Trophy.

Lt Col Ronnie Sefton, CO 100 Regiment RA kindly agreed to give out the prizes and Lt Col James Boutle, CO 16 Regiment RA must also be thanked for his strong support to the Regatta this year.

The 80th RA Keelboat Regatta is planned for Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th July 2026 and Seaview Yacht Club is looking forward to welcoming us again on this important anniversary milestone of this long running RAYC regatta.

Finally, the value of the Regatta is measured by the enjoyment derived by all the RA soldiers who raced this year in challenging light winds, gaining new sailing skills in a competitive environment – there was a lot of friendly rivalry and lots of smiling faces. Morale was high – job done.

Regatta Photos

Prize Winners

Click on the following link to see the full results from the regatta, including the winners of individual races.