SB20 fleet enjoy pure gold at Cowes Week 2026

by Anna Zykova 14 Aug 11:20 BST 1-7 August 2026

If two hundred years of tradition proves anything, it's that nobody does a regatta quite like Cowes Week. The 200th edition of North Sails Cowes Week delivered a legendary showcase of British summer sailing - complete with HRH The Princess Royal firing the starting cannons, visiting Admiral's Cup carbon rockets, classic keelboats and over 640 boats tearing up the Solent.

After a gentle, glass-like delay on Day 1, the weather gods delivered classic Solent conditions: building sea breezes, glorious sunshine and a proper mid-week 'Big Wednesday' low-pressure system to keep everyone on their toes. For the SB20 fleet, fresh off a 30-plus boat Open UK Nationals, North Sails Cowes Week was a masterclass in tight competition, fleet resurgence and unmatched camaraderie.

Three races a day, zero regrets

With over twenty SB20s on the starting line, it was the largest fleet for nearly a decade! The Grand Slam and subsequent Mini Slam formats were, again, a roaring success. The Grand Slam delivered three races a day over four action-packed days, the fleet enjoyed the ultimate Solent buffet: iconic Royal Yacht Squadron line starts, tactical 'round-the-cans' treasure hunts and razor-sharp windward-leeward sprints.

Recapping four epic days of Grand Slam drama

Day 1 set the tempo with high drama right off the start. After early start-line hiccups were ironed out, Race 1 delivered a frantic finish when the lead SB20s ran straight into the back of the J/70 fleet. With two minutes to go, any one of five boats could have taken victory in the pile-up, but Nils Razmilovic broke free to snatch the win before completely walking away with the next two races.

Day 2 belonged to Charlie Whelan, Craig Burlton and Richard McAdam on Reservoir Bod. After being heart-wrenchingly pipped at the line by Jono Shelley in Race 1 - having led the entire way around - Reservoir Bod rebounded with a rock-solid 2-2-3 series to claim overall honours for the day.

Day 3: Mid-week brought the heavy breeze and with it, a relentless duel at the top. Day 3 saw Nils Razmilovic and Mark Gillett finish dead-locked on points after three gruelling races, with Glasgow Kiss just edging out PBII ORO Racing Team on countback.

Day 4: Jono Shelley on Saturn Sails saved his best for last on Day 4. Banking back-to-back bullets to secure 3rd overall, Jono pulled off a proper "horizon job" in the opening race, opening up an unassailable lead on the rest of the fleet.

The introduction of Vakaros Race Sense kept the action slick - and thankfully spared the fleet from the endless general recall delays of previous years. That said, the Race Committee wasn't entirely without plot twists. In one race, an inadvertent swap of the pin and Committee Vessel had every unit on board screaming OCS downwind, leaving half the fleet sailing to France to clear themselves before realising they were actually fine!

Glasgow Kiss takes the double title

Fighting for the Grand Slam and then dominating the Mini Slam titles was Glasgow Kiss.

Skipper Nils Razmilovic was all smiles back at the dock: "We're just enjoying the sailing! It's been a super week out on the water. Having friends and family around - it's just been absolutely fabulous! You really couldn't ask for a better week of Solent racing."

Victory was far from a walk in the park, as Mark Gillett and the PBII ORO Racing Team (sailing with Richard Anderton and Paul Hine) kept Glasgow Kiss under pressure right down to the wire.

Securing 3rd overall in Grand Slam was the returning SB20 legend Jono Shelley and his crew on Saturn Sails, who banked two emphatic bullets on the final day. Shelley teamed up with Musto Skiff mates Jamie Hilton and Ben Schooking after UK Class Chairman Charlie Whelan lent them his new Devoti built boat.

Rounding out the top four were Charlie Whelan, Richard McAdam joined by the 2009 SB20 World Champion Craig Burlton on ReservoirBod, while the UK Class Secretary Phil Tilley on Tân Gwyllt and first female crew Rosie Povall made a comeback from a below par Nationals event to finish consistently in the top 5 and hence fifth overall.

