River Anniversary Series 2026: Laragh Takes It by a Single Point

Thanks to Jamie Andrews for this excellent write up of the weekend’s racing:

Seven River Class boats went head to head over the weekend of 15th–16th August for the 2026 Anniversary Series, and it came right down to the wire — with the destiny of the series still up for grabs heading into the final race of day 2.

Saturday delivered a moderate breeze and a full programme, with four races completed — two before lunch and two after — giving the fleet plenty of racing to sink their teeth into.

Sunday was a different story altogether. The start was delayed by an hour as the fleet waited for a breeze to fill in, and when racing finally got underway the wind proved tricky and shifty throughout, moving around enough that the windward mark had to be relaid multiple times to keep the racing fair.

With everything still to play for going into the last day, Laragh made her own luck by winning the opening race of the day and taking control of the series from there, doing just enough in the final race to clinch the 2026 Anniversary Series by a single point from Ulagh and Quoile — a fittingly tight finish for a series that had been in the balance right to the end. Lackagh unsurprisingly won best looking crew.

None of it would have come together without the team ashore and afloat. Thanks go to Ian Bogie as Officer of the Day, Rory Smith for safety cover and his magnificent work resetting marks in the shifting breeze, and Peter Burrows on the committee boat. Sunday’s racing was rounded off in style with a great meal cooked by Pete Tyler, whose organisation and culinary skills throughout the weekend made the whole event.

Here’s hoping for an even bigger fleet out on the water for next year’s series.

You can find all the results here.