Twenty-five Dragons lined up for the 200th anniversary edition of North Sails Cowes Week, delivering seven days of close racing, strong tides and some classic Solent conditions in what proved to be a memorable week for the class.
The regatta carried particular significance for the Dragons. As Cowes Week celebrated its bicentenary, the British Dragon Association is marking its 70th anniversary in 2026, while this year also marks 90 years since Dragons first raced at Cowes Week.
With 25 boats on the start line and the third-largest White Group class, the fleet enjoyed one of its strongest Cowes Week turnouts for many years, and across seven races, four different race winners demonstrated the depth and competitiveness of the fleet.
Furious Opens the Week with a Win
Saturday’s opening race was under AP as the fleet waited for the northerly breeze to settle and the expected conditions to materialise.
When racing finally got underway from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, Owen Pay’s GBR777 Furious made the strongest start to the week. Furious established an early advantage and went on to take the opening race victory ahead of GBR682 Ecstatic in second and GBR831 Jerboa in third. GBR192 Bluebottle began her week with a fourth, while GBR763 Bertie completed the top five.
Bluebottle Moves to the Front
Sunday brought better breeze and beautiful Solent racing conditions, with Bluebottle claiming her first win of the series. Ivan Bradbury’s GBR375 Blue Haze finished second, with Simon Barter’s Bertie taking third.
The following day, Bluebottle made it back-to-back victories. With the fleet racing out into the Eastern Solent, the Bluebottle team used the flatter water over the Bramble Bank to good effect, extending their advantage and securing a second consecutive win.
Behind them, GBR753 Fit Chick took an excellent second place, while James Mansell’s GBR825 Anarchy finished third and GBR818 True Story in a close fourth.
Three races into the series, Bluebottle had established herself at the front of the overall standings, but with four races still to come there remained plenty of opportunity for the chasing pack.
True Story Finds Form
Tuesday produced another proper Cowes Week test, with the fleet returning to the Royal Yacht Squadron line for race four. This time it was Martin Payne’s True Story that took control, securing her first race win of the week.
Bluebottle maintained her impressive consistency with second place, while Bertie finished third to complete an all-British podium.
True Story carried that form into the following day. An early committee boat start sent the Dragons out for race five, where a small group emerged at the front of the fleet. True Story again proved strongest, taking her second successive race victory.
Fit Chick finished second, Anarchy added another strong result with third, and Blue Haze crossed the line fourth.
With five races complete, consistency was proving increasingly important. Bluebottle remained firmly in control of the overall standings, while True Story’s back-to-back victories had brought her strongly into contention.
Third Win Secures the Title for Bluebottle
Race six delivered another challenging Solent course, with strong tides once again playing a significant part in the tactics. Bluebottle returned to winning form and claimed her third race victory of the week. Jerboa took second, with Ecstatic third and True Story fourth.
The result gave the Bluebottle team enough of an advantage to secure the Dragon class title with one race remaining.
The battle for the other podium spots and Corinthian title was all still to play for.
Blue Haze Finishes with a Flourish
With the overall title already decided, Bluebottle elected not to sail the final race and used the result as her discard. Blue Haze ended the week in style with a convincing victory in race seven. Fit Chick finished second, Bertie third and Jerboa fourth.
The result helped Blue Haze secure a place on the overall podium and the Corinthian title for Fit Chick.
Bluebottle Crowned Cowes Week 200 Dragon Champion
After seven races and one discard, team Bluebottle Graham Bailey, Julia Bailey, Will Bedford and Killian Boag won the Dragon class for the second year running.
Martin Payne, Chris Brittain and Gillian Hamilton finished second overall after a particularly strong middle section of the regatta, including her two consecutive race victories.
Just one point behind, Blue Haze Ivan Bradbury, Lars Hendriksen and George Leonchuk completed the podium.
Fit Chick’s Jono Brown, Chris Grosscurth and Andrew Norden finished on equal points with Jerboa’s Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, Mark Hart, Jake Hardman and Benedict Brown, with Fit Chick taking fourth on countback and top Corinthian. Jerboa in fifth and Simon Barter, Donald Wilkes and Harriet Norden in Bertie completed the top six, also placing second Corinthian, with Furious in third.
The racing also provided everything expected from Cowes Week. Competitors faced postponements, Royal Yacht Squadron and committee boat starts, changing breeze, flatter water over the Bramble Bank and some exceptionally strong Solent tides.
British Dragon Association Chairman Chris Grosscurth said: “What a spectacular week of racing on the Solent for the Dragon class! It was truly fantastic to see our largest fleet in many years out on the water, bringing an incredible level of competition and energy to the start line.”
“It has been equally wonderful to welcome so many new faces to the class, along with international visitors, and see them thoroughly enjoying themselves both on and off the water. A huge highlight of the week was our class social, and I want to extend my sincere thanks to the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust for hosting such an excellent class party at Commodores House. Celebrating our historic class in a venue steeped in royal and maritime heritage made for an unforgettable evening, capping off a phenomenal regatta for everyone involved.”
For the British Dragon Association, the sight of 25 Dragons racing together during such an historic edition of Cowes Week provided a fitting start to an important month for the class.
With the BDA celebrating its 70th anniversary, attention now turns to the Edinburgh Cup and International Dragon Association UK Grand Prix in Cowes, where an international fleet will once again come together for another major week of Dragon racing on the Solent.
RESULTS
- GBR192 Bluebottle
- GBR818 True Story
- GBR375 Blue Haze
- GBR 753 Fit Chick C1
- GBR 831 Jerboa
- GBR 763 Bertie C2
- GBR 825 Anarchy
- GBR 682 Ecstatic
- GBR 777 Furious C3
- GER 1238 Heizkoerper
- GBR 816 Dreki
- GBR 767 Firefly
- SUI 335 Sai Mui
- GBR 748 Sanka
- GBR 830 Outlaw
- HKG 1 Chime II
- GBR 768 Glaurung
- GBR 800 Corinthian Spirit
- GBR 11 Polly
- GBR 754 Fanfare
- GBR 597 Repeat Offender
- GBR 292 Snap
- GBR 301 Penguin
- GBR 39 Aurora
- GBR 74 La’Ju
View overall North Sails Cowes Week Dragon class results here >>>
COMING UP NEXT…
Next event in the UK for the Dragons is the Edinburgh Cup 2026