We are very pleased to once again be sponsoring the Folkboat Nationals, held at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. We will be doing so again in 2022 when the Nationals will be combined with the Folkboat Sessan Cup, an event that usually attracts entrants from a number of countries, so as to encourage a good turnout.
Walcon Marine and the Walters family have a long history in the Folkboat class. Our late founder Robin was very much the “King” of Folkboats for a long period and as a young man co-founded Folkboat Week when the organisers of Cowes Week declined to give them their own “start”.
He also began importing Nordic Folkboats in 1984 from Denmark which, then as now, are copies of the original wooden Nordic Folkboats but made using GRP.
Folkboat week is still going strong after 56 years, with 40 boats attending this year of which 32 were Nordic Folkboats and eight Cruisers. Walcon’s MD James Walters competes to this day in Robin’s original boat that dates back to 1984, maintained to the highest standards, of course!
In past years Robin sponsored a Folkboat event known as the “Walcon Cup” featuring two-boat team racing. Entries used to come from Denmark and Germany as well as the UK and while it was not a huge event it was well supported.
The revival of the Walcon Cup is due to the efforts of the current UK Folkboat Association president, Sally Kallis. She brought it back not only in memory of Robin but also as a way of boosting participation in their events, with the Folkboat Nationals this year just the start. With luck the Sessan Cup, whose staging in Lymington in 2022 will be its first visit to the UK, will also benefit. When Sally approached us as a potential sponsor we were happy to oblige.
The Royal Lymington Yacht Club is the host of both events. The 2021 National Championships took place over 4-5 September and the Sessan Cup will be held from 19 to 22 September 2022.