06 October 2025

Silver success for GBR at Offshore Double Handed Worlds

Celebrations in Cowes for Zeb Fellows and Willow Bland

A young British team is celebrating after claiming silver at the Offshore Double Handed World Championships following a tough and tactical week of competition.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in collaboration with Cap-Regatta and supported by LGL and Jeanneau, hosted the World Sailing-recognised championship in supplied Sun Fast 30 One Design yachts (22 September–1 October 2025, Cowes, IOW, UK).

With 21 teams representing 14 nations from across five continents, the fleet showcased the diversity and rising talent of the discipline, with mixed-gender crews ranging from Olympians and offshore veterans to youth sailors making their first impact on the world stage. Following two qualifiers and a repechage race, 11 teams fought for honours in the final.

France’s Théa Khelif and Thomas André (FRA 1) mastered the light and shifting breeze to be crowned World Champions. Taking the runner-up spot were Great Britain’s Zeb Fellows – who aged 18 was the youngest competitor at the worlds - and Willow Bland. Domi Knuppel & Federico Waksman (URU) claimed third, Uruguay’s first podium at this level.

Road to the final

The championship opened with two 140-mile qualifiers, with the top five teams from each going through to the final. Defending champions Cal Finlayson & Maggie Adamson (GBR 1) stamped their authority early by winning Qualifier 1, while the French duo of Khelif & André (FRA 1) stormed to victory in Qualifier 2 after a brutal 20–25 knot beat off St Catherine’s Point. A Repechage Race then offered one final “golden ticket” to the final, which was won by New Zealand’s Aaron Hume-Merry & Anna Merchant.

Fellows/Bland (GBR 2) managed to hang on to 5th place in Qualifier 2 to secure their place in the final, with Fellows commenting afterwards: “What really hit us in this race is just how tight the racing is. These boats are evenly matched, so every mistake costs you big. One poor jibe and you can lose four places instantly. There’s no relaxing, no chance to sleep – you’re on it the whole time.” He added that although they’d made mistakes in the qualifier, it gave them a chance to “learn, reset, and come back stronger” to take the lessons into the final.

The final started on Monday 29 September at 15:00 with the fleet setting off in a light south-westerly for a tense race into the night, with day two then becoming a slow tactical battle of patience, kedging, and sheer concentration. At 15:37:54 on Tuesday 30 September, FRA 1 crossed the line to secure the World Championship title.

“This race was about patience and staying calm,” commented Khelif from the winning team. “It was never secure until the final minutes. To win here in Cowes, against such strong teams from around the world, is a dream. The conditions tested everything: tactics, nerves and teamwork.”

The fight for silver was decided by just 10 seconds, when having kedged to hold position against the tide, Fellows/Bland (GBR 2) and Knuppel/Waksman (URU) hauled anchors in unison for a frantic “Le Mans start”, with the British team just managing to edge ahead.

“We honestly thought Uruguay had us at the end,” commented Fellows/Bland afterwards. “To be kedged side by side, then pulling the anchors and going bow-to-bow for silver, was bizarre. We fought for every inch, and to come away second by ten seconds is unbelievable. For us, just being in this final was huge, to leave with a medal is incredible.”

Sailing journeys

Zeb, who learnt the doublehanded discipline racing with his father in the last two RORC Season’s Points Championships, said: “Going into the championship we wanted to do well but I never really wanted to go in with expectations, especially in this event where we had no idea where we were going to place. I just wanted to be proud of the result and not be thinking I’d left something on the racecourse.

“After the qualifier we felt we’d made a lot of mistakes. I personally had a lot more nerves for the qualifier because you had to finish top 5 to make it through and we weren’t sure what to expect. In the final we could sail our own race. I really enjoyed the whole event and it was cool to be a part of it and sailing with some really great teams - the final was a fleet race all the way round and for a whole day, and it was really close. It was good fun.”

A former pupil of Ryde School on the Isle of Wight, Zeb is a member of Yealm YC and as a junior and youth sailor competed in Toppers, RS Fevas and 29ers. He is currently taking a gap year with plans for as much sailing as possible, including delivering yachts and offshore racing.

Willow, whose 28th birthday was halfway through the championship, grew up sailing at Waldringfield SC in Suffolk and raced Cadets and 420s before developing a passion for offshore sailing, competing in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race aboard Maiden as part of the first ever all-female team to win an around the world yacht race.

Commenting on their experience at the Offshore Double Handed Worlds, she said: “I think it was a really unique opportunity, especially in double handed offshore sailing. We’re very used to racing down here in the Solent, and that’s really good racing, but the calibre just gets a step higher when you invite some of the best people from each country to come.”

Celebration of double handed racing

The RORC Cowes Clubhouse was the heart of the 2025 Offshore Double Handed Worlds ashore, hosting daily gatherings, debriefs, and the prizegiving. Crews, families and members came together to celebrate not just the winners, but the spirit of double-handed racing.

Race Director Steve Cole reflected: “The supplied-boat format meant it was all about teamwork, endurance, and strategy. Every race had its drama, and the final showcased the resilience of this discipline. France are deserving champions, but every team has left their mark on the event.”

The third edition of the Offshore Double Handed World Championships will be hosted in Marseille, France, and is scheduled to begin on 23 September 2026.

RORC Commodore Deb Fish commented: “The 2025 Worlds in Cowes showed the strength, diversity, and excitement of double-handed offshore racing. As we close our centenary year, we are thrilled to pass the baton to Marseille for 2026, where the championship will continue to grow and inspire.”

Read all the news from the 2025 Offshore Doublehanded Worlds at RORC Racing