Ireland’s Denis Bergin strengthened his lead in the Corinthian division of the 2026 Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix on Thursday (20 August), winning the amateur section for the second successive race as gusts of up to 30 knots swept across the Solent.
Bergin’s IRL161 Sir Ossis Of The River, crewed by Jacques Murphy, Joey Bergin and Rian Geraghty-McDonnell, finished 13th overall in the only race completed on day three and was the leading Corinthian boat. The result consolidates an impressive mid-regatta charge by the Irish Dragon. Bergin was 24th overall after Tuesday's opening two races before climbing to 12th after Wednesday's 10th and fifth places.
Irish Charge — Denis Bergin’s IRL161 Sir Ossis Of The River battles through the fleet off Cowes on the way to a second successive Corinthian race victory and an extended championship lead. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
With five races now completed and the first discard coming into play, Sir Ossis Of The River leads the Corinthian championship on 47 points, six clear of Belgium’s Dries Van den Abbeele aboard BEL79 Corso on 53.
That increases Bergin's advantage from the three-point lead he held overnight.
Byrne Holds Third in Corinthian Battle
Martin Byrne’s IRL201 Jaguar Sailing Team remains third in the Corinthian standings after finishing 22nd in Thursday’s heavy-air race, as reported by Afloat.
Byrne had been seven points behind Bergin after four races. With the discard now applied, Jaguar Sailing Team has 64 points and is 11 behind Bergin, but remains firmly in the hunt for a podium place. The Irish boat is also just one point ahead of Jono Brown’s GBR753 Fit Chick, fourth Corinthian on 65 points.
Bergin's progress has been particularly notable. He started the championship with 19th and 26th places and was 24th overall on Tuesday night, before scores of 10th, fifth and 13th transformed his position at the head of the Corinthian contest.
Wild Iris Fourth Corinthian in Race Five
Iain Woolward’s IRL231 Wild Iris also handled Thursday’s difficult conditions well, finishing fourth among the Corinthian boats in Race 5. Wild Iris had slipped to 27th overall after four races on Wednesday, having started the championship in 25th after opening scores of 23rd and 25th.
Ireland’s fourth challenger, IRL233 Zinzan, sailed by Tim Carpenter, Declan Gordon and Nicola Halloran, and continues its Edinburgh Cup campaign after lying 33rd overall following Wednesday's fourth race.
Making a Splash — Dragon crews punch through the steep Solent chop as strong west-south-westerly winds and squalls put boats and sailors to the test on day three. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
The Irish quartet began the championship with Jaguar Sailing Team leading the national challenge in 15th, Sir Ossis Of The River 24th, Wild Iris 25th and Zinzan 33rd.
Eckert Wins as Solent Turns Wild
There was only one race on Thursday, but conditions provided the toughest test of the Edinburgh Cup so far. West-south-westerly winds gusted to around 30 knots, accompanied by torrential rain squalls, sunny spells and steep, short seas.
Richard Leask’s GBR731 Kestra went hard left on the opening beat and led at the first mark, ahead of Jan Eckert’s SUI355 Ginkgo Racing, Andy Beadsworth’s TUR12 Provezza Dragon, Laura Schewe’s GER1238 and Christoph Toepfer’s GER11 Aurora.
Pink Power — Laura Schewe’s GER1238 Heizkörper powers downwind under its vivid pink spinnaker during a demanding third day of Edinburgh Cup racing off Cowes. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
Leask subsequently dropped back while Eckert and Beadsworth took control at the front.
Beadsworth attempted to find a way past, but Eckert gradually extended his advantage to win Race 5. Beadsworth took second, Toepfer third, Martin Payne fourth and Schewe fifth. “Today was actually tough, but also fun,” Eckert said. “The fun part was downwind surfing on the waves. And, of course, winning a race is always top of everything.”
With the fleet safely home, the race committee displayed N over A, signalling there would be no further racing.
Bluebottle Retains Edinburgh Cup Lead
Thursday's fifth race also brought the championship's first discard into effect.
Fleet Under Fire — The 49-boat Edinburgh Cup fleet charges upwind beneath dark Solent skies during the 2026 championship off Cowes. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
Graham and Julia Bailey, Will Bedford and Killian Boag aboard GBR192 Bluebottle finished 11th, their first score outside the top ten, but discarded the result to retain the overall lead on 15 points.
Sweden’s Jan Secher aboard SWE800 Miss Behavious is second on 20 points. Beadsworth has moved from fifth to third aboard Provezza Dragon on 21, with Toepfer's Aurora fourth on 22 and Andrew Lawson’s POR49 Jupiter fifth on 27.
Bergin Crew Collects Back-to-Back Prizes
Thursday's early finish allowed the crews to return to the Royal Yacht Squadron Pavilion for an afternoon tea and the presentation of prizes for Races 3, 4 and 5.
Bergin, Murphy, Bergin and Geraghty-McDonnell collected the Corinthian prizes for both Races 4 and 5.
The overall Race 5 Lancôme Trophy went to Eckert, Torvar Mirsky and Frederico Melo, while Beadsworth, Simon Fry and Enes Caylac received the Terry Wade Memorial Trophy for their Race 4 victory.
Winning Ways — Torvar Mirsky (left) and Jan Eckert with the Lancôme Trophy after SUI355 Ginkgo Racing won Race 5 of the Edinburgh Cup in the toughest conditions of the championship so far. Photo: Rick Tomlinson
The 2026 Edinburgh Cup concludes on Friday, 21 August, when lighter winds are forecast, and the race committee is aiming to complete two final races.
