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PREVIEW - FIREBALL WORDS 2026 TORBAY, UK

VETERANS & STUDENTS: Working Together To Sail a Tall Ship Across the Iri...

Rockshore / Bosun Bobs RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

 

The Rockshore/ Bosun Bob's RS400 Winter Series returns for its 19th Year at RNIYC!

Following the celebrations of 20 years of RS400 sailing at the royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, this season also marks the 19th running of the hugely popular RS400 Winter Series at Cultra.

The Series will run over eight consecutive Sundays, from 2nd November to 21st December, with racing starting at 1.30 each week. Generally consisting of three short races. Despite the cold conditions, this Format of racing is beloved, making this one of the biggest one design Winer Sailing events in Ireland.

Entries are expected to be 18 this year with some guest boats showing up for the Christmas Race on Sunday 21st December. Racing starts this Sunday at 1.30 RNIYC Cultra.

Enter now at :-  rniyc.org/sailingeventtickets/p/rs400springseries-kpth8

Grafham Water SC Welcomes Sailors for Winter Racing

 

Grafham Water Sailing Club is gearing up for another busy cold-weather season — offering sailors of all classes the chance to stay on the water and race through to spring.

With winter membership starting from just £110, Grafham provides an open invitation to dinghy, catamaran and windsurfer sailors who don't want to hang up their wetsuits when temperatures drop.

Located conveniently between Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Peterborough, Grafham Water is one of the UK's largest reservoirs, offering 1,550 acres of consistent breeze and open-water racing. The club is renowned for its large, competitive inland fleets — including ILCAs, Flying Fifteens, Solos, D-Zeros, Spitfires, F18s, A-Class Cats and RS classes — ensuring top-level competition across the board.

The Winter Series runs from 29 November 2025 to 31 March 2026, with three back-to-back races held each Sunday morning across four starts. The series is complemented by a Sprint Series — one Sunday each month in January, February and March — featuring five short, high-intensity races per day, and the traditional Christmas Pursuit Race followed by a festive club dinner.

Winter members also receive discounted entry to the Grand Prix on Sunday 4th January, along with access to Saturday coaching sessions and the ability to sail seven days a week.

Grafham is proud to be an inclusive community that believes sailing is for everyone. We promote diversity and strive to make the sport accessible to people of all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experience levels.

Winter membership costs £110 for a single-hander (including boat park space) or £130 for a doublehander with two members. There is a 50% discount on these prices for under-25 year olds.

For full details and online entry, visit :- www.grafham.org

 email office@grafham.org, or call 01480 810478.

European Sailing Hotspots

 

We have sourced the information used in this article from several European travel guides and we also have considered the testimony of sailors who frequently travel around the coastlines and inland waterways of the region.

France is a top destination for European sailing, and it also hosts one of the most favored mooring spots in the sailing community. The breathtaking French coastline is just part of the story, as you can spend days or weeks exploring the country’s vast network of channels and rivers.

Paris is, of course, a favorite destination for tourists—maritime or otherwise. But there’s much more to see in the area, and there’s sure to be something for everyone.

A notable example is Omaha Beach, where the Allies began one of the most vicious battles of World War Two. The scars of war remain in the form of massive shell craters and busted-up concrete bunkers, which still dot the landscape as if the battle happened yesterday.

But if war isn’t quite your speed, there’s another French coastal destination that might suit you well. It’s the isle of Corsica, and it’s the gorgeous birthplace of famed French leader Napoleon. The isle sports crystal-clear water, beaches, and ancient architecture.

Who can think of a sailing holiday in Europe and not picture Italy? The country, located on the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the most beautiful sailing destinations in Europe. The food, the music—it’s all there and ready for you to immerse yourself into.

Much of Italy hasn’t changed much in centuries. Of course, that also includes Venice. The waterlogged city of Venice is the most famous canal city in the world, and it has remained largely untouched for years.

And though you can’t technically take your boat through the canals, you can hire a local to row you through for an authentic experience. And if Venice isn’t your speed, try the breathtaking Amalfi coast and its picturesque buildings. 

If you are looking for southerly warmth and endless history? Greece is the country to see, and there’s no shortage of either in the area. Greece is the cradle of western civilization, and the nation’s stunning ruins and beautiful scenery are unsurpassed anywhere else in the world.

The majority of Greece borders the water, which is great news for sailors. There are dozens of marinas and yacht clubs located around the country, including many ancient cities that are well worth exploring. The islands that surround the country are also the perfect Mediterranean holiday spots—out of the way and teeming with authentic Greek food and culture.

