2025: A Good Year for Sailing on the River Thames

 

2025: A Good Year for Sailing on the River Thames

By Thames standards, 2025 was a very kind year to sailors.

The season started noticeably early, with plenty of sailable days before many of us had even finished convincing ourselves it was really spring. Week after week, the river delivered usable winds, manageable water levels, and that familiar mix of calm evenings and lively race days that makes Thames sailing so addictive.

Remarkably, it was only in the final few weeks of the year that red boards finally put a stop to proceedings. Compared with previous seasons — where high flow often curtailed sailing for long stretches — 2025 felt refreshingly generous.

River sailing is always a balance between wind and water. Too little of one, too much of the other, and plans are quickly revised. This year, though, the River Thames struck that balance more often than not. Training sessions went ahead, races were run, safety boats stayed busy for the right reasons, and there were plenty of those quiet moments drifting back to the moorings as the light faded.

So here’s to 2026 🍾
Here’s to:

• another early start

• fewer red boards

• plenty of wind in the right direction

• and many more days afloat on the Thames

If 2026 treats us anything like 2025 did, we’ll all be very happy sailors indeed.