Bangor Regatta To Host Impala Championship In 2026

8th March 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Impala Action — Jim Coffey’s Impala Menace racing at the 2024 Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough. The competitive one-design class will return in strength for the Impala Championship at Bangor Regatta 2026 Credit: Simon McIlwaine

Bangor Regatta will host the Impala Championship as part of its 2026 sailing programme on Belfast Lough.

The four-day regatta runs from 25 to 28 June at Royal Ulster Yacht Club and will feature racing for a wide range of keelboat classes.

The Hunter Impala class will compete over ten races off Bangor. The boats are known for their quick and nimble performance and are expected to deliver close racing on the Lough.

Bangor Regatta organisers say the class will provide strong competition and a lively spectacle for sailors and spectators alike.

Racing will include windward-leeward courses and coastal races for IRC and YTC-certified boats. Fleets will compete across Belfast Lough and its approaches during the four-day programme.

Sailing will be followed by social events each evening at the Royal Ulster Yacht Club clubhouse overlooking the Lough.

Impala owners are now being encouraged to enter and compete for the new championship title at Bangor Regatta 2026.

Published in Bangor Town Regatta, Northern Ireland Waters, Belfast Lough

Published in Bangor Town Regatta

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Bangor Town Regatta 2021

It’s expected that the fleet will number upwards of 60 with several hundred crew and supporting visitors for the 2021 Regatta.

Among the classes expected are IRC, Sigma 33, RS Elite, and day boats such as Waverleys and Fairies.

The Regatta Chairman is Gavin Watson and Royal Ulster Yacht Club is the organising club for what is Northern Ireland's biggest inshore yacht racing event.

Feeder races from Dun Laoghaire and Scotland are planned.

The Bangor Town Regatta fleet will race out of the Bangor Marina, on what is Belfast Lough’s enviable area of virtually tide and hazard free waters.

Two round-the-buoys courses within a manageable distance from the marina will provide testing but enjoyable racing and in addition, coastal races every day will give those who prefer
somewhat more leisurely competition, the opportunity to use the whole of the Lough.

Racing will be in the capable hands of International Race Officer and National Judge, local man Robin Gray.

The Race Office will be located at the Marina close to where the après sailing will be well catered for.

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