The 2026 East Coast Dragon Championship delivered two days of close and competitive racing on the River Medway, with the full six-race series completed by Medway Yacht Club over the weekend of 12–13 September.
Ten Dragons came together for the championship, including two visiting boats from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Burnham, and from the opening race it was clear that there would be little separating the leading contenders.
A moderate south-westerly breeze and a slack-to-incoming tide greeted the fleet for the start of racing on Saturday, with the breeze building as the day progressed and gusts reaching just over 15 knots.
Race one belonged to Ian Gray’s Still Crazy GBR827, which led into the first windward mark and maintained its advantage to take the opening win. Whistle GBR560, helmed by Quentin Strauss, finished second with Hands Off GBR760 third and OCD GBR375 fourth.
Still Crazy was again among the early leaders in race two, but the extended three-lap race developed into a close battle with Avalanche GBR722, sailed by Mark Wade, Mandy Wade and Nigel Cole. Avalanche moved into the lead and secured the first of what would become a string of important victories, ahead of Whistle in second and Still Crazy in third.
Avalanche continued its form in race three, recording a second consecutive win. Whistle again finished runner-up, with Suti GBR747 taking third. Some unfortunate gear failure saw Still Crazy and GBR823 Taniwha retire from racing for the day.
A quick turnaround allowed a fourth race to be completed on Saturday. This time it was Hands Off, sailed by Andy Moss, Teresa and Tim Wilkes, which took the victory, with Avalanche second and Whistle third.
After four races Avalanche led the championship, with Whistle close behind on equal points, ensuring everything remained open heading into the final day. A wonderfully relaxed evening was had by all at the Medway Yacht Club with great food, great company and many Dragon sailing stories.
Two races remained on Sunday 13 September and, with the wind now more westerly and the fleet racing towards the bottom of the ebb tide, the championship was finely balanced.
As the ten Dragons lined up for race five, Avalanche skipper Mark Wade and Whistle’s Quentin Strauss were level on points, with little separating two skippers who also shared an impressive record of previous East Coast Championship success.
Suti was unfortunately over the line at the start and, as the fleet headed up the first beat, the Dragons split across the bay in search of the best route to the windward mark.
Avalanche established the advantage and led for the majority of the race, holding off the challenge from Whistle to claim a third race victory of the championship. Whistle finished close behind in second, with Taniwha taking third. It left the championship poised for a decisive sixth and final race.
The westerly breeze increased as the fleet lined up for the last start of the series, with three boats recorded OCS. Whistle opted for the left-hand side of the course and emerged ahead at the top, while a lifting shift helped OCD and Repeat Offender make gains from the right.
Over the three-lap course, Whistle steadily extended its lead, although Taniwha continued to apply pressure from behind. Strauss and his crew went on to take the final race victory, with Taniwha second and Avalanche third.
One of the performances of the race came from Toby, Trevor and Chris on Suti. After again being OCS at the start, the team produced an impressive recovery through the fleet to finish fourth.
With racing incredibly close throughout the weekend, the final points remained tight among the leading boats. After six races and one discard, Avalanche secured the 2026 East Coast Dragon Championship with eight points, just one point ahead of Whistle on nine. Hands Off completed the championship podium with 21 points, Taniwha and Suti shared equal points, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
The result marked a fifth East Coast Dragon Championship victory for Mark Wade – the greatest number of wins by a skipper in the regatta’s history.
Race victories across the weekend were shared by Still Crazy, Avalanche, Hands Off and Whistle, with Avalanche’s three wins proving decisive in the final standings.
The championship also formed the final event of the East Coast Windward Leeward Series, with Quentin Strauss securing the overall series victory.
Medway Yacht Club delivered an impressive weekend both on and off the water, completing the full six-race championship despite changing wind and tidal conditions. Following the final race, the club team quickly brought the fleet ashore and had boats recovered and onto their trailers in time for the afternoon prizegiving.
2026 East Coast Dragon Championship Results
| Overall | Boat | Sail No. | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avalanche | 722 | RCYC | (5) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | Whistle | 560 | MYC | 2 | 2 | 2 | (3) | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Hands Off | 760 | MYC | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 7 | (9) | 21 |
| 4 | Taniwha | 823 | MYC | 8 | 4 | 5 | (DNS) | 3 | 2 | 22 |
| 5 | Suti | 747 | MYC | (6) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 22 |
| 6 | Still Crazy | 827 | RCYC | 1 | 3 | (DNF) | DNS | 5 | 6 | 26 |
| 7 | Repeat Offender | 597 | MYC | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | (8) | 31 |
| 8 | OCD | 375 | MYC | 4 | (10) | 7 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
| 9 | Gandalf | 726 | MYC | (10) | 9 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 35 |
| 10 | Tempest | 689 | MYC | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | (10) | 43 |
Next up in the BDA Calendar: Scottish Dragon Championship 2026