Sailing Round Up 2025 & What To Expect for 2026

What a year 2025 has been for our sailing events.

The season kicked off with the May bank holiday Triangle Race incorporating the MOCRA UK National Championships. A huge fleet size was welcomed in Falmouth by a “Mega Dock Party” on Pendennis Marina put on curtesy of the sponsors Ullman Sails, Plymouth Gin and the RWYC. Copious amounts of free G&T’s, Prosecco and beers were consumed by all the fleet to the delight of everyone. That was not all; on the race back from Fowey awaiting the fleet at the RWYC was a BBQ to welcome back the weary sailors. A great weekend was had by all.

Mid-April the Wednesday evening 1884 Twilight Series began, running through to the end of August. Keeping the same format as the previous year (competitive racing but with no spinnakers) it attracted lots of people new to sailing giving them the opportunity to get into sailing and take up the sport. Rounding off with great post racing socials in the club afterwards made the Twilight Series the must do weekly series in the port.

Next up was the Eddystone Charity Pursuit again with a large turnout raising huge amounts of money for the various nominated charities. The following day was the 25 Miler, a coastal race being part of the Ullman Sails Coastal Series. Again a BBQ and social was laid on at the club for all the windswept competitors to enjoy the post racing banter and recharge their batteries.

Mid July was Plymouth Race Week attracting visiting yachtsmen from Falmouth, Fowey, and Dartmouth and as far away as Whitby!! Plymouth Race Week is now firmly on the map as Plymouths Premier Regatta. The 2026 event promises to be even bigger again with plenty of fun and music shoreside and the fabulous Plymouth Sound as our racing amphitheatre. It’s not one to miss. Complimentary comments from visiting competitors were in abundance with some quoting “the best regatta bar far that has everything and nothing to fault”. An accolade we are proud of.

As far as our yacht racing is concerned the season is rounded off with the Sunday morning Autumn Series then finally the Icicle Series, the last race of the year being on the 14th of December.

Slotted in between our yacht racing we hosted the 18ft Skiff European Grand Prix and the Allspars Final Fling Dinghy Regatta. With the Allspars Final Fling breaking the record for entries at 81!! Next year we plan to top the 100 mark! What a sight it was to see the whole of Plymouth Sound filled with dinghies. We have not seen that for a long time!!

A mention has to be made on how QAB have assisted us in giving our competitors free of charge stop over berthing so they can join in with the post racing socials. It has made such a difference for them to be able to come into the club for a couple of hours and join in with the post racing revelry and social. This arrangement will carry on for 2026 so we can plan for all our sailing events to be not just about the racing but bring everyone together to enjoy the social side as well.

On the Oceanic side 2025 saw the Wolf Rock Race hotly contested with the contestants fighting their way along the coast in varying challenging weather conditions.

The Round Iceland World Record Attempt 2025 was beaten concisely by Nicholas Manthos in his Class 40 yacht by knocking 22 days off the previous record. Not content with just finishing 16+ days of solo racing Nicholas was only too happy to immediately jump on a boat for our 1884 Twilight Series evening racing. Found racing with the full crew a little overcrowded though compared to 16 days solo sailing!!

On the 20th December it is our annual prize giving. The glassware is being engraved as we speak! In testament to our “racing for all” philosophy in 2025 across our yacht racing program there are 34 different winners who will be invited to collect their awards.

Well that was 2025 what we have in store for 2026 should exceed all expectations!!

Two new exciting events have been added to our Club Racing program for 2026. Firstly a very different Regatta Series racing on one Sunday in May, June and July. This new Ullman Sails Regatta Series 1, 2 and 3 will consist of proper committee boat starts, 4 races back-to-back with on water coaching and a post racing video debrief back at the club afterwards. This combination of competitive racing, training and education, with professional on water coaches honing the skills of all the participants, makes for a very interesting format especially if you want to improve your racing skills and crew work.

This new Regatta Series is set to complement the successes of the 1884 Twilight Series, that being a no spinnaker series which has seen great participation throughout it’s second summer. It is great to see so many owners out there having some mid-week fun on their boats, often with one or two budding new crew trying things out for their first season or simply being able to join in whilst under-crewed yet still being competitive. This new Regatta Series will give us technical, spinnaker racing throughout the summer, something we know has been missing due to the mid-week timings of the 1884, but we are sure everyone will benefit from this new weekend format.

The second addition to our Club Racing program is the Torbay Weekend in July. Being part of the Ullman Sails Coastal Series it consists of a Saturday race to Torbay, USPRS social and gathering at the RTYC and a race back to Plymouth on the Sunday. This race back to Plymouth also being a feeder race for south coast yachts on their way to Plymouth Race Week.

These two new events to our Club Racing program have given us a new 12 race Regatta Series and a new 6 race Coastal Series (with the Triangle and 25 Miler).

To round off our Club Racing program will once again be the Wednesday evenings 1884 Twilight Series, Falmouth Triangle, 25 Miler plus the Autumn and Icicle Series.

Our Club Racing program offers generous “member only discounts”. In fact entering and taking advantage of our “all club inshore and coastal events” special entry package, a £300 discount is offered which in effect negates the club membership fee for any non-member considering entering our Club Racing program.

Next up for yachts in 2026 under our special racing events will see Plymouth Race Week back again in July and an exciting new team event, the Commodores Cup Invitational Team Challenge in early August.

The Commodores Cup Invitational Team Challenge is an invitational event inviting teams of 3 yachts from the Solent to Falmouth. One invited team entry from each port will be free of charge and can comprise of a single yacht club team or a multiple yacht club team which will represent their home port. Plymouth yacht clubs are also invited to enter a team. The team entry is free of charge for invited port/yacht club teams. The winning team will be awarded the RWYC Commodores Cup Invitational Team Challenge Trophy.

Not to mention in June where there will be the 24th edition of the Eddystone Charity Pursuit. This is a fantastic way to help your favourite charities by getting out there and taking part with friends and family in a stress-free, fun environment.

Other Special Dinghy Racing Events in 2026 will be the Mirror Western Championships in May, the D1 Gold Cup and L4000 Europeans plus the D1 National Championships in August and in mid-October the Allspars Final Fing. It is incredible to see so many classes wanting to sail out of the Royal Western Yacht Club. It is largely testament to the many years of the Allspars Final Fling and of the level of racing coupled with social activities being some of the best in the Country.

Oceanic Racing in 2026 is set to be a busy year starting with the Wolf Rock Race in June which doubles up as the Fastnet 500 qualifier, then the relaunched Armada Cup Race to San Sebastian in Spain starting in July. In August the Fastnet 500 Race takes place offering the offshore sailor a great challenge but with a much friendlier format starting and finishing in Plymouth and not having to negotiate the dreaded unfair tidal gates of the Fastnet Race.

In September is the 2026 World Star. This is a brand- new around the World yachting event. Solo or double handed. This is for the adventurer, the sailor who inspires to the ultimate challenge a short-handed, non-stop around the World via the 3 great capes. We are really pleased with the recent attention that the World Star Is attracting with names such as Pip Hare and Conrad Coleman all keen to help us make this a race for the ages. Talks continue with a number of potential entries, which we hope to be able to announce very soon. We hope to have a really big send off for these intrepid sailors so keep a look out for events as we approach the start in a little over 10 months’ time.

2026 will be a very busy year for the RWYC!!

All The Best

Peter Wanstall
RC Sail