The Royal Cork Yacht Club has set the dates for Cork Week 2026, which will take place from Monday 6th to Friday 10th July, time to get planning.
Since the inaugural event in 1978, Cork Week has become synonymous with warm welcomes, hot racing crews, sizzling competition and a cold drink or two ashore to end the day. The event may have evolved over the intervening years, but the core principles of a “sailing event for sailors, by sailors” remain.
The waters of Cork Harbour still provide ideal sailing conditions for a diverse fleet, offering easy access to laid courses in open waters, challenging navigation on the Harbour course, or coastal legs along the beautiful coastline. All overseen by a race management team focussed on delivering the best competitor experience; every fleet, every racecourse, every day.
Cork Week 2026 is already on track to be another event to remember with competitive and enjoyable sailing available to a range of boats and every type of sailor. The dedicated Royal Cork Yacht Club volunteers are already deep in preparation for another epic event, with entrants expected from near and far.
The Kingstown to Queenstown race (part of the ISORA 2026 event calendar) will provide an exciting prelude for some boats (including those fresh from completing the 2026 Round Ireland Race). This offshore challenge, first held in 1860, has become a fixture in the Irish offshore racing calendar but also serves as the perfect tune-up for Cork Week. Boats will depart Dun Laoghaire on Friday 3rd July to reach Cork Harbour on Saturday 4th – allowing plenty of time to ready the boat and crew for a packed week.
The Beaufort Cup, a unique international inter-service regatta, will be hosted by the Irish Defence Forces in conjunction with the Royal Cork Yacht Club as part of Cork Week 2026. The event invites uniformed and first responder crews from around the world to compete in both inshore & offshore racing, while also forging new friendships ashore as some special social events. Their regatta begins with a demanding offshore sprint to the Fastnet lighthouse, before changing gear to rejoin the Cork Week for inshore racing in the latter half of the week. The Beaufort Cup, a specially commissioned perpetual trophy in honour of Sir Francis Beaufort, creator of the Beaufort Scale, will be presented to the overall winner. With international interest already at high levels, expect some notable entries in 2026.
The dates for Cork Week 2026 are Monday 6th to Friday 10th July, which provides ample time for boat delivery and preparation in the weekends bookending the competition.
The Notice of Race is available to view here.
A list of accommodation options along with contact details is also available here.
Take a minute to browse through the photo galleries from previous editions of the event here.
Be part of Cork Week 2026 and take advantage of the early entry discount here.