British Dragons have completed a remarkable Marblehead Trophy double, with GBR833 Louise Racing winning the 2026 edition in Cowes and British teams filling all three places on the overall podium.

Grant Gordon and the Louise Racing team, representing the Royal Ocean Racing Club, secured the prestigious inter-club Trophy after six closely fought races on the Solent. GBR402 finished just one point behind in second, with 2025 Marblehead Trophy winner GBR192 Bluebottle completing an all-British podium in third.

The result continues an extraordinary two years for the British Dragon fleet. Bluebottle’s victory in St Tropez in 2025 was the first ever British win in the history of the Marblehead Trophy and brought the competition to the UK for the first time.

Twelve months later, the Trophy remains in British hands.

Twenty-four Dragon teams, each representing an individual yacht club, came together in Cowes for the three-day regatta, with the opening races held towards the Lee-on-the-Solent shore in a light easterly breeze.

With unfavourable conditions preventing racing on Day Two, the championship remained wide open heading into the final day.

An earlier start was scheduled for the final day to complete three races, with the fleet heading to the East Knoll area of the Solent. Conditions were significantly stronger than on Day One, with choppy seas and around 15–17 knots from the east.

Race Four produced plenty of drama. The fleet split across the first beat searching for the best tidal advantage before a shift of approximately 50 degrees on the second beat transformed the race and turned the final section into a tight reach to the finish.

GBR633 emerged from the changing conditions to take the race victory. The breeze increased into the afternoon and the British challenge strengthened further when GBR192 Bluebottle won Race Five.

Sweden’s SWE800 claimed the final race of the series, but two second places in Races Five and Six were enough for Louise Racing to seal the overall Marblehead Trophy victory.

Consistency ultimately proved decisive in an extremely close fleet. GBR402 finished second overall, just one point ahead of Bluebottle in third, while GBR375 Blue Haze finished tied on points with USA325 in fourth and fifth.

It meant British Dragons occupied three of the top four positions and every place on the podium.

Speaking after securing the Trophy, Louise Racing skipper Grant Gordon said: “It is a huge honour to stand here on Squadron soil as winners of the Marblehead Trophy. To be here as a GBR team, and the second GBR team to win it, representing the Royal Ocean Racing Club – the first yacht club I joined more than 40 years ago, makes it particularly special.

“My first big thank you has to go to my crew, Charles, Julia and Ruriadh, and to the whole team for all the work they have done to help us win the Trophy.

“Thank you also to everyone on the water, the jury, the organising committee and, most of all, all of the teams who came here to compete. We’re now looking forward to the next edition in 2027. ”

There was also plenty of British success within the Corinthian competition. GER1151, sailed by Magdalena Gründt and her team, secured the overall Corinthian title, but British Dragons filled the remaining podium places with GBR753 second and GBR748 third.

GBR767 and GBR753 also recorded standout Corinthian performances on the final day.

The Marblehead Trophy dates back to 1929 and has been raced in Dragons since 1952. Its unique Deed of Gift sees recognised yacht clubs challenge through a nominated boat, making it one of the most distinctive inter-club competitions in international sailing.

Until 2025, no British team had ever won it.

Bluebottle changed that in St Tropez, earning the Royal Yacht Squadron the right to host the competition in Cowes for the first time.

Now, with Louise Racing claiming the 2026 title and GBR402 and GBR192 alongside them on the podium, British Dragons have emphatically reinforced that breakthrough.

First British victory in 2025. First UK hosting in 2026. An all-British podium, and the Marblehead Trophy remains in GBR hands for another year.

Images: Paul Wyeth www.pwpictures.com

For more on the 2026 Marblehead Trophy, visit the Royal Racing Yachts page >>>

COMING UP NEXT: British Dragons race in Kent for the 2026 East Coast Dragon Championship.

The Marblehead Trophy regatta is underway in Cowes, with 24 Dragon teams, representing their individual yacht clubs, completing three races on the opening day.

In a light easterly breeze, the fleet made its way across the Solent towards the Lee-on-the-Solent shore, where sunshine, sparkling water and a gradually building breeze provided a picturesque backdrop to a long day of racing.

There were one or two OCS boats across the three starts, but with the Vakaros RaceStart system in use, teams were quickly able to identify their position, return and get their races underway.

Tide played a major part throughout the day, with teams looking for every opportunity to make gains on the approaches to the windward marks. Getting too close to the shore came with its own risks, however, and a few Dragons found the bottom during the day.

GBR375 Blue Haze took the opening race win, USA325 claimed race two and GBR833 completed the day with victory in race three.

After three races, GBR402 leads the 24-boat fleet by just one point – remarkably, exactly the same position after the opening day of the 2025 edition of this unique trophy event.

View the overall results

A long day on the water concluded with a fantastic prizegiving at the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust’s Sailing Through Royal History exhibition at Commodores House, where the day’s race winners and top Corinthian teams were celebrated.

With little separating the leading boats, the scene is set for another closely fought day of Marblehead Trophy racing in Cowes.

The Marblehead Trophy was presented by the people of Marblehead in 1929 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the foundation of the town of Marblehead in 1629.  The Deed of Gift stipulates that any recognised yacht club may challenge by one yacht only.  The inaugural event was won by the Royal Swedish YC and it has been in Europe ever since and raced for in Dragons since 1952.  Bluebottle challenged on behalf of the Royal Yacht Squadron and won in St Tropez in 2025 which is the first time a British challenge has won in the event’s history.  She now seeks to defend against challenges from 24 yacht clubs from around the world including Hong Kong, Australia, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Venice plus two notable challenges from clubs seeking to take the trophy back to the US.  The stage is set for what is in effect an historic fleet-race equivalent of the America’s Cup.

Images: Paul Wyeth Photography