SB20 UK Nationals Draw Global Fleet to Cowes Showdown

25th July 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Breaking Through – Charlie Whelan's Breaking Bod powers through Solent chop during the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta, one of the leading contenders for this weekend's SB20 UK Nationals in Cowes

Cowes welcomes an international fleet this weekend as the SB20 UK Nationals double as an important dress rehearsal for the 2026 SB20 World Championship on the Solent. Thirty boats from the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia are entered for four days of racing hosted by the Royal London Yacht Club.

Unofficially dubbed "Pre-Worlds", the championship has attracted many of the sailors expected to challenge for honours at next year's World Championship. International teams are using the event to familiarise themselves with Solent conditions while testing themselves against one of the class's strongest domestic fleets.

Among the overseas entries are 2026 SB20 Worlds organiser Ed Russo aboard Skin in the Game and French contender Pierre-Yves Lambert on Lynx, both looking to gain valuable local knowledge before next year's championship.

Australia is also strongly represented. Former world champion Will Sargent joins Porco Rosso as tactician, while 2023 world championship-winning crew member Eirini Marios helms Ares. Belgium returns with a youth team after competing at last year's UK Nationals in Weymouth.

Singapore's Daire O'Reilly brings The Incident back into international competition alongside British sailors Alex Hughes and Arran Holman. Nils Razmilovic's Glasgow Kiss arrives in Cowes after recent victories at Cowes Week and the Portuguese Nationals.

The home fleet is led by reigning UK National Champion and 2025 World Champion John Pollard aboard Xcellent. Charlie Whelan's Reservoir Bod and Mark Gillett's PB20 II are expected to feature prominently after several close battles in recent seasons.

Offshore racer Ollie Hill also returns to one-design competition, joining a competitive British fleet drawn from clubs across the UK.

Forecast conditions promise classic Solent racing. Light north-westerly winds are expected to give way to south-westerly sea breezes each afternoon, with the ebb tide likely to produce the tactical chop for which Cowes is renowned.

Racing begins on Saturday with a Sprint Series before the Open UK Nationals run from Sunday through Tuesday.

Published in SB20

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SB20

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SB20 (formerly Laser SB3) information

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

The Laser SB3 was designed by Castro and launched in 2002. In 2007 the Laser SB3 was awarded ISAF Recognised Status and the first World Championships were held in Ireland in 2008. In 2012, Tony Castro appointed a new builder, Sportsboat World. At this time, the Laser SB3 was renamed the SB20 and building was returned to the UK from Malaysia. The ethos of the class continues.

The boat is a strict one-design class, economic to buy and campaign, easy to sail with a simple deck layout and electric downwind performance delivered by the generous sail plan. The boat has a lifting keel, can easily be launched from a slipway and towed behind a family car.

Previous SB20 World Champions

2008 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan

Host National Yacht Club, Dun laoghaire, Ireland

2009 GBR: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heeley

Host Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

2010 GBR: Jerry Hill, Grant Rollerson, Joe Llewellyn

Host Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy

2011 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Andy Ramus, Ian Mills & Emma Clarke

Host Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Torquay, UK

2012 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Lesley Dhonau, Roger Hudson & Asenathi Jim

Host Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Queensland, Australia

2013 GRB: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heley Host COYCH Club, Hyeres, France