Ireland’s Denis Bergin has taken the lead in the Corinthian division of the 2026 Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix after a strong second day off Cowes, while Martin Byrne remains firmly in contention in third.
Bergin’s IRL161 Sir Ossis Of The River was the leading Irish performer on Wednesday, 19 August, scoring 10th and fifth in Races 3 and 4. Those results lifted the boat from 24th overall after the opening day to 12th overall in the 49-boat fleet on 60 points.
More significantly, Bergin now leads the Corinthian standings by three points from Belgium’s Dries Van den Abbeele on BEL79 Corso, with Byrne’s IRL201 Jaguar Sailing Team seven points off the lead in third.
Byrne, who had shared the Corinthian lead after Tuesday’s opening two races, added 22nd and 14th places on day two. Combined with his opening scores of 25th and sixth, Jaguar Sailing Team has 67 points and lies 15th overall.
Four Irish Dragons at halfway stage
Irish Charge: Bergin’s Sir Ossis Of The River has made the biggest move among the four Irish Dragons, climbing 12 places overall after a 10th and fifth on day two to reach 12th overall and first Corinthian.
Heavy Weather: Dragon crews punch through steep Solent chop as stronger southwesterly winds test the fleet on day two of the Edinburgh Cup off Cowes. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
Iain Woolward’s IRL231 Wild Iris is 27th overall on 107 points. After opening the championship with 23rd and 25th places, the boat recorded 29th and 30th on Wednesday.
IRL233 Zinzan, sailed by Tim Carpenter, Declan Gordon and Nicola Halloran, is 33rd overall on 125 points. The crew followed Tuesday’s pair of 32nd-place finishes with a 33rd and 28th on day two.
Bergin turns up the pace
Sir Ossis Of The River began the championship with 19th and 26th-place finishes, leaving Bergin 24th overall on 45 points after Tuesday.
Day two transformed his position. A 10th in Race 3 was followed by a fifth in Race 4, making the Irish Dragon one of the strongest movers in the fleet and putting Bergin at the head of the Corinthian championship with four races remaining.
Byrne remains close enough to challenge. Jaguar Sailing Team is seven points behind Bergin and only four behind second-placed Corso in the Corinthian standings.
Bailey builds 13-point Edinburgh Cup lead
At the head of the overall standings, Graham Bailey consolidated his Edinburgh Cup advantage aboard GBR192 Bluebottle. The overnight leader won Race 3 before fighting back from the middle of the fleet at the first mark to take sixth in Race 4. His four scores of 6-2-1-6 give him 15 points and a 13-point overall lead.
Aerial Battle: Dragons charge downwind under spinnaker off Cowes, where Denis Bergin’s IRL161 Sir Ossis Of The River emerged as the new Corinthian leader after four races. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
Sweden’s Jan Secher moved into second aboard SWE800 Miss Behavior on 28 points, while Andrew Lawson’s POR89 Jupiter climbed to third on 32.
Ivan Bradbury’s Blue Haze is fourth with 35 points and Andy Beadsworth’s TUR12 Provezza Dragon fifth on 37.
Beadsworth strikes in stronger breeze
Conditions changed considerably on the second day as the Royal Yacht Squadron race committee postponed racing to let overnight rain clear and the southwesterly breeze establish. Once underway, the wind increased from around 10 knots to more than 20.
Beadsworth prospered as the breeze strengthened. After recovering to fifth in Race 3, he made a powerful pin-end start in Race 4 and led throughout to take the victory.
“It was just like old times, really,” Beadsworth said of the battle for the pin. “We made a few mistakes. We could have been better, but we won the race. And it was nice for it not to fall through my fingers again, like it did yesterday.”
Spray Flying: Crews work hard through the building breeze as racing intensifies at the halfway stage of the 2026 Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
Lawson also impressed in the chartered Jupiter. Racing with double Finn European champion Ed Wright and experienced Dragon sailor Hamish Mackay, the Etchells sailor recorded a second and 10th to jump into third overall.
Irish title challenge takes shape
With four of the scheduled eight races completed, Ireland now has two boats inside the top 15 overall and two of the top three positions in the Corinthian championship. The Corinthian top five after four races is Bergin’s Sir Ossis Of The River on 60 points, Corso on 63, Byrne’s Jaguar Sailing Team on 67, Fit Chick on 77 and Furious on 79.
Racing at the Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix continues off Cowes through Friday, 21 August, with four races remaining and another windy day anticipated for the fleet.
