Four Irish Dragons are competing in the biggest Edinburgh Cup fleet in 30 years, with Martin Byrne’s Jaguar Sailing Team leading the Irish challenge in 15th overall and sharing the lead in the Corinthian standings after the opening two races off Cowes on Tuesday, 18 August.
Byrne’s IRL201, crewed by Rory Byrne and Adam Winkleman, opened the 2026 Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix with a 25th before producing an excellent sixth in Race 2. Their 31-point total puts them 15th in the 49-boat international fleet and level on points at the top of the Corinthian division with Britain’s Owen Pay on Furious.
The next Irish boat is Sir Ossis Of the River, IRL161, skippered by Denis Bergin, in 24th overall. A 19th in the opening race followed by 26th gives Bergin 45 points. Just one place further back is Iain Woolward’s Wild Iris, IRL231. The Irish Dragon recorded 23rd and 25th places to finish Day 1 in 25th overall on 48 points.
Completing the Irish quartet is Zinzan, IRL233, sailed by Tim Carpenter, Declan Gordon and Nicola Halloran. Two consistent 32nd places leave Zinzan 33rd overall on 64 points.
Bluebottle Takes Early Lead in Cowes
The opening day produced two demanding races in the central Solent as 49 teams representing 12 nations faced 15-17 knot southwesterly winds, torrential rain, major wind shifts and significant changes in pressure.
Graham and Julia Bailey, Killian Boag and William Bedford aboard GBR192 Bluebottle emerged as the early overall leaders after combining a sixth in Race 1 with second in Race 2 for eight points.
Packed Start – Bluebottle (GBR192) lines up among a tightly grouped international fleet as shifting breeze tests crews on day one of the Edinburgh Cup off Cowes. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
They lead Ivan Bradbury, Lars Hendriksen and George Leonchuk aboard GBR375 Blue Haze by two points after the latter recorded a pair of fifth places.
Germany’s Dominik and Cornelius Heeschen and Jaimie Lea lie third aboard GER1189 Vesper on 11 points. They opened the championship by winning Race 1 and the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Cowes Trophy before finishing tenth in the second contest.
Heeschen was pleased with the opening performance, particularly as the crew are racing a virtually new boat and he is making his Edinburgh Cup debut. “It was a really good feeling,” he said. “It’s the first time we are sailing this boat here. It is almost brand new, so we were not sure what would happen.”
Jerboa Wins Race Two
Race 2 produced a close finish as Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, Mark Hart, Jake Hardman and Millie Irish aboard GBR831 Jerboa fought off Bluebottle and Sweden’s SWE800 Miss Behaviour.
Wilkinson-Cox carried a narrow advantage onto the final run, with Bailey and Jan Secher applying pressure all the way to the finish. Jerboa held on to take the Overseas Containers Ltd Salver, with Bluebottle second and Miss Behaviour third.
Colour Charge – Spinnakers fill across the Solent as the Dragon fleet races downwind, with eventual race-two winner Jerboa (GBR831) prominent in pink. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
“It was a very challenging race, a lot of fun, but thank goodness that we made it in the end,” Wilkinson-Cox said. “I don’t think I breathed from the last spreader mark to the leeward mark.”
The victory moved Jerboa into fifth overall on 19 points, one behind fourth-placed Miss Behaviour.
Byrne Tied for Corinthian Lead
For the Irish contingent, Byrne’s second-race sixth was particularly valuable in the battle for the Corinthian title.
Fleet Fight – The 49-boat Dragon fleet stretches across the Solent during the opening day of the 2026 Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix off Cowes. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
Britain’s Furious, sailed by Owen Pay, Chris Brittain and Gillian Hamilton, recovered from a 27th in the opening race with fourth in Race 2. That leaves Furious and Jaguar Sailing Team tied on 31 points, with Furious holding first place on countback.
Belgium’s BEL79 Corso, sailed by Bert Schandevyl, Dries Van den Abbeele and George Etty, is just one point behind on 32.
The Corinthian contest therefore leaves Byrne and his Irish crew firmly in contention heading into Wednesday’s racing.
Eight Races Scheduled
The Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix continues through Friday, 21 August, with eight races scheduled across the championship.
Day 2 is forecast to bring another testing session, with shifty winds ranging from 10 to 20 knots expected off Cowes.
After two races, Bluebottle leads the overall standings on eight points from Blue Haze on 10 and Vesper on 11. For Ireland, Jaguar Sailing Team is 15th overall and tied on points for the Corinthian lead, while Sir Ossis Of the River, Wild Iris and Zinzan occupy 24th, 25th and 33rd respectively.
