The recent Shanghai Cup, the Bristol Channel IRC Championships and Nimrod Cup were held over two weekends in May 2026 with sixteen boats from across the Bristol Channel once again coming together for some spectacular racing. The first weekend in Portishead delivered champagne sailing conditions across three races on the Saturday while Sunday saw racing suspended on safety grounds due to stronger winds than forecast.
With an impressive four overall Shanghai Cup wins to date for PCC boat Ctrl-J, skippered by Andy Williams, many questioned whether he could do it again for a fifth record-breaking year. At the end of day one in Portishead, Ctrl-J took the coveted first overall spot, with CBYC boat Silverback, skippered by Will Boland in second overall and PCC boat Hero, skippered by Simon Britten in third overall.
Improving weather conditions on Sunday afternoon meant that the annual passage race, that sees boats relocate from Portishead to Cardiff for the second leg ran successfully with PCC boat Hero, skippered by Simon Britten finishing first followed by CBYC boat Joyride finishing second and fellow CBYC boat Marco Polo finishing third.
The Cardiff leg started with more champagne sailing conditions and the competitive spirit of the competitors resulted in some lively starting lineups! With five races run on the Saturday before a lack of wind suspended sailing on the Sunday, the crews mustered in the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club clubhouse to discover if Ctrl-J had retained the overall title and to discover who would occupy the other podium positions.
With an almost faultless performance across the whole Shanghai cup, Ctrl-J retained the title for an incredible fifth consecutive year with CBYC boat Silverback and PCC boat Hero taking second and third overall positions respectively and PCC boat Jaha!, skippered by Ian Bloxham coming fourth. Click here to view the full results.
With another successful Shanghai Cup completed, the organising committee wish to thank all of the competing crews, the many volunteers that made the event happen including the committee boats together with the mark layers, race control teams, Portishead Marina and Cardiff Barrage and the many other people involved behind the scenes. As the Bristol Channel IRC Championships falls under the auspices of RORC events, the organisers also wish to thank North Sails for their kind sponsorship including the amazing prize packages.
The Shanghai Cup, the Bristol Channel IRC Championships and Nimrod Cup will return in 2027. Provisional dates are 29th / 30th May for the Portishead Leg and 12th / 13th June in Cardiff. For more information see the official event website.
