Championships shine, America's Cup wakes, SailGP adapts
by Mark Jardine 26 May 18:00 BST
Busy Mark rounding on Saturday at the International Paint Poole Regatta 2026 © Paul Wyeth /
www.pwpictures.com
What a week for sailing! So much has been going on that it's tricky to even know where to start.
There have been so many highlights, both in terms of the events I attended in the UK and what has been happening further afield.
Vive la V12 at the IOM Worlds
84 skippers, 28 countries, and a lot of small boats. The IOM is the pinnacle of model yachting classes, and it was a pleasure to take photos, write reports, and commentate and record a few race videos during the IOM World Championship at Datchet Water Sailing Club.
Just to compete at the IOM Worlds you need to qualify - something that is rare in international classes these days - and the quality was exceptional. The fleet saw a wide variety of UK weather, starting with pretty cold, wet and windy and finishing with very light winds and a building heatwave.
Winner Alexis Carre sailed his one metre long yacht in a manner that was almost magical. When others around him got flustered or caught the wrong side of some of the big windshifts, he just went about his business serenely, popping out of situations which looked impossible.
Words used by fellow competitors were 'masterclass', 'phenomenal' and 'exceptional', and they weren't in any way misplaced. It was almost annoying photographing his yacht, as while others provide me with a spectacle - nosediving, capsizing or colliding - FRA 73 always looked so under control. No drama, no spray, just efficiency at its highest level.
Alexis did provide us with a splash moment at the end of the event, proving he's not as hydrodynamic as his yacht!
Alexis was sailing a V12 design yacht, designed by Kiwi Ian Vickers who very sadly passed away on 4th May at the far too young age of 56. Ian had finished as runner-up during the 2024 Worlds in Brisbane, so it was fitting to see his design win this year, and many mentioned that Alexis was sailing with the same calm nature which Ian always did.
It was great to meet skippers and the race management team, who worked their socks off to provide 18 races (each made up of five separate heats) during the week. The development work which goes into a fast IOM hull/rig is quite incredible.
It's hard not to fall in love with IOM yachts when you see them racing up close. They are serene and the miniaturisation of components like blocks, combined with some of the techniques used for rigging, is a wonder to see. Was I looking around and asking about prices? Maybe...
One thing I won't miss is camping at the club under the Heathrow Airport flightpath, just a mile from the runway. The exact time flights stop for the night and start again in the morning isn't a piece of knowledge I wanted to know, and I'm doing my level best to forget about it. Just in case you're interested it's 22:55 and 04:50...
Sizzling in Poole
It was back home for a quick change of kit and straight off to cover the International Paint Poole Regatta over the late May Bank Holiday weekend. I know many of our readers live in countries where it's hot, and temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius is the norm, but in the UK it's rare - actually unheard of in May. Right now, that's exactly what we've got, with each day (and night) setting new records.
The Poole Regatta, held every two years, strikes the perfect balance between sailing and social, fierce competition and friendly rivalry. It really does just get things right on and off the water. Those who compete once come back year after year, and tell their friends to do so as well.
The high pressure system did mean the wind was light (and non-existent in Poole Bay on the final day) but no-one seemed to mind. Everyone had a great weekend, like it was a holiday, doing the things they loved to do. Poole Harbour is the second-largest natural harbour in the world (behind Sydney) but is exceptionally shallow in places, so only the smaller one designs could race there, but having the Bay on the doorstep, complete with a chain ferry between Sankbanks and Studland at the harbour entrance, means you truly have the best of both worlds.
The major clubs there are well organised, friendly and in idyllic locations. The event really is a win for sailing itself and a benchmark for others to look at. Having the IRC European Championship during the event attracted several teams from mainland Europe as well, which I'm sure will become a staple on their sailing calendars.
The America's Cup wakes from its slumber
The nature of the America's Cup is cyclical. It builds slowly as the teams get together, then they race in preliminary regattas with the tensions and interest rising throughout the Challenger Series, all the way to the crescendo of the Cup Match.
Often interest drops off after the first race of the final when it's clear one boat is significantly faster than the other, but sometimes, like in Newport in 1983 and San Francisco in 2013, you get two evenly matched teams, and the wider world starts to take note. That's what the America's Cup can do and why it's so important to sailing.
Right now we're in the waking stage as the port city of Cagliari in Sardinia hosted the first 38th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta. The yachts being sailed were the little brothers to the AC75s used in the Cup itself, but they're like go-karts, and in the right hands can be flung around corners and provide an amazing spectacle.
It was an event where the youth sailors, the up-and-coming superstars, almost upset the established pecking order, with the Luna Rossa 1 Women & Youth Team of Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro so nearly went on to the grand final, and probably would have if it wasn't for technical issues with their time-on-distance displays. In the end it was Luna Rossa 2, the 'Principal Team' who defeated Emirates Team New Zealand, but the youth/female teams shone brightly.
It was great to see eight AC40s racing, and the event was without the more recently announced US and Australian challenges. Yes, these boats are highly technical, and issues with the electronics and reliability need to be rectified, but the America's Cup cycle is very much on the up.
It was during a Poole Regatta a few years back that I interviewed Ian Roman, the yachting photographer who is currently one of the most sought-after in the world, and he taught me that context is vital for a good photo. As soon as I saw this shot above I knew it was one of his. The combination of action and the dramatic Sardinian coastline is what he captures time and time again, and was what I was trying to emulate during the IOM Worlds, with backdrops like Windsor Castle and the sailing club. The difference is I have a long way to go, and my photography is part-time, but the lesson from Ian was invaluable.
SailGP rejigs for the new world
We've seen in the news how sport has become less of a priority for the Gulf states, and the war has made hosting events there a non-starter. LIV Golf looks like it'll be history soon, football club ownership is on the decline, and SailGP has looked at the reality of the sponsorship and hosting fees from the Middle East drying up and - to their absolute credit - are already announcing a modified tour for 2027.
The season will open with a new event in Hong Kong, and Rome has been added to the calendar in September, while both Sydney and Auckland are out. Dubai is still there, but the Season Grand Final venue and date is listed as 'TBC'. I get the feeling this decision could be on hold for a while as global events which are far more serious play out.
Everything else, just as important
It is so good to receive all the championship and open meeting reports from events all around the world. These events are the life-blood of what we do on Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com, so if you're holding an event, however big or small, make sure editor@sail-world.com or club@yachtsandyachting.com is on your mailing list.
We're delighted and honoured with just how many readers we have at the moment, so thank you all. Reporting and covering events is full-on during championship season, but it's also highly rewarding to see sailing thrive.
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor