Richard Mille Cup 2026 Concludes on The Clyde

13 Jul 2026

The Richard Mille Cup 2026

The Richard Mille Cup took place from 15 to 25 June 2026, on the Firth of Clyde, near Glasgow, Scotland. A series of eight races for 12 yachts in four classes, divided by size and rig. Sonny finished at the top of the overall rankings and claimed the trophy. She was among a fleet of the world’s most famous classic yachts that made the journey to the Clyde, where many of them were designed and built a century ago. Social events were held at some of Scotland’s most emblematic buildings, including Culzean Castle, Kelburn Castle and Ardgowan House.

Sonny is a 1935 wooden sloop of 16.3 metres, designed by the great American yacht designer Olin Stephens. Her international crew fought hard in conditions that were sometimes lighter than this broad ocean-racing yacht would have liked, to sail around her rivals and win the one-metre-high solid silver Richard Mille Cup, made by the House of Garrard, whose other works have included many of the British crown jewels and the America’s Cup.

"Tight, Tactical racing"

The Richard Mille Cup really is a regatta, in the word’s true meaning: a series of races, rather than a parade of sail. Racing over the eight days around islands and up and down the Clyde was conducted in the finest tradition of fair rivalry and camaraderie; but the competition was tough with incredibly close results in conditions that varied from 5 knots of wind to nearly 20. Classes sailed together on the same, or similar courses, with the tight, tactical racing meaning that the smaller yachts in Classes Three and Four were often able to match the speed of the giants in Classes One and Two.

The Richard Mille Cup is one of the most special events in the world of racing in classic sailing yachts, loved for its combination of high glamour and low-key warmth. This year was only its third iteration since the first one in 2023, but already it has the power to draw yachts and crews from around the world, in a way only a tiny handful of other regattas can. What makes the Richard Mille Cup unique, however, is that it is not tied to a single venue. This, along with the full racing programme and next-level parties, gives the event a mystique and fascination that make attending it a bucket list item for many of the world’s classic yachts and crews. The 2023 and 2024 editions were held on England’s south coast, including at the world-famous Royal Yacht Squadron, and raced cross-Channel to Le Havre on France’s north coast.

The Perfect Setting

“When we created the Richard Mille Cup, we wanted an event that that brought together the most beautiful classic yachts, the best crews, and the ability to perform at the highest levels. Again in 2026 that vision came true. Competing for the Richard Mille Cup requires endurance and the competitors rose to that challenge magnificently,” said event co-organiser Dr William Collier.

For this third edition, the venue was Largs on the Firth of Clyde, just 30km from Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city; but this is a different world. The Firth of Clyde is a 4,000 km² tidal sea of deep waters, wooded shores and stunning islands. It’s one of the most famous yacht-sailing destinations in the world, where visitors spotted seals, porpoises and minke whales.

Rich in History

For much of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, Glasgow and the Clyde led the world in commercial shipbuilding and the design and build of what are now regarded as the most beautiful racing yachts ever made. William Fife II and III, GL Watson, Alfred Mylne were all based here; while James Rennie Barnett and John Bain (of Silvers) were busy drawing the most famous and desirable motor yachts of the era. Five of the yachts at this year’s event were built here, ranging in dates from the late 19^th century to 1931.

“Holding the 2026 Richard Mile Cup on the Firth of Clyde renewed the historic ties of this yachting venue with large classic yachts. It also allowed competitors to enjoy much of what Scotland has to offer visiting yachts; the sailing grounds, landscapes, music, food and history. The positive responses from participants on and off the water have exceeded any that we had hoped for,” said William Collier.

The Spirit Beyond the Course

The shoreside social events are nearly as important as the racing at any classic regatta: at this year’s Richard Mille Cup, they were elevated to a new level. The opening night was held at Culzean Castle, a 18th–century Robert Adam masterpiece overlooking the Clyde, a building pictured on the Scottish £5 banknote from 1972 to 2015. Guests were welcomed by a bagpiper and four harpists playing traditional Scottish songs, before a banquet in a marquee on the grounds. The crew barbecue and cèilidh a few days later took place in Kelburn Castle near Largs, and a live music night was provided by Celtic rock sensation, the band Skerryvore.

On the last day, regatta participants boarded The Waverley, the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, 73m of steel riveted together by shipbuilders on the Clyde in 1946, for a three-hour cruise of the lochs of the Clyde. When the great schooners Atlantic and Elena drew alongside to escort her down the water, the ships blasting their horns back and forth in mutual respect, there was hardly a dry eye on board. Then followed the big prizegiving evening at Ardgowan House. Built in 1801, the estate has been home to the Shaw-Stewart family for 600 years, tracing its roots back to Robert the Bruce and the Scottish Wars of Independence.