Don’t forget to check out the tiny island nation of Cyprus. This storied country is located in the eastern Mediterranean and home to some of the most beautiful sailing in the world.

Upon arrival to Cyprus, you’ll be greeted by ancient ruins of a once heavily defended territory. Beautiful Mediterranean architecture dots the landscape, and some of the most picturesque harbors await you along the way.

While in Cyprus, you can hang out on the yellow sand beaches and enjoy the sun or adventure off into the heart of the nation to view the landscape and historical sites. Cypress is also an ideal winter sailing destination, as the weather remains warm and favorable year-round.

Portugal is the cork capital of the world and one of the most breathtaking European sailing destinations. Portugal is located on the western border of Spain, and the coast spans most of the country. This southerly paradise is also famous for its warm weather and beautiful coastal mooring locations.

The rocky shoreline of Portugal is famous for its unique rock formations and long, sandy beaches. The unique architectural style in the country resembles that of Spain, though it has a Portuguese touch that’s easy to distinguish.

While in Portugal, be sure to check out some of the beautiful coastal sites of Lagos and Praia Dona Ana. You can enjoy the crystal clear waters from your boat or Moor to explore the colorful and historic hillside towns.

Would you like help planning your next trip?

Please let us know about your sailing experiences and where you're planning to go by using our Contact Form on this Blog, with your requirements to receive immediate help and assistance and using our Vast Knowledge and Experience to Help and Guide You.

WITH 12,000 RENTAL YACHTS ACROSS 60 COUNTRIES WHICH ONE WILL YOU CHOOSE?

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50th Anniversary edition of the RORC Round Britain & Ireland Race

 

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce that the Notice of Race for the 2026 Round Britain & Ireland Race has been published and online entry is open from 3 November 2025. Invited entries include monohulls racing under IRC for the overall win, multihulls, IMOCA and one design classes such as Class40.

The race will start from Cowes, Isle of Wight on Sunday 9 August 2026, marking the return of one of the world’s most challenging and prestigious offshore events.

An Epic Course Around the British Isles & Ireland

First run in 1976, the Round Britain & Ireland Race takes competitors on an 1,805-nautical mile circumnavigation of the British Isles, leaving all islands and rocks, including Muckle Flugga at the northern tip of Shetland, to starboard. Starting and finishing in Cowes, the course demands relentless endurance, navigating notorious headlands such as Land’s End, St Kilda, and Fair Isle, with tidal gates, shifting weather systems, manmade obstructions and exposed offshore stretches testing crews to the limit.

Fifty Years of Offshore Legend

2026 marks the 50th anniversary edition of the race, a true modern classic that has seen some of sailing’s most celebrated campaigns. From record-breaking trimarans to corinthian double-handers, past editions have showcased determination, seamanship and the spirit of adventure that defines offshore racing.

Since 2006, the race has benefitted from the title sponsorship of Sevenstar Yacht Transport, whose invaluable support has been fundamental to the event’s success. The longstanding partnership has run its course. The RORC thank Sevenstar for their longstanding support and would be delighted to hear from new sponsors and partners for the Round Britain & Ireland Race.

RORC Racing Manager, Steve Cole, commented: “The Round Britain & Ireland Race is one of the ultimate tests in offshore sailing. Its mix of coastal challenges and exposed ocean passages makes it both unpredictable and unforgettable. With the Notice of Race now published, we’re looking forward to welcoming an exceptional fleet in 2026.”

Ullswater Open Winter Series gets under way

 

Despite the day dawning cold and wet with a discouraging weather forecast, Ullswater Yacht Club's open winter series got off to a successful start on Sunday 26 October.

An all-class handicap fleet of 16 boats of members and visitors soon warmed up in the 10 to 15 kt south-westerly, with three back to back races, each comprising two laps of a 0.6 mile windward leeward course via the Club start-finish line.

Keith Lockey and Paul Adams in their VX One were able to pull away downwind to win the first race, while Andy McAlea sailing an ILCA 6 won the second. The strengthening breeze favoured the asymmetric boats in third race, which was won by the 49er of Matty and James Lyons. Consistency counted though, and Jon Abbatt and Chris Mulholland lead the series in their Flying Fifteen, with two second places and one third place. Results can be found at the Ullswater Yacht Club website.

But with a total of 21 races in series - with 3 races every Sunday until 7th December, first start at 11.00, there is everything to play for. Entry for the entire series is free for members and £40 for visitors.

Winter Dinghy Racing at Warsash SC

 

Warsash Sailing Club warmly welcomes visiting dinghy sailors who wish to take part in our Winter and/or Aussie Summer race series, which run on Sunday mornings over the Winter Period from November to March.

