In September the Royal Lymington Yacht Club will host two prestigious events for Nordic Folkboats: the 2022 Sessan Cup and the UK National Championships. 

The 2022 UK Folkboat Association International Regatta will include the UK Nordic Nationals and Walcon Cup from 17 – 18 September and the Sessan Cup from 20 – 22 September. Five days of racing are planned in Christchurch Bay during the regatta week. The area provides a fantastic variety of sailing conditions against the backdrop of a picturesque coastline.

2022 is a special year for both boat and club: the Nordic Folkboat will be 80-years-old, whilst Royal Lymington Yacht Club is celebrating its centenary. Plans are afoot for a sensational week of celebrations and social events to accompany the daily racing.

Entry is now open!

Entry is now open for this fantastic International Regatta, sponsored by Spencers of the New Forest and supported by Yacht Havens, Walcon Marine, SoResource Management, Folkboats UK and the UK Folkboat Association. Enter online at rlymyc.org.uk/folkboat-nationals-sessan

Commodore of RLymYC, Phil Lawrence, said: “We are delighted to be the hosting the 2022 Sessan Cup and Nordic Folkboat National Championships. Our location at the gateway of the Lymington River enables easy access in all tides out into the Solent and Christchurch Bay, which combined with our first-class race management makes racing out of Royal Lymington a true delight. 

Our dedicated team are putting together a fantastic week of social events and activities to accompany the racing and a number of our Nordic fleet and Club Members have offered to host visiting international Folkboat sailors during the regatta.”

Eighty years of the Nordic Folkboat

The origins of the Nordic Folkboat date back to 1941. While most of Europe was immersed in the Second World War, Sweden was neutral. The Royal Swedish Sailing Association held a competition to design a new keelboat which attracted 58 designs. The judges could not decide on a winner, instead naming six boats as all having good attributes. A young naval architect was tasked drawing plans for a new boat combining the best features of the six boats. The first Nordic Folkboat started construction at Arendals Yard in Gothenburg in October 1941 and was launched on 23 April 1942.

Today the Nordic Folkboat International Association manages the class with national branches in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the UK and Australia. More than 4,000 Nordic Folkboats have been built around the world, with the majority residing in Scandinavia and Germany.  There are also fleets in Finland, Latvia, Estonia and the USA.

Here in the UK there are around 40 Nordic Folkboats in the Western Solent, with the majority split between Lymington and Yarmouth, with smaller fleets in Poole, Hamble and Falmouth. Folkboat Week at Yarmouth is the principal annual Folkboat event in the UK and has been taking place for over fifty years.

The Sessan Cup is one of two main international events for the Nordic Folkboat, along with the annual Gold Cup which is usually held in one of the Baltic states. In addition the end of season ‘Rolling Home Regatta’ takes place in Berlin, and an Invitational Event is held in San Fransisco Bay every two years.

For more information about the 2022 UK Folkboat Association International Regatta, contact Sailing Manager, Vicky Leen, at Royal Lymington Yacht Club on 01590 672677 or sail@rlymyc.org.uk. 

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