Please select your home edition
Edition

Merlin Rocket Class Launches Their 2025 Calendar

by Louise Johnson 26 Nov 19:45 UTC
Merlin Rocket Nationals at Tenby Day 2 © Alistair Mackay

The 2025 Merlin Rocket Calendar is here, and the class is delighted to share with you events that will take Merlin Rockets from the banks of the River Thames and the River Trent to the seas of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Essex to inshore waters in between.

Merlin Rockets get your calendars ready as there are 41 events, yes you read that right, to choose from!

Craftinsure Silver Tiller (and Silver Pole)

The Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller seeks to find 'the best' helm and crew across the year on different water - the sea, restricted and open. To qualify helms and crews require four events:

  • One Open Water
  • One Restricted Water
  • One Sea
  • Your best other results OR if you qualify for a regional circuit, you can use that result

Open Events:

  • Salcombe YC - 22nd & 23rd March
  • Parkstone YC - 19th April
  • Queen Mary SC - 14th June
  • Blithfield SC - 27th September
  • Stone SC - 5th October

Restricted Events:

  • South Cerney SC - 7th April
  • Wembley SC - 27th April
  • Midland SC - 18th May
  • Hampton SC - 18th June
  • Hollingworth Lake SC (TBC) - 2nd & 3rd August

Sea Events:

  • Brightlingsea SC - 31st May & 1st June
  • Mumbles SC - 19th & 20th July
  • Shoreham SC - 26th & 27th July
  • Plymouth Final Fling - 11th &12th October
  • Lymington Town SC - 18th October

Merlin Rocket South West Series at Salcombe - photo © Lucy Burn
Merlin Rocket South West Series at Salcombe - photo © Lucy Burn

The Regional Events

We have three regional events, that are stand alone and qualification at any one of these circuits can count as your fourth result for Silver Tiller Qualifications. Meet the regional circuits.

HD Sails Midland Circuit:

To qualify for the Midland Circuit, you need four events including one non-Silver Tiller...

  • Shustoke SC - 16th March. Non-Silver Tiller
  • Bartley SC - 30th March. Non-Silver Tiller
  • Burton SC - 11th May. Non-Silver Tiller
  • Midland SC - 17th May.
  • Mumbles SC - 19th and 20th July
  • Trent Valley - 21st September. Non-Silver Tiller
  • Blithfield SC - 27th September

Allen South East Circuit:

To qualify for the South East you need one wavey event, one flat event and one non Silver Tiller. Events on the calendar this year are...

  • Royal Corinthian YC Club - 16 March. Wavey & non-Silver Tiller
  • Broadwater SC - 12 April. Flat & non-Silver Tiller
  • Wembley SC - 27 April. Flat & Silver Tiller
  • Fishers Green SC - 11 May. Flat & non-Silver Tiller
  • Brightlingsea SC - 31st May & 1st June. Wavey & Silver Tiller
  • Shoreham SC - 26th & 27th July. Wavey & Silver Tiller
  • Stone SC - 4th October. Wavey & non-Silver Tiller

Allspars South West Circuit:

To qualify for the South West Circuit, you need three events. Events this year are...

  • Salcombe YC - 22nd & 23rd March
  • South Cerney SC - 7th April.
  • Parkstone YC - 19th & 20th April
  • Plymouth Final Fling - 11th & 12th October

Thames Series sponsored by Craftinsure:

To qualify for the Thames Series, you need four events. Events this year are...

  • Thames SC - 3rd May
  • Minima - 4th May
  • Tamesis SC - 18th May
  • Ranelagh SC - 22nd June
  • Upper Thames SC - 7th September
  • Hampton SC - 14th September
  • Ranelagh SC - 11th October

Vintage Series

Running alongside the Silver Tiller and Silver Pole you also have the Vintage and Classic Series. The Vintage Series is for Merlin Rockets from 1 to 3357 and you need five events. Events this year are...

  • Shustoke SC - 16th March
  • Bartley SC - 30th March
  • Thames SC - 3rd May
  • Minima YC - 4th May
  • Fishers Green SC - 10th May
  • Tamesis SC - 17th May
  • Ranelagh SC - 22nd June
  • Banbury SC - 19th July
  • Upper Thames SC - 6th September
  • Hampton SC - 13th September
  • Trent Valley SC - 21st September
  • Ranelagh SC - 11th October

Close after the start - Merlin Rocket DeMay and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Emma Bunner
Close after the start - Merlin Rocket DeMay and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Emma Bunner

Classic Series

The Classic Series is for Merlin Rockets from 3357 to 3603 and you need three events. Events this year are...