Races start at 10:30 with Fast/Medium/Slow handicap fleets. Courses are set in the environs of Hamble River, Southampton Water and The Solent depending on the prevailing weather conditions. Back ashore, breakfast baps and hot drinks are available for purchase from 09:00 while post-race, the bar will be open, and lunch can be ordered at our Shore House HQ while you enjoy panoramic views of the Hamble from our newly refurbished River Room.

Visiting Sailors have use of the Club facilities on the Sunday(s) of the races during the series and on the Saturday before the start of the series to rig their boat ready for the next day.

Visiting sailors who have entered our Winter Series will be permitted to leave their boat in our boat pound at Warsash for the duration of the series they have entered.

The dates are:

Winter Series (8 weeks approx.); From Sunday 2nd November - Sunday 21st December

Break for Christmas

Aussie Summer Series (13 weeks approx.); From Sunday 4th January - 29th March

Fees Winter Series (approx. 8 weeks) Aussie Summer Series (approx. 13 weeks)

Single Hander £80 - 8 weeks      £130 - 13 weeks

Double Hander £104  - 8 weeks   £169 - 13 weeks 

To enter the Warsash SC Winter Series and/or Aussie Summer Series, please complete the form at :-

 warsashsc.org.uk/visitor-winter-sailing

SKUD18 UK Championship 2025 at Rutland Sailing Club

 

In a patchy wind, consistency and good tactics were the key and Rory shrugged off being in a strange boat with a new crew to win his first ever race in a SKUD. Christine Spray and Richard Johnson recovered well from a shocking start to claw through the fleet by going right early, picking up the best wind pressure and going from last to second by the finish.

Spray and Johnson got their act together for the next two races, finding the best wind and powering up the Spinnaker for two good first places. Meanwhile Rory and Tony faded a bit in the fickle weather, getting a fourth and a fifth but the Swans, third in race 1 and sailing an untried boat, were twice second and ominously close behind the leaders, ending the day only a couple of points behind.

The wind next day was stronger and gusty but still from the Southeast. Series leader Spray was living up to her name with water spitting over the bow but they were trapped in the lee of the fleet, allowing the Swans to break away and easily win the first race. Rory and Tony upped their game to come second, leaving the Series leaders to come third and now just a point ahead. The next race was a repeat, with the Swans looking fast and comfortable and winning by a large margin to lead the series by one point. The outcome now depended on the last race and a good start plus a slight reduction in wind strength inspired Spray and Johnson to break right and be level with the Swans rounding mark 1. Down the run both were even and the gybe angle was critical to catch the wind bend coming into Mark 2 but neither boat gained. Up the next beat Spray and Johnson inched ahead but downwind, good Spinnaker work by Stuart regained the lead by the final mark to seal their third win of the day and the Championship by two points overall. Pat Crowley and Charlie Plows had their best race to come third while Rory and Tony had their worst to come last.

So, a varied Championship with close racing and mixed fortunes for everyone. Will the cup return to Rutland next year or could it travel North of the border?... Watch this space!

Overall Results:

Pos Sail No Helm Crew R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Pts

1 10 Lynn Swan Stuart Swan ‑3 2 2 1 1 1 7

2 57 Christine Spray Richard Johnson 2 1 1 ‑3 3 2 9

3 42 Rory Mckinna Tony Gill 1 4 5 2 2 ‑6 14

4 11 Pat Crowley Charlie Plows 4 ‑6 3 5 6 3 21

5 77 Paul Pearson Neville Rose 5 3 ‑6 4 5 5 22

6 34 Alexa Bibby Evan Williams ‑6 5 4 6 4 4 23

Solo Offshore Racing Club Nab Tower Race

 

Despite the nearby named storm, the prospects looked promising for the final SORC race of the season on Saturday 25 October. Boats made their way to the start line in the Solent off Gurnard on a cold but sunny morning and a moderate breeze which was due to increase, but not too much.

Both the solo and double handed fleets had clean starts and, as they headed towards the Nab Tower, spinnakers soon popped out on this true downwind leg. The wind steadily increased during the morning to provide the challenge of successfully dropping kites while short-handed before rounding the mark.

The wind direction held steady for the true beat back to the finish at Snowden but it seemed that wind speed had not been given the forecast as rain and gusts over 30 knots began to appear. With wind over tide, the central eastern Solent became quite a lively place. After a long beat, now bruised and tired, the crews were relieved to pass the finish line.

