Wave Regatta Pause in 2026 as Howth Harbour Awaits Essential Dredging Works

Howth Harbour © Wave Regatta

Howth Yacht Club has confirmed that the next edition of the Wave Regatta will not take place in 2026, as the club awaits essential dredging works in Howth Harbour. The event is now scheduled to return in 2028.

Wave Regatta has, since its debut in 2018, grown into one of Ireland's largest and most vibrant keelboat racing festivals. Its format, atmosphere, and scale have attracted many of the country's top offshore and inshore campaigns, along with a steady stream of visiting teams. But its success also relies on a harbour capable of accommodating the full spectrum of modern race boats including the deeper-drafted keelboats that form the backbone of the fleet and are central to the event.

With the harbour still awaiting the dredging, Howth Yacht Club has taken the pragmatic decision to pause the 2026 edition. The move ensures that the event can maintain the standards and scale that competitors have come to expect.

Speaking about the decision, the Wave Regatta team highlighted the wider significance of the dredging project, not only for Wave Regatta, but for Howth's marine activity as a whole. The club is hopeful that the Department of the Marine will prioritise the works as soon as the EPA (Environmetal Protection Agency) has completed its review, ideally completing the dredging in 2027, so that the harbour is fully ready to support Wave Regatta's return in 2028.

"Wave Regatta was built with ambition," the organisers explained. "It was designed to welcome the largest and most competitive keelboats in Ireland and from overseas, and that requires the depth and accessibility of a properly maintained harbour. The dredging is critical, not just for the event's future, but for the wider sailing and fishing communities that depend on Howth Harbour every day. We are disappointed that we will have to wait another 3 years before the harbour might be back up to the capacity and depth that our event was conceived to accommodate."

When asked about the urgency in respect of the dredging, Howth Yacht Club Commodore Kevin Monks was forthright in his message and said "The EPA has had the Department's application for these vital works since November 2023 and it's unbelievable that they have not progressed it despite endless representation.".

The announcement regarding pausing Wave Regatta until 2028 also serves as an early notice to sailors planning their 2026 racing calendars. Crews who were expecting Wave