International 14 2026 Prince of Wales Cup Week Overall

The final day of Prince of Wales Week featured two very different races: one final series race to decide the overall standings, followed by the traditional Round Great Cumbrae Island Race, a spectacular standalone finale to the regatta.

The first race was a Windward Leeward and it was Jono Shelley / Graham Priestley who nailed the start and led to the left hand side, and the first cross. But by the top mark Andy Shaw / Rob Struckett had reasserted their dominance to show the fleet a clean set of heels. Meanwhile the battle for the podium was hard fought. Andy Fitzgerald / Harry Kennedy followed Andy / Rob but missed the spreader mark allowing the Partingtons and Tim Saxton / George Yeoman to pick up the charge. However it was the blue boat of the new boys Jono / Graham that stole the show, with blistering downwind pace they jumped into 2nd and whilst there were lots of close crosses and tack-1 overtakes they managed to make it stick claiming another podium in their first week. The Partingtons held off Tim / George for third.

International 14 2026 Prince of Wales Cup Week Day 4 - photo © Patrick Condy

A smaller fleet prepared for the final exhibition race of the event, a loop around the stunning Great Cumbrae Island. This time Tim / George and Andy / Rob got the jump on the fleet and headed back to the left hand side. Jono / Graham and Andy / Harry tacked out early and went hard right, where they found tidal relief and a building breeze and made big gains to put pressure on the leaders and get back in the mix.

Around the top of the island Andy / Rob put the hammer down and stretched away from the fleet. Tim / George held a slender lead over Jono / Graham and Andy / Harry with Katie Nurton / Alex Knight closing in on the podium pack. About half way along the south end of the Island Jono / Graham overhauled Tim / George but a cleaner hoist allowed Tim / George to sink inside and the boats headed down a 3 mile run with rolling waves and building gusts in an epic head-to-head. Just behind them Andy / Harry were having a hard time keeping Katie / Alex at bay with Katie calling a perfect lay line getting them up to 4th. Tim / George had done similar to jump up to 2nd, but as both them and Jono / Graham tried to muscle along the reach to the final mark at the North East corner of the island, Katie / Alex dropped early followed by Jono / Graham and eventually Tim / George, and this act of bravado cost the latter dearly as Jono / Graham took back 2nd closely followed by Katie / Alex.

International 14 2026 Prince of Wales Cup Week Day 4 - photo © Patrick Condy

By this point Andy / Rob had horizon jobbed the fleet, confirming just how dominant they had been all week, but there was a tight battle for 2nd as Jono / Graham used their leverage to drive low and fast toward the finish, Katie / Alex remained high and at the final tack Katie / Alex looked to leebow the Largs team, but after an hour and 20 minutes of racing, the finish gun went off with second between them with Jono / Graham keeping their noses in from to be 2nd, and Katie / Alex getting their best result of the week.

Round Great Cumbrae Island Race Results:

Rather than just hearing from the podium, we asked three crews from very different parts of the fleet, and ages of boat, to sum up their week. Their reflections capture exactly what Prince of Wales Week is all about.

Jono Shelley & Graham Priestley - GBR 1577 'Sven' (Beiker 6) - First POW

George asked me to 'pen' a few reflections of our first ever I14 event.

Consensus is that it was an absolute belter and we will be back!

We took delivery of 'Sven' (named after one of my great kiwi sailing mates having his own battle but showing the world he's boss) a new Ovington B6 at Easter. We had a bit on to get some hours in the boat ahead of the 2026 POW event in Largs. We originally bought a second hand boat to try it late last year off a legend of the class who has been great help and support to us. Thanks Phil.

Largs is one of my home clubs so we were very keen to support the event and give a good showing if we could. I am delighted that Largs SC put on a masterclass with a big variety of conditions and top class organisation on and off the water. Generally racing was held in fresh to frightening conditions (or was that just us?), especially the famous POW race - a very historic one race national championship over around 2hrs! We loved the 'all or nothing' nature of it and the fact anyone could peak on the day. Turns out, class peaks consistently!

If you have never sailed an international 14, you really really should. I have sailed a whole range of skiffs and sports boats but simply nothing I have sailed compares to slicing upwind with the T foil rudder on the edge at 10-12k. Once you are locked in, the boat does most of the hard work leading to an impressive range of ages and diversity across the fleet. We still found it very physically demanding, but are new to the game and found a small tweak of a control can make a massive difference to being comfortable and consistently fast (or slow).

