Largest ever International Six Metre fleet set to contest European Championships on Lake Geneva
by International Six Metre Association 6 Jul 20:14 BST
15-24 July 2026
Six Metre European Championships © María Muiña / sailingshots.es
A record-setting fleet of 52 International Six Metre class yachts will compete on Switzerland's Lake Geneva later this month at the 2026 European Championships, hosted by the Société Nautique de Genève.
The huge fleet includes two entries from the USA, as well as European visitors from Finland (2), France (3), Greece (3), Germany (4), Great Britain (5), Italy (2), Netherlands (1), Spain (3), Sweden (1), all of whom will face a 26-strong local contingent from Switzerland.
The biannual regatta, which runs from July 19 to 24, will see two International Six Metre European titles decided: the Open European Championship for those yachts constructed and/or certificated since January 1, 1966; and the Classic European Championship for those yachts constructed and/or certificated before that date.
Prior to the European Championships, the International Six Metre Class Swiss Championships - from July 15 to 17 - will give the competitors an important opportunity to familiarise themselves with the idiosyncrasies of Lake Geneva and its beautiful surroundings.
An Olympic class from 1908 to 1952, the International Six Metre Class remains a highly active class, with more than 300 modern and classic Six Metres racing internationally - including national fleets across mainland Europe, North America, and Canada.
Amongst the possible frontrunners in the Open Championship are: Jeremy Thorp's British Battlecry, which finished runner up in the 2024 Europeans in Sanxenxo, Spain, as well as Dieter Schön's Swiss entry Momo, winner of the 2025 World Championship, and Switzerland's Loïc Forestier on Junior - who finished third in Spain in 2024.
The Classic Championship will be equally hotly contested, with His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain's 1947-built Bribon - back-to-back winner of the 2022 and 2024 European title and current Classic World Champion - standing out as an obvious potential favourite.
Also in the running will be Finland's Ossi Paija on Astrée III (1959), runner-up at the Europeans in 2024, as well as Spain's Mauricio Sánchez-Bella Carswell on Titia, who finished third in 2024 and second in the 2025 World Championship at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in the United States.
Racing at the Swiss National Championship begins on Wednesday July 15, with the six-day, eight-race, European Championships series beginning on Sunday July 19 and running through to Friday July 24, with two races per day scheduled.
More information on the event can be found at the official regatta website.