RYA Eric Twiname Junior Championships 2026
Big congratulations to our junior club sailors! Between 2nd – 4th May 2026, several competed in the RYA Eric Twiname Junior Championships, hosted by Rutland Sailing Club.
Jack Harding, Ayla Griffiths, Ellie Hughes and Rhys Doyle competed in the ILCA fleet. Martha Hughes and Xenia Hudson sailed in the Optimist category, with Xenia taking the title of 1st Girl. Finally, Daffydd King and Sienna Watts did their thing in the Topper class!
What a fantastic effort, and how wonderful to celebrate our younger sailors! #ryacymruwales 🤙⛵☀
Shanghai Cup 2026
Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, in partnership with Portishead Cruising Club, are proud to announce the dates for the Shanghai Cup – Bristol Channel IRC Championships 2026 and the Nimrod Cup 2026.
The Shanghai Cup, as the Bristol Channel IRC Championships, will use IRC ratings and will consist of racing over two weekends, with the first weekend taking place in Portishead on 9/10 May 2026 and the second weekend taking place in Cardiff on 23/24 May 2026.
The Nimrod Cup will use Cardiff Bay Ratings and will consist of racing on the Saturdays of both event weekends, but in Cardiff only.
There will be social events planned in both Portishead and in Cardiff on the racing weekends.
As the sponsor of RORC events, the Bristol Channel IRC Championships is sponsored by North Sails this year, who have been providing us with amazing prize packages.
King of Clubs Celebration - Casino Night!
Well, it’s fair to say we had a ball at the King of Clubs Celebration Night over the weekend!
There were some sharp dressers among you! We enjoyed delicious food, tried our hand at poker and blackjack, finished the evening with a spin on the dance floor, and refuelled with a midnight breakfast.
It’s now just under two weeks until our next event, when we’ll be welcoming a fabulous UB40 tribute act — and we’re down to our last few tickets!
Club Awards 2025 - King of Clubs!
In November 2025, Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, received two prestigious national awards.
YachtsandYacthing.com have covered our Story!
Checkmate XV - Summer Adventures!
This year, Checkmate XV, owned by club member Phil Cook, competed in the Half Ton Cup 2025, held in Torquay.
She finished 7th overall, expertly crewed by Mark Lewis, Geoff Carter, Simon Gadsby, Gethin Gronow, Jack Preece, Owen Kinsella, and Phil Cook.
It was quite the adventure—from high, hard winds and missing sheets to the recovery of said sheets, epic racing after the winds eased, and some superb post-race socialising!
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We’ll also follow up with a call to gather any additional details.
Congratulations to Gracie Allsopp
A huge congratulations to Gracie, who delivered a fantastic performance at the IOCA End of Season Championships held at Parkstone Yacht Club.
The event saw around 170 sailors from across the UK, with 100 in the main fleet, where Gracie secured an impressive 7th overall and was 1st Girl an outstanding result in a highly competitive national field.
This marks a brilliant finish to the season, with Gracie bringing home some well-earned trophies and recognition. A special touch to her victory the trophy she won bears the name of Hannah Mills, Olympic sailor and SailGP competitor, who was the inspiration for Gracie when she first began sailing.
Well done, Gracie a fantastic achievement and a proud moment for both her and the club!
Holms Race 2025
Congratulations!
Congratulations to FLY, Ruba Dub Dub and Kraken for finishing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively and to Ctrl-J for winning the IRC class. The Bristol Channel Yachting Association (BCYA) Rose Bowl, awarded to the club whose top three boats rank the highest, was awarded to Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.
Photo credits: Tim Pearson, Timothy Gifford and Nick Stone
ITCA Nationals 2025
Largs Sailing Club was the venue for the ITCA Topper Nationals 2025, held from 2nd – 8th August.
The championship attracted a strong fleet of 97 boats in the Main Fleet and delivered a real challenge of Scottish sailing conditions.
CBYC Sailors
Silver Fleet
Griff Attrill - 2nd overall
Max Attrill - 9th overall
Rhys Doyle - 28th overall
Link to results: https://www.sailwave.com/results/ITCA_GBR_Nationals2025_Largs_5.3_Finals.html
420 Nationals 2025
Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club was the venue for the 420 Gill Xtremity British National Championships held from 21st – 25th August.
The event had 44 entries and delivered a true test of sailing skills, with a mix of light winds in the early part of the week before building to stronger breeze and challenging sea states by the final days.
CBYC Sailors
Melre Nieuwland – 1st Overall
Laragh Epstein – 13th overall
Niamh Epstein & Molly Martin – 21st overall
Ella Martin – 23rd overall
Roisin Epstein & Cian Epstein – 29th overall
Link to results: https://gbr420.ourclubadmin.com/docs/320/420_Gill_Xtremity_British_Nationals_2025_-_Provisional_R10.html