Joining a new class is a bit like the first day of a new school, but we found everyone to be welcoming and importantly, very open with advice and honest answers to our stupid questions. This is the mark of a class that respects very fun sailing for all and a desire for everyone to improve - impressive and not what we perhaps thought it might be like from a distance. If you want to come sailing in a 14 there are loads of owners and boats who would be up for giving you a joyride and as new to the class there was tolerance with our at times questionable boat handling.

If you want to finish first, first you have to finish.... and the boat certainly rewards those who like to tinker to get everything right. We are less good at this(!) but thankfully the class is generous with its skill and time to help!

Results-wise we are really pleased, but with much to learn to stick with the front few consistently. After two DNF's (refer to paragraph above) we checked out a 2,4,2,2. The highlight being the round Cumbrae race - a bunch of 14's flat out under kites touching the magic 20k under the watchful eye of Arran (and Largs SC's kind rescue boats!) is a really, really special thing.

My advice - come and play. You won't regret it.

Josh Kerr & Ali Kent - GBR 1527 'HONK!!!' (Beiker 5)

Epic racing... Epic boats... and all on home waters! We had an incredible week showcasing everything that Largs and Scotland have to offer. Seeing such a strong International 14 fleet racing out of Largs was something special, and screaming around Cumbrae to the finish was the perfect finale.

A huge thank you to the race team, who delivered an outstanding regatta and created a PoW Cup race to remember. After this week, we'll definitely be dedicating "Coffin Corner" to the 14 class!

Racing around both the Largs Channel and north end of Cumbrae tested every aspect of sailing, from outright boat speed to boat handling, in a fantastic variety of conditions. The standard of racing throughout the fleet was exceptional and highlighted exactly what the International 14 class is all about.

Bringing PoW Week to Scotland was a brilliant way to build on the momentum of the growing northern fleet and showcased everything the class has to offer. A massive thank you to everyone who made the journey, we loved having you here and can't wait to welcome you back to Largs again soon!

Tim Saxton (sailing with George Yeoman) - GBR1570 'Booby' (Beiker 6) - First POW

14's are exciting boats. You don't need to have sailed one to know that... just look at some pictures!

I've been talking about sailing one for years, but took the chance to make it happen in 2026, sailing with one of my best mates, George Yeoman.

We've both got two young kids... so hours on the water have been distinctly limited, but in a way that made PoW week even more exciting. It's so rewarding and enjoyable to sail a boat that forces you to keep learning, flies when you get it right, and punishes you when you don't.

The racing this week was similarly excellent, frequently with fast to frightening winds that unleashed the 14's speed and rewarded consistent boat handling. Andy & Rob were a cut above and deservedly won the PoW race. Behind them there were many close battles and I was really happy to come away with second in the PoW race. I've sailed many classes over the years, but I can't think of any that present a more enjoyable challenge than the 14!

Tasha and Philip Gladman - GBR 1566 "Think Pink" (B6)

It was great to attend the Largs POW and Nationals. As one of the smallest teams coming in at less than 140 kg we know we will never win anything but that is not to say we don’t have a lot of fun and are certainly more competitive on the lighter wind days. If only those days happened the last 3 years of POW have been mental. However, Race 2 on the first day did just give us that glimmer of an opportunity, where downwind we were able to soak down on the waves and keep on the plane and jibe earlier for a shorter distance to the line and take an 8th. Saturday was called off; you guessed it too much wind for everyone and POW loomed large on Sunday and proved to be a very big day for everyone.

Everyone was willing Monday to be lighter, and an indefinite postponement was taken in the hope the wind would drop. That was not to be the case and a few of us sensibly opted for the chicken (smaller) sails as we affectionately call them. We had a great race last race for the series coming 11th and then to round the event off we went round the Island (Cumbraie) sailing down the island in 20 knots of wind with a boat speed of 19.9 knots is a pretty phenomenal experience – it is not for nothing that we say 14’s are forever!!

Epilogue

Andy Shaw & Rob Struckett leave Largs as deserved National Champions, Prince of Wales Cup winners, overall series winners and victors in the Round Cumbrae Race—a remarkable week that underlined why they remain the benchmark in the International 14 fleet ahead of this year's trip to Canada, where 5 boats are due to represent GBR against the world's best. Good luck to all the team!

Overall Results: