Welcome to the Classic Channel Regatta – a uniquely enjoyable week-long international event
with its own distinctive and varied blend of racing with a lively and informal social programme
bringing together a wonderful gathering of classic boats and their crews from Britain, France and
further afield.

The regatta is biennial and the next one in 2024 will again start in Dartmouth with two days of
racing in Start Bay before racing to St Peter Port in Guernsey and then on to Paimpol in Brittany
where there will be the legendary welcome and hospitality in Paimpol and a race around the Île
de Brêhat. Details are in the provisional programme .

The regatta is centred on three of the finest historic ports in the English Channel, each providing
a beautiful backdrop with its own distinctive Westcountry, Channel Islands and Breton ambiance.
And while the racing is the backbone of the regatta, it is the crews and beautiful boats, and the
informal socials ashore, that are its beating heart.

Racing is under the JCH Classic Handicap which is free and easy to obtain online. Classic
yachts designed before the end of 1974 built in any material, and some more recent yachts
designed and built in classic style, are eligible.

The Classic Channel Regatta is a revival of the spirit of an earlier age of sailing and racing. If you
own or sail in a classic yacht, or just want to come and admire the spectacle, we hope you’ll be
able to join us at the 2024 regatta to experience everything that makes the Classic Channel
Regatta “the world’s most beautiful regatta”.

VIDEO FROM THE 2019 CLASSIC CHANNEL REGATTA

French Navy yacht La Grande Hermine entering the lock at Paimpol

Chariman Bruce Thorogood’s yacht Mabel surfing en route to Paimpol

Blindfold dinghy racing – (thanks to Brizzledad)

Classic Young Sailors Foundation

In 2018 we set up the Classic Young Sailors Foundation as a UK registered charity with the aim of encouraging and supporting young people who would not otherwise have the opportunity to sail in our classic and traditional boats.

We believe these boats deliver an especially beneficial seagoing experience, and we want to inspire in the next generation a love of sailing them, along with an understanding of the heritage that they represent.

Learn More