The winner of Class 1 Solo was Steve Thomas on the C&C 115 Azora. Don Forster's First 31.7 Memory Maker won both Class 2 Solo and Solo overall. As well as gaining line honours, Peter and Duncan Bacon on the JPK 1030 In Code were the winners of Double Handed Class 4.

The full results including final series points are on the SORC website, as is a preview of the 2026 programme, open to both solo and double handed boats.

Irish Fireball End of Season Championship at Howth Yacht Club

 

Noel Butler & Mark Greer have won the Fireball End of Season Championship at Howth Yacht Club over the weekend (25 & 26 October). The National Yacht Club pair prevailed over locals Conor Twohig & Matthew Cotter at the event planned for Saturday and Sunday of the Bank Holiday Weekend.

The weather gods prevented play on Saturday. When teams arrived a cold northerly wind was already whistling through the rigging of keelboats at the club. Sailors were kept ashore for a short postponement while the race team went out to check conditions. For a while it looked sailable but no sooner had a weather mark been laid than gusts of around thirty knots kicked in and racing was cancelled for the day.

Sunday saw the winds shift westerly and conditions were far more manageable, albeit with a significant escalation expected from lunchtime onwards with the Arome weather model in particular showing some very strong gusts. As it turned out the offshore wind of around 15 knots was shifty but gusts were mostly moderate. The fleet which made it out was a modest one compared to the entry of thirteen boats, with a range of issues from injuries (two bike accidents), to the weather, to domestic affairs reducing the field.

The race courses were expertly set by PRO Ronan MacDonnell, mentored by Neil Murphy, giving sailors a shortish first beat with a tightish first reach and a long second reach where carrying the kite was always a viable option. In race one Butler & Greer made the most of the three sail reaches with some place changing downwind and good mark roundings they emerged on top having given up the lead a couple of times earlier in the race. David Evans & William Draper broke their main halyard at the last leeward mark, dropping them from 3rd to 7th - costly in a series which would have no discard, as only 3 races were scheduled for Sunday.

In race two Twohig & Cotter hit the weather mark and took a penalty. This allowed Evans & Draper to take the lead which they didn't give up despite Butler & Greer closing the gap significantly. The breeze had increased from race one and all three boats elected not to fly the spinnaker on the top reach. Evans and Draper did carry the kite on the the 2nd reach of the last lap but Butler & Greer made the tactical decision to cover 3rd place Twohig & Cotter rather than chase first as a 3rd race looked unlikely. By the end of race two it was clear that the wind was upping a notch having reached 26 knots and given the forecast the race team sent the fleet ashore to no complaints.

The silver fleet was won by Rachel Deasy & Daithi Murphy, a deserving reward for travelling from home club Tralee Bay SC. Second silver prize went to Pat McGoldrick & Paul ter Horst of DMYC. At the prize-giving much praise went to the entire HYC team, in particular the race management and the well exercised safety team for running this extra Fireball event in the face of an adverse forecast.

Next up for Fireballers are the various Frostbite series - plenty of thrills and spills are anticipated at HYC, DMYC and Monkstown Bay SC over the winter months with the DMYC series kicking off next Sunday 2nd November and continuing until late March.

Overall Results:

Pos Sail No Helm Crew Club Division R1 R2 Pts

1st 15061 Noel Butler Mark Greer National YC Gold 1 2 3

2nd 14904 Conor Twohig Matthew Cotter Howth YC Gold 2 3 5

3rd 15093 David Evans William Draper Sligo YC Gold 7 1 8

4th 14915 Frank Miller Marta Anzillotti Zamorano Dun Laoghaire MYC Gold 3 5 8

5th 146 Jonathan Evans Aidan Caulfield Sligo YC Gold 4 4 8

6th 15060 Rachel Deasy Daithi O'Murchadha Tralee Bay SC Silver 6 7 13

7th 14816 Sam Street Ollie Lod Blessington SC Gold 5 DNF 20

8th 14790 Pat McGoldrick Paul ter Horst Dun Laoghaire MYC Silver DNF 6 21

9th 15017 Adrian Lee Edmund Hynes Monkstown Bay SC Gold DNC DNC 30

9th 14683 Colm Breen Cormac Power Breen Dun Laoghaire MYC Silver DNF DNC 30

9th 15114 Daniel Thompson Harry Thompson RStGYC / WHBTC Gold DNC DNC 30

9th 15156 Jack McNaughton Peter McMullan Dun Laoghaire MYC / Bray SC Gold DNC DNC 30

9th 14938 Niall McGrotty Neil Cramer Skerries SC Gold DNC DNC 30

9th 14849 Fiachra Farrelly Jamie Malcolm Howth YC Gold DNC DNC 30

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