The Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race is back for a second year in a row after it was resurrected in 2025 by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club following a 7-year hiatus.

The event is unique for bringing together cruising sailors, who may never have raced offshore before, with some serious amateur offshore racing crews from the Solo Offshore Racing Club and the UK Double Handed Offshore Series.

Last year’s crews reported how much they enjoyed getting to know each other, and the amazing way the crews welcomed each other in, and helped fix any problems on the boats so that everyone could continue racing.

J’ouvert lines up ahead of the start of Leg 1 of the Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race at Pendennis Point, Cornwall on 8th June 2025. Credit: Luke Williams.

Race director Chris Davis said, ‘The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club is delighted to be able to run the event for a second year. All the arrangements are in place and the event is coming together really well.

We’ve had lots of expressions of interest, though places will be limited. It’s great to see such enthusiasm for the event, and it works well as a qualifying event for the AZAB.

The Royal Cornwall will be delighted to welcome everyone involved with the event in a few months.’

When is the Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race?

The YM Celtic Triangle race will run from 31 May to 11 or 12 June 2026, depending on the wind.

While it is normally a biennial event, the Celtic Triangle Race is currently being run in consecutive years to bring it back in step with the four-yearly Azores and Back Race (AZAB), for which it serves as a qualifying race.

The YM Celtic Triangle Race route

The 2026 Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Route.

The race will start on the Pendennis line in Falmouth at 1000 on Sunday 31 May.

The  600-mile course across the Celtic Sea is divided in three legs. Participants sail 200 miles to Kinsale in Ireland, 300 miles to Treguier in Brittany, and another 100 miles back to Cornwall.

Stopovers are each two to three days, giving crews enough time to celebrate their arrival, socialise and explore the area as well as prepare themselves and their boats for next leg.

The race would normally finish back in Falmouth, but this year due to Falmouth Classics, which is running at the same time, the fleet will finish in the more easterly Cornish harbour of Fowey.

Who can take part in the YM Celtic Triangle Race?

Competitors, supporters and organisers gather on the RCYC terrace for the Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race prizegiving. Photo: Theo Stocker.

The YM Celtic Triangle Race, now run by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, sees a Corinthian mix of cruising and racing short-handed and single-handed crews.

Many ‘Triangleurs’ have competed in multiple previous events, and return for the camaraderie, the fun, and some serious competition out on the water.

To compete, crews must have completed a 120-mile passage out of sight of land with the boat and crew sailing the race.

The boats must be a monohull with a hull length of between 25ft (7.62m) and 48ft (14.63m) and must have a valid IRC rating.

There are prizes for each class in each leg, and overall prizes, as well as special prizes for which Yachting Monthly will be providing a trophy, including:

• the first crews with a combined age over 120 (60 for singe-handed crews)
• first crews with members under 30
• first mixed crews
• first crew with a crew member who has never raced further than 150miles

Tim Greenway and Steve Leigh at the Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race 2025. Credit: Theo Stocker.

Don’t wait to register your interest

The total number of boats able to take part is dictated by the size of the harbours the fleet will be visiting; organisers expect there to be space for 45-50 boats.

Yachts already registering interest range from a Rustler 31 and Contessa 32s up to an Arcona 435, a Pogo 44 and Jeanneau SunFast 3600s.

With already over 80 expressions of interest so far, don’t wait to register yours!

Enjoyed reading about the YM Celtic Triangle Race?

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