RS21s Make Their Cowes Week Debut at the 200th Regatta
by RS Sailing 8 Aug 20:28 UTC
1-7 August 2026
RS21 UK & IE Cup and Round 3 of the RS21 EuroCup at North Sails Cowes Week © Martin Allen & Paul Wyeth
Being part of the North Sails Cowes Week 200th Regatta is a proud moment for the RS21 International Class, with the fleet racing alongside more than 600 boats at one of sailing's most iconic events.
For its first appearance at Cowes Week, the RS21 fleet brought 11 teams to the Solent for a fantastic week of racing, with the opening weekend combining Round 4 of the RS21 UK & IE Cup and Round 3 of the RS21 EuroCup before the fleet continued racing throughout the week for the RS21 Overall at Cowes Week.
"It is a real honour for the RS21 Class to be part of the 200th Cowes Week Regatta," said Alex Newton-Southon, Managing Director at RS Sailing, who was also competing in the event.
"To race at such a historic edition of this world-renowned event is incredibly special for our sailors and class. Cowes Week has played a defining role in our sport for two centuries, and we're proud that the RS21 fleet is part of that story."
Racing in the Heart of Cowes Week
The Solent delivered the conditions and challenges for which Cowes Week is renowned. With strong tidal streams, varied racecourses and constantly changing conditions, every day offered something different.
For the RS21 fleet, the racing ranged from quality windward-leeward courses, with individual races lasting well over an hour, to longer around-the-cans and channel-mark courses that kept crews on the water for three to four hours.
The scale and spectacle of the event added another dimension, with the RS21s sharing the Solent with more than 600 boats across 30-plus classes.
For Olympic gold medallist Lijia Xu, the RS21 experience was particularly special.
"It is indeed a very unique experience racing in Cowes Week, and being part of the 200-year celebration is even more so," says Xu.
"I had the idea of wanting to try out the RS21," she explains. The class was of particular interest because Xu has been invited to compete in the Szczecin Match Race Poland later this year, where the RS21 will be the boat used for the event.
"A class that I haven't sailed as yet," she says. "Luckily there's one charter boat left which I grabbed immediately, but then finding crews so close to the event is another challenging task."
The result was an all-female crew representing Team Magenta Project.
A Truly International Fleet
While the UK contingent made up the majority of the RS21 fleet, Cowes Week also provided an opportunity to welcome teams from further afield.
The award for the longest journey went to team Rainbow Chaser, who travelled from Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club to charter an RS21 and compete in the event.
White Oryx takes the RS21 Overall Win
After a week of competitive racing, White Oryx, GBR 333, emerged as the RS21 Overall winner at Cowes Week, skippered by Crispin Winser. Second place went to Rainbow Chaser, HK 235, skippered by Simon Wong and KK Lee. Third was Rosa Lewis, GBR 236, skippered by Cressida Robson.
For the RS21 UK & IE Cup Round 4, listed as the Cowes Week RS21 'Mini Series', White Oryx also claimed a podium spot in third. Does your mother sail?, GBR 236, skippered by Geoff Carveth, took second place, while Tiga Tiger, GBR 341, skippered by Tom Hewitson, topped the weekend podium.
See the full results here: Overall and Mini Series.
As RS21 International Class Manager, Liam Willis, highlighted: "The RS21's debut at Cowes Week provided a fitting showcase for the class: close racing, a highly competitive fleet, international participation and the unique backdrop of one of the world's most famous sailing events."
As Cowes Week celebrates two centuries of racing, the RS21 Class can now look back on its own first chapter in the regatta's long history - and look forward to many more.
What's next? The fleet is building towards the RS21 World Championship 2027, which will take place in the UK for the first time, at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, 22-25 September. The road to Weymouth 2027 is already under way...