Report: Largs Regatta Festival 2026

31 Aug 2026

A record fleet and light winds for Scotland's largest mixed fleet regatta.

Largs Regatta Festival 2026 will be remembered for big fleets and varied conditions across the three racing series; Cumbraes Weekend, the Midweek Series, and the Scottish Two Handed Race.

Cumbraes Weekend

It was a very light weather weekend for the opening races, sponsored by Saturn Sails. A unique event mixing One Design classes, handicap keelboats and dinghies all racing in the Largs Channel, it brings a wide variety of racing, experience and ages together. This year both the Etchells OD and Hunter 707 OD competed for their Scottish championships attracting healthy fleet numbers and close action at all times.

Saturday at least had variable breeze up to 10 knots wind allowing all classes to sail the first race, a delay followed ,during the lack of wind mid afternoon, to then finish with some champagne sailing conditions. Three races were completed by everyone after a long day on the water.

Unfortunately the traditional Round Cumbraes Race on Sunday was cancelled due to a hot windless day and so the results from Saturday’s efforts stood for the overall awards.

Yacht of the Weekend was won by Scott Chalmers on Sunrise (CYCA Class 3)
Dinghy of the Weekend was won by James and Andrew Reekie in their Feva
Scottish Etchells Champion – Eccentric (Colin MacDonald)
Scottish 707 Champion – Seasword (Dara O’Malley)

Full Results

Midweek Series

Sponsored by insurance company Haven Knox-Johnston, it was all to sail for as the overall prize was a fantastic GoPro camera. Both dinghies and keelboats toughed it out in the evenings providing sharp action racing.

Keelboats were divided into 2 classes with Ben and Jono Shelley's Mocking J clearly winning with 2 firsts and a second. Stoic (C McPhee) and Henry Reid's Ubiquity too 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The dinghy classes were very well supported and divided into 3 classes - novices, long and short fleet. Lasers dominated the short fleet with Olympic hopeful Cameron McDaid sweeping the board with 3 firsts, followed closely by Rosalind Dunlop and Libby Farnell. In the long fleet it was the Hurricane cat with brothers David and Ian Kent who took class honours with Phil and Carol Alderson a close second.

The overall prize of the GoPro camera was awarded to Cameron McDaid by Paul Knox-Johnston from the sponsor company.

Full Midweek Results

Scottish Two Handed Race

The final event is the Coastworks Scottish Two Handed Race, now well established in the calendar with a unique race course of either round the Isle of Arran or the shorter route around Holy Island.

This year all 40 competing yachts were fitted with Yellow Brick trackers, generously sponsored by local marine workboat company, Coastworks. The trackers proved invaluable to keep a watch on all yachts over the 2 race courses.

With a break from tradition the race officer set 2 different courses due to the very calm conditions and unchanging forecast with Class 1 sailing a 40 mile course up into Loch Fyne and circumnavigating the island of Inchmarnock. Fortunately for the 17 entrants, who had entered to sail around Arran, the wind appeared sufficiently to allow the fleet to complete their route with the leading boats drifting over the finish line just after dark. Class honours and the magnificent Viking Sword trophy went to last weekend's winner, Sunrise (father and son Chalmers).

However in classes 2,3 and 5 the lack of wind and strong tides, particularly through the Tan channel between the Cumbrae Islands, proved challenging on the 35 mile course with several boats retiring before darkness fell. Those who managed to cross to the Bute shore were treated to the appearance of a hump back whale and many porpoises, followed by a spectacular sunset, but even this brought no evening breeze and yachts had to work hard at keeping moving against the tide and in the dark. The heavy overnight rain killed any hope of light airs to help everyone reach the finish line. As a result only 1 finished in class 5 (St Bridget I and B Nicolson), no finishers in Class 2 and 2 in Class 3 (winner Minx Glen Fullarton). Special commendation must go to these 3 finishers who persevered through a very wet night to finish all after 7am on Sunday morning.

Sole finisher in class 5 was St Bridget sailed by father and daughter, Ian and Beth Nicolson, they also took the special prize, the Mallie shield, for highest combined age with skipper Ian, aged 98, holding up the numbers.

The family prize went to Puilldobhrain (David and Uta Wilson) who finished 2nd in class 3.

Full Results