Scorching International Paint Poole Regatta 2026 concludes

by Mark Jardine 26 May 07:27 BST 22-25 May 2026

Saturday was hot, Sunday was blazing, and Monday went into meltdown as the UK registered its hottest May day ever, with 34.8 degrees measured in London.

Beachgoers led to the roads becoming gridlocked, and even traffic in and out of the harbour past the chain ferry to Studland was congested. The coast was the only place to be.

Sadly the prevailing south easterly and the sea breeze were unhappy partners, and Poole Bay ended up a flat calm. The orange flag was raised briefly for the Cape 31 fleet when a 5 knot breeze filled in, but it shifted and dropped away to nothing before they could go into sequence.

Peter Saxton, PRO for the IRC European Championships, raising AP over A at 12.30, with all the other bay fleets following suit. Positions remained as they were, with the champions crowned: Malcolm Offord's 'Braveheart' in IRC 0, the South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club team on 'Impetuous' taking the title after their decisive performance on Sunday, Olly and Sam Love's 'Frank 4' won IRC by a handsome margin and Sam Laidlaw and his team from the Royal Yacht Squadron on 'Aguila' put in a near-perfect performance to win IRC by as massive 23 points.

"Great to see the overseas boats making the effort, strengthening the competition, and to give the local IRC boats good opponents on their doorstep, making it an event not to be missed. Full credit to PredictWind which allowed us to fully set the course when the wind switched to the south."

Some of the best racing in Poole happens in the VPRS class. Low cost, big numbers, and regular racing strikes the right balance for many owners and crew, and it was great to see a total of 27 yachts racing in the two divisions. Mark Titterington and Hannah Lewis's 'Elevation' took the honours in VPRS 1, with a perfect scoreline from their counting races, while the 'Rum Juggernaut' team of Owain Peters captured the VPRS 2 title with an impressive four firsts and two second places in their six races.

The IRC Southern Championship, which took place Saturday to Monday, as opposed to the Europeans which started on Friday, was won by Sue Browne's team on 'Astronomix'.

The super-competitive Cape 31 class was won by Guy Gillon's team on 'Khumbu 2', while the J80 National Championship title was won by the slimmest of margins, with Simon Cameron's 'Intergalactic' team defeating Austin Kenny's 'Ram Jam' thanks to having one more first place.

David Pipe's 'White Magic' team wrapped up a convincing win in the Sonata Southern Championship.

The Flying Fifteen class was won by Richard Whitworth's GBR 4114 with two first places on Sunday. The class didn't manage to get a race away inside the harbour on Saturday, when the bay may well have been the better choice of race area.

The one place where there was wind on Monday was the harbour, with the smaller One Design classes, where Race Officer Simon Dinger Philbrick set off two quick-fire races for the 2.4mRs, R19s, Redwings and Shrimpers before the tide went out.

Megan Pascoe wrapped up the 2.4mR National Tidal Championship with two more race wins on 'Little Miss Esme', while Andy Macgregor's team on 'Ricochet' held on to win in the R19 class, despite a charge on the final day by Steve Thompson's 'Roulette'.

Andy Pearce's 'Rosetta' won in the Redwings, while the Shrimpers final circumnavigation of Brownsea Island had to be cut short and finished half way round when it was clear they weren't going to complete the full lap in the dying breeze. Paul Cantwell's 'Black Magic' won the class, despite only finishing third in Monday's race.

The sailors gathered at the Royal Motor Yacht Club for the well-attended and cheery prize-giving, thankful for the water taxis which could get them between the clubs and marinas without having to use the waterfront roads which were pretty much at a standstill.

Thanks were given to the sponsors, the army of volunteers, the teams at the hosting clubs, and the many visiting teams.

The class winners picked up their prizes, and then the winner of the prestigious Canford Cup was announced. This is amongst the oldest sailing trophies in the world, predating the America's Cup by two years, and first awarded in 1849. The winner was announced as Sam Laidlaw and 'Aguila', who became the first two-time winner of the trophy, as well as being crowned IRC European Champion.

It's often joked that some of the IRC boats find out at the Poole Regatta that there is great racing outside of the Solent, and Toby Gorman from the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club has become a huge fan of the event:

"There's nothing about the event that I don't enjoy! Firstly, the race management is absolutely outstanding and thanks to our course's Race Officer Charlie Stowe. We've done a lot of racing, so that's one aspect that really appeals. The other thing about the regatta is it encourages a lot of really high-profile events, like last time, we did the IRC National Championships, and this time we had the Southern Area Championship, and there was also the European Championship, so a lot of really top quality sailing boats come because they appreciate that race management. The other is the inclusivity and the way this is run. It's a huge number of volunteers involved in all this with four race course areas, probably 120 volunteers, and the way they rotate in terms of the hospitality around the yacht clubs and the food and the entertainment, it's a standout regatta for me. I actually enjoy this more than Cowes."

The International Paint Poole Regatta is held once every two years, and will next be held between 27th and 29th May 2028. Many will already have this marked in their calendar, and will be making their way back to their home clubs to encourage many others to do the same. It really is a regatta to remember for all the right reasons.

Find out more, including the full results, on the official event website, pooleregatta.co.uk.

The International Paint Poole Regatta 2026 was a great event both on and off the water. Despite the limited wind, the sun shone brightly on Poole bringing a truly awesome positive vibe amongst the competitors and the close fought racing when the breeze kicked in meant that Poole lived up to its reputation as a not to be missed UK sailing event. It was excellent to see competitors travelling from across the UK and over the channel to race in the IRC European Championship, spreading the regatta's appeal further than ever before.

The balance of lively social events and serious racing is spot on. Sponsorship of Poole Regatta provides brilliant brand visibility to a large group of dedicated sailors both competing in the event and to members of the yacht clubs of Poole. The opportunity to support and give back to the sailing community, enabling the event to take place, makes it a really valuable sponsorship opportunity. Thanks go out to International Paint as gold sponsor, Haven Knox-Johnston, Charles Stanley and Poole Harbour Commissioners as silver sponsors and Stoneways Marine as a bronze sponsor. Event sponsor partners, which for 2026 were Rooster, Salcombe Gin, Apres Provence and the Knot Agency. It all adds up to a world class racing event and it's no surprise it has become one of the most popular yacht racing events in the UK.