International Dragon Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix 2026 - Day 1
by British Dragon Association 19 Aug 05:42 BST
16-21 August 2026
With its biggest fleet in 30 years, the 2026 Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix got under way off Cowes with the first two of eight windward-leeward races completed in the central Solent.
Hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, 49 teams from 12 nations made a spectacular sight as they streamed out across the racecourse under grey skies and with 15-17 knots from the southwest. It was a tricky day with everything from torrential rain to huge shifts and big changes in velocity.
The shifts, particularly in race one, saw massive place changes on each leg, but once again the cream rose to the top and consistency paid. Graham and Julia Bailey, Killian Boag and William Bedford aboard GBR192 Bluebottle had their work cut out in race one after a lacklustre start but hooked into the shifts perfectly to finish in sixth. In race two, they came a very close second to Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, Mark Hart, Jake Hardman and Millie Irish aboard GBR831 Jerboa, which puts them into a two-point overall lead from Ivan Bradbury, Lars Hendriksen and George Leonchuk in GBR375 Blue Haze, who came fifth in both races. Dominik and Cornelius Heeschen and Jaimie Lea sailing GER1189 Vesper complete the overall top three after the first day with a win in race one followed by a tenth in race two.
Race one winner Dominik Heeschen was pleased with their performance, particularly as they are racing a brand-new boat and this is his first Edinburgh Cup. "It was a really good feeling. It's the first time we are sailing this boat here. It is almost brand new, so we were not sure what would happen. But it was good sailing, but quite tricky, especially in the first race because of the shifting winds. Race two was tricky as well, and we did really well on the first leg. But then the wind was shifting and shifting again, and then we dropped to twelfth place, but I think we ended up in 10th. So, in the end, it was totally good and we're pleased to be third overall. But after race one, we expected a little bit more."
Eric Williams aboard GBR682 Ecstatic with Rory Patton and Katie Cole also had a great race one, finishing in fourth place, and initially looked good in the second. "The wind was sort of coming and going, getting puffs from a big lift on the northern shore. So you're getting a big lift there and coming down to the mark but hopefully crossing the boats coming in on port from the other side. And then in the last race, the wind actually shifted hard left. So it caught us out, we went from what we thought was near the front to right to near the back. I think the event is very good, it's well organised. Cowes is a beautiful place to race. I love racing here, and I've done that a lot. We've got the advantage of knowing where the tides are, where the banks are, where the ships are going, etc., and it's been fantastic."
The second race went right down to the wire. It had been nip and tuck all the way round the course, and as they came to the line, it was still anyone's race between Wilkinson-Cox, Bailey and Jan Secher, Gerry Mitchell and Richard Sydenham in SWE800 Miss Behaviour. Wilkinson-Cox had a narrow lead as they came onto the final run, but Bailey and Secher were right on her tail. Two miles is a long way to defend, especially in a fleet of this calibre, but Wilkinson-Cox never faltered and the three crossed the line in that order.
After racing, Gavia summed up the day. "It's been two tough races today. In the first we rounded the first mark third. Then we had a very bad, well, a not brilliant second beat, and we never really made up from that. So it was nice to round in the top three again on the first mark of race two, and this time we managed to stay there, although not all the time because there were such massive wind shifts. One minute you were up, the next minute you were down. One minute the right side was up, and then the left side was up. It was a very challenging race, a lot of fun, but thank goodness that we made it in the end. I don't think I breathed from the last spreader mark to the leeward mark. You know, I didn't know I could hold my breath that long! But it was a lot of fun."
The Corinthian all amateur fleet also saw incredibly close racing and in the overall Corinthian standings Owen Pay sailing GBR777 Furious with Chris Brittain and Gillian Hamilton is tied on equal points with Martin Byrne's IRL 201 Jaguar Sailing Team crewed by Rory Byrne and Adam Winkleman with Bert Schandevyl, Dries Van den Abbeele, and George Etty in BEL89 Corso just one further point behind in third.
Owen Pay and the Furious team got a great start in race one, but found themselves the wrong side of the big shift to end up a disappointing 24th. They fared better in race two as Owen explained; "The first beat was very shifty, and we got a good start. We hit the line at full speed compared with everyone around us and we popped out ahead, leaving us free to tack on the shifts. We were in the top six at the windward mark and then on the first run it all got a bit messy, but we managed to hold on. On the second beat, we wanted to go left, but were a bit scared, and we didn't go immediately. But eventually, we went hard left. Gilly saw a tide line or a wind line. We didn't know which it was, but we went for it, and at one point we crossed ahead of Gavia, but she got us back and we finished fourth, which we're very pleased with."
After a tough day's sailing, the crews gathered at the RYS Pavilion for post-racing drinks and prize-giving generously sponsored by Hendricks Gin. The Edinburgh Cup has special prizes for each race winner, and so the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Cowes Trophy for race one was presented to Dominik and Cornelius Heeschen and Jaimie Lea, and the Overseas Containers Ltd Salver for the second race went to Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, Mark Hart, Jake Hardman and Millie Irish. Bottles of Hendricks Gin were presented to the individual Corinthian race winners - Bert Schandevyl, Dries Van den Abbeele, and George Etty for race one and Owen Pay Chris Brittain and Gillian Hamilton for race two.
Racing for the Edinburgh Cup and UK Grand Prix continues until Friday 21 August, with eight races scheduled. The forecast for day two promises more shifty conditions, with winds ranging from 10 to 20 knots. You can keep up with all the latest coverage from the event via the event website, the British Dragon Association's Facebook and Instagram pages and the Vakaros live tracking.
2026 Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix Results after Day 1: (top five)
Overall
- GBR192 Bluebottle - Graham Bailey - 6, 2 = 8pts
- GBR375 Blue Haze - Ivan Bradbury - 5, 5 = 10pts
- GER1189 Vesper - Dominik Heeschen - 1, 10 = 11pts
- SWE800 Miss Behavious - Jan Secher - 15,3 = 18pts
- GBR831 Jerboa - Gavia Wilkinson-Cox - 18, 1 = 19pts
Corinthian
- GBR777 Furious - Owen Pay - 27, 4 = 31pts
- IRL201 Jaguar Sailing Team - Martin Byrne - 25, 6 = 31pts
- BEL79 Corso - Bert Schandevyl - 8, 24 = 32pts
- GBR763 Bertie - Simon Barter - 16, 20 = 36pts
- BEL88 White Pearl - Guy Celis - 31, 8 = 39pts