Boats carrying inventories built by UK Sailmakers GBR South West took overall honours in IRC 1, IRC 2, IRC 3, the Falmouth Large Working Boats and the Falmouth Sunbeams during the 2026 edition of Falmouth Sailing Week.
The event wrapped up on 15 August after a week of racing in Falmouth Bay and the Carrick Roads, and it was a week to remember for customers of UK Sailmakers GBR South West. The Falmouth loft saw its sails take first overall in five classes, spanning everything from grand prix IRC yachts to the gaff-rigged working boats that have been racing these waters for well over a century.
Run by the volunteer-led Port of Falmouth Sailing Association, the regatta offers up to seven days of fleet racing for more than twenty classes, with competitors ranging from seasoned champions to first-timers. The racing takes place in what is widely regarded as one of the finest natural venues in the world, noted for its deep, sheltered water and natural beauty. It is the same stretch of coast that has hosted J-Class superyachts and the Finn World Championship that Sir Ben Ainslie won on his way to Olympic gold in 2012. Six local clubs share host duties through the week, giving the event a shoreside programme to match the racing.
The breeze covered most of the range on offer. The Carrick fleet opened in 6 to 10 knots and had a day of variable light winds that left the working boats over two hours on the water, while the closing races on Saturday ran in a steady 15 to 20 knots from the north. In the Bay, the wind built from 8 knots on Friday morning to 16 to 20 knots by Saturday afternoon, and the smaller IRC 3 boats had their final day cancelled entirely.
“Conditions were mixed throughout the week and it was great to see UK customers with great speed in all of those conditions,” said Gavin Watson, owner of UK Sailmakers GBR South West. “In all, a brilliant regatta for UK Sailmakers customers.”
The Results
IRC Class 1, three-day series: 1st overall, SNAFU
The Corby 33 SNAFU, co-owned by Robin Edwards and Gavin Watson and sailing out of St Mawes SC, won a thirteen-boat class on 18 points, seven clear of Tim Cunliffe’s Mumm 30 Insatiable and Robin Young’s J/109 Jings. SNAFU counted six top-four finishes from seven races, including bullets on Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon, and never finished worse than fourth on the scoreline. Her inventory is an X-Drive® J1 and J2, a Tyra Ply mainsail and Matrix Spinnakers®.
It is the second strong result in as many regattas for a programme still finding its feet together. SNAFU finished second overall at Plymouth Race Week in July, in her regatta debut under new ownership, with a mainsail that came off the loft floor the day before racing began.
Corby 33 SNAFU during the 2026 edition of Falmouth Sailing Week. Photos ⓒ Miles Carden.
IRC Class 2, three-day series: 1st overall, Excelle
Toby Claridge’s Sigma 33 Excelle, from Flushing SC, took a ten-boat class on 12 points, eight ahead of John Allen’s AntiX. Excelle put together one of the most consistent scorelines of the regatta, with three wins and nothing outside third across her counted races. She raced a set of UK Sailmakers X-Drive® class sails.
IRC Class 3, three-day and six-day series: 1st overall, White Magic
Tom Hill’s Albin Express White Magic, from Royal Cornwall YC, completed the double. In the three-day series she won five of the six races sailed for a five-point total, ahead of Elliott Wilkinson’s Hunter Impala Impulsive. In the six-day series she finished on nine points from eleven races, with Stuart Higgins’s Atalanta second, the two boats having shared a dead heat for first in race three. White Magic uses UK Sailmakers Titanium® upwind sails and Matrix Spinnakers®.
Falmouth Large Working Boats, six-day series: 1st overall, Mildred
Jeremy Stonehouse’s Mildred, sail number 4, from Flushing SC, closed out the series with four straight wins to finish on nine points, ahead of Simon Wisker’s Florence and Amy Creeden’s Lola. That run included the light and variable day and the breeziest race of the series in 15 to 20 knots, taking the win by 31 seconds on corrected time. Mildred carries a full UK Sailmakers inventory.
Falmouth Sunbeams, three-day and six-day series: 1st overall, Clary
Matt Pullen’s V8 Clary, from Flushing SC, won both series on eight points apiece, taking the three-day from Danny Miller’s V26 Danny in an eleven-boat class and the six-day from the same boat over nine races. Clary was first across the line in the final two races of the regatta in 18 knots. Her complete UK Sailmakers inventory was built to new designs completed in time for the event.
Many UK Sailmakers GBR South West customers had great results at Falmouth Sailing Week. Photos ⓒ Miles Carden.
Local Knowledge, Built In
The results reflect a loft that knows these boats and this water intimately. Established in 1825 as Penrose Sailmakers and now part of the UK Sailmakers global network, UK Sailmakers GBR South West has more than 200 years of continuous trading from the heart of Falmouth behind it. Gavin Watson has spent his entire career at the loft, starting as an apprentice in 1996 and buying the company outright in 2021, and he has won the Falmouth Sunbeam, Working Boat and Ajax National Championships himself.
That racing experience feeds directly into the sails and setups the loft designs for its clients, whether the target is a national title or a comfortable summer cruise. The team of six sailmakers and marine fitters brings more than 100 years of combined experience, and a recently installed Blackman & White CNC machine allows the loft to design, cut and build sails from inception to installation. During events like Falmouth Week, the loft also runs emergency and overnight repair services for regatta entrants.
The full UK Sailmakers product line is available through the loft, from cruising Dacron through X-Drive® and Titanium to Code Zeros and Matrix Spinnakers®, with specialist experience in IRC, YTC, Falmouth Sunbeam, Falmouth Working Boat, Ajax and Fowey Troy classes.
Congratulations to every crew who raced, and to those who came away with silverware.