  • Shustoke SC - 16th March
  • Bartley SC - 30th March
  • Ranelagh SC - 22nd June
  • Banbury SC - 19th July
  • Trent Valley SC - 21st September
  • Ranelagh SC - 11th October

And there's more

In addition to all the above events there is the following in the calendar...

  • Class Training - 1st & 2nd March
  • River Championships, Upper Thames SC - 24th to 26th May
  • Allen Inland Championships, Grafham Water SC - 7th & 8th June
  • Salcombe Merlin Rocket Week, 29th June to 4th July
  • Aspire National Championships, Loose SC - 10th to 15th August
  • Youth National Championships Date TBC
  • Women's National Championships, Brightlingsea SC - 13th &14th September

To join in the fun all you need is a Merlin Rocket, a friend with one or join our Facebook Group community to find one of the above! We hope to see you at the RYA Dinghy Show, 22nd and 23rd February ahead of an action packed 2025 season.

www.merlinrocket.co.uk

Paul Dean and Hannah Burt finish 4th in Merlin Rocket Allen South East Series Round 2 at Broadwater - photo © Rob O'Neill
Paul Dean and Hannah Burt finish 4th in Merlin Rocket Allen South East Series Round 2 at Broadwater - photo © Rob O'Neill

Related Articles

Chichester YC Frozen Toe Winter Series concludes
Series attracted over 60 boats across three fleets Chichester Yacht Club's Frozen Toe Series, running from November to Christmas, attracted over 60 boats across three fleets. As is typical for early winter sailing, the conditions varied greatly - from warm and sunny to cold, wet, and windy. Posted on 16 Dec Craftinsure Silver Tiller End of Season at Stone
Is this the first time that AI has been used to establish the winners? We made it, report 41 of 2024 and the final one from this year's Merlin Rocket season. Having asked the third placed finishers at each of the events it was probably time I wrote one myself. Posted on 28 Oct 2024 Merlin Rocket Allen SE Circuit at Shoreham
A perfect weather window of sunshine and 8-15 knots The 19th of October saw 18 Merlin Rockets head to Shoreham Sailing Club for the final stop of the 2024 Merlin Rocket Allen SE circuit. The fleet were welcomed by a perfect weather window of sunshine and 8-15 knots. Posted on 21 Oct Merlin Rocket Felucca Trophy at Hollingworth Lake
Part of the Craftinsure Silver Tiller and the Northern Circuit The annual Felucca Trophy has just taken place at Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October, with 16 Merlin Rockets going north to take part. Posted on 16 Oct Merlin Rockets of all ages at Hampton
A challenging day's sailing with a variable wind and strong stream Usually this is held over two days at the weekend but this year, with a strong stream in the Thames and a forecast of virtually no wind on the Sunday, we took the decision to hold both the De May series and the Thames series race concurrently. Posted on 14 Oct Merlin Rocket Women's Championship
A great event with training, a talk by Sarah Ayton, then competitive racing The Women's Champs is special as so many ladies from other classes come and join, Merlin crews team up and ex Merlin sailors come back to the class. Sailing is a sport for everyone but I think there are still barriers to a lot of ladies. Posted on 16 Sep Merlin Rockets at Upper Thames
David Battye was naturally itching to point his flag for inadequate stability This year's edition of the Upper Thames Sailing Club Merlin Rocket open meeting weekend (8th and 9th September) saw a temperamental forecast and every different flavour of weather, but often a noticeable lack of wind. Posted on 13 Sep Women Sailors - the Merlin Rocket Class Needs You
Second Women's Championships at Parkstone Yacht Club on 14-15 September The Merlin Rocket Class is renowned for its technical development and the high standard of its sailors, and now it is developing in other ways; the Merlin Rocket Class Association is running its second Women's Championships at Parkstone Yacht Club. Posted on 6 Sep Merlin Rocket Youth Championship 2024 at Itchenor
A great way see what young helms and crews can do 10 boats headed to Itchenor Sailing Club for the second year of the Merlin Youth Championships. It's not an easy boat to to own if you're under 25, so the youth champs is a great way see what young helms and crews can do. Posted on 2 Sep Merlin Rocket Nationals at Tenby overall
Every weather under the sun, but thankfully ending with sunshine From Frensham with love. Last day report from the Aspire Merlin Rocket National Championships in Tenby and what a week. We've had every weather under the sun. Thankfully we ended on sunshine which was a bonus, unlike Salcombe. Posted on 17 Aug
This site and its contents are Copyright © 2024 Sail-World FishingBoating.World USA and/or the original author, photographer etc. All Rights Reserved. Photographs are copyright by law. If you wish to use or buy a photograph contact the photographer directly.
If you have any questions about advertising or editorial then please contact our team. If you encounter any technical issues then please email techsupport@sail-world.com
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy