IRC Championships 2026: Full UK Racing Season Confirmed

30th January 2026

Afloat.ie Team

The UK IRC National Championship will be held in Dartmouth in 2026 Credit: Ingrid Abery

The RORC Rating Office has published the full calendar for the 2026 GBR IRC Championships and the IRC European Championship.

The season runs from May to September with events across the UK and neighbouring waters.

The campaign starts in May with the IRC Bristol Channel Championship. The event is split across two weekends at Portishead and Cardiff.

Next, the International Paints Poole Regatta hosts the IRC Southern Championship and the IRC European Championship. Strong entries are expected from the UK and overseas.

Also in May, the IRC Scottish Championship takes place from Tarbert on Loch Fyne. It forms part of the Scottish Series run by Clyde Cruising Club.

A new event for 2026 is the IRC North West Championship at Liverpool Yacht Club. Organisers say it adds a fresh regional title to the calendar.

In July, the IRC East Coast Championship is scheduled as part of Ramsgate Week. Later in August, the IRC Northern Ireland Championship will be raced on Belfast Lough, hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing Club.

The IRC South West Championship follows at Royal Torbay Yacht Club. Organisers expect competitive fleets at both venues.

The IRC National Championship will be held in Dartmouth from 27–30 August as part of Dartmouth Week. Hosts Royal Dart Yacht Club say the event should attract a strong fleet.

September concludes the season with two titles decided over the same weekend. The IRC Welsh National Championship will be raced in Cardigan Bay during the Celtic Regatta.

At the same time, the IRC Channel Island Championship will be contested at the Jersey Regatta. Both events round off the 2026 season.

Offshore racing also features in the programme. The IRC Double Handed National Championship includes the Cowes–St Malo race in July and the Cherbourg–Cowes race in September, drawing double‑handed teams from both sides of the Channel.

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THE RORC:

Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas including the RORC Easter Challenge and the IRC European Championship (includes the Commodores' Cup) in the Solent
The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. The RORC Caribbean 600, based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean, has been an instant success. The 10th edition took place in February 2018. The RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada, the first of which was in November 2014
The club is based in St James' Place, London, but after a merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour and a membership of over 4,000

At A Glance – RORC

RORC Race Enquiries:

Royal Ocean Racing Club T: +44 (0) 1983 295144 E: [email protected] W: http://www.rorc.org/

Royal Ocean Racing Club:

20 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NN, Tel: 020 7493 2248 E: [email protected]

2026 RORC Key dates

Key RORC 2026 dates extracted from the programme:

January–February 2026
• 11 January – RORC Transatlantic Race (Lanzarote to Antigua)
• February (dates vary) – Nelson’s Cup, Antigua
• 23 February – RORC Caribbean 600

May 2026
• 2 May – Cervantes Trophy Race (Cowes to Le Havre)
• 15 May – North Sea Race
• 22–25 May – IRC European Championships, International Poole Regatta
• 23 May – Myth of Malham Race
• 30 May – De Guingand Bowl Race

June 2026
• 12 June – Morgan Cup (Cowes to Dartmouth)
• 20 June – Round Ireland Race (Wicklow)

July 2026
• 3 July – Cowes–Dinard–Saint Malo Race
• 25 July – Channel Race

August 2026
• 8 August – Baltic Sea Race (Helsinki)
• 9 August – Round Britain and Ireland Race (Cowes)
• 26–29 August – IRC National Championship (Dartmouth)

September 2026
• 4 September – Cherbourg Race

October 2026
• 17 October – Rolex Middle Sea Race (counts towards 2027 championship)