SB20 Grand Slam overall

Pos	Boat Name	Team	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	Pts
1	GLASGOW KISS	Nils Razmilovic	3	1	1	6	1	1	3	2	1	4	1	3	17
2	PBII ORO RACING TEAM	Mark Gillett	2	2	2	3	6	2	1	3	2	2	2	2	20
3	SATURN SAILS	Jono Shelley	6	3	4	1	3	6	5	1	3	1	3	1	25
4	RESEVOIR BOD	Charles Whelan & Richard McAdam	4	4	3	2	2	3	2	4	4	3	4	6	31
5	TAN GWYLLT	Phil Tilley	5	8	7	4	5	4	4	5	5	5	8	7	51
6	BOOMERANG	Sean Nee	11	9	10	5	4	5	6	7	7	6	5	4	58
7	GAME OF THRONES	Adam Savage Dave Read & Steve Restall	9	10	9	10	7	7	9	6	9	7	6	8	77
8	ARES	Eirini Marios	1	6	6	8	RET	DNC	8	12	11	8	10	9	79
9	PORCO ROSSO	Paul McCartney	7	7	8	14	11	9	7	8	8	9	9	13	83
10	RSZV CAMPAGNE TEAM	Rose Tavenier	10	11	12	11	10	8	10	10	10	OCS	7	5	92
11	GBR3086	Tomos Neilson	12	5	5	7	9	13	11	9	15	11	11	14	93
12	RADLEY COLLEGE	Radley College	16	15	13	9	8	10	13	11	6	10	12	12	104
13	MUTTSNUTS	Team Muttsnuts	8	13	DNC	12	15	15	12	13	12	12	13	11	121
14	GREAT WHITE LIES	Andy Williams	OCS	12	11	15	13	11	14	14	13	DNC	14	17	134
15	HUFFLER	Will Holden	13	16	14	19	14	12	19	17	14	13	17	15	145
16	SNOLLYGOSTER	Steven Knight	15	DNC	17	16	12	14	17	18	17	14	15	10	147
17	FIREFLY	Andrew & Heather Homewood Felix Mcgill & Poppy Llyod	14	18	15	17	16	16	18	16	16	OCS	16	16	160
18	FLUTTERGRUB	Melanie Clark	17	14	16	18	18	18	16	19	20	16	18	18	169
19	STRANGE BREW	Louise Carr	18	DNC	DNC	13	17	17	15	15	18	NOD	DNC	DNC	182
20	SACRE BLEU	Tim Wheele	DNF	17	RET	20	20	19	DNF	20	19	15	RET	DNC	196
21	SALT	Nigel Robinson	OCS	19	DNF	21	19	20	DNF	NOD	21	17	19	NOD	203
22	SHARK BAIT	Frankie Hales	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	NOD	NOD	NOD	NOD	RET	NOD	NOD	219

More on the international fleet, the SB20 UK welcomed two Australian entries - Porco Rosso and Ares (helmed by Eirini Marios). Sailing in different crew configurations from the UK Nationals, the Aussies kept the pressure on the frontrunners. Team Ares set the tone early by winning the opening race of the Grand Slam and consistently posting top-10 finishes throughout the week.

Female participation was exceptionally strong across the fleet, featuring at least four competitive female helms and numerous talented women crewing across nearly every boat.

If there was an award for sheer fleet enthusiasm, it belongs to the Sussex Yacht Club contingent, who sailed their seven boat fleet from Shoreham to race in the Solent. From 28-race marathons to an epic 43-mile, 15-hour motor-sail delivery trips back to Shoreham, the SYC crew embodied the true spirit of the Class. A personal thanks to Will Holden for bringing their fleet and making it epic for everyone!

The 200th North Sails Cowes Week showed a growing international appeal and vibrant youth pipeline within the SB20 Class. Bringing fantastic energy to the fleet were multiple Youth entries, including Radley College, Shark Bait from Sussex YC and Cokethorpe School teams. They were joined by the visiting RSZV CAMPAGNE mixed team from Rotterdam aboard Den Boer CCI, who threw themselves into both the high-octane racing and the legendary socials.

SB20 Mini Slam results:

Pos	Boat Name	Team	Wed	Thu	Fri	Pts
1	GLASGOW KISS	Nils Razmilovic	1	1	1	3
2	BOOMERANG	Sean Nee	2	2	2	6
3	RADLEY COLLEGE	Radley College	6	5	3	14
4	HUFFLER	Will Holden	7	7	4	18
5	PORCO ROSSO	Paul McCartney	4	3	DNF	23
6	GAME OF THRONES	Adam Savage Dave Read & Steve Restall	3	4	OCS	23
7	FLUTTERGRUB	Melanie Clark	8	9	6	23
8	SHARK BAIT	Frankie Hales	9	RET	8	32
9	ARES	Eirini Marios	5	6	DNC	34
10	FIREFLY	Andrew & Heather Homewood Felix Mcgill & Poppy Llyod	DNC	8	7	38
11	STRANGE BREW	Louise Carr	DNC	RET	5	43
12	SACRE BLEU	Tim Wheele	DNC	RET	9	47
13	SALT	Nigel Robinson	DNC	10	DNF	49
14	SNOLLYGOSTER	Steven Knight	DNC	RET	RET	54
15	GREAT WHITE LIES	Andy Williams	NOD	NOD	DNF	62
15	RESEVOIR BOD	Charles Whelan & Richard McAdam	NOD	NOD	DNF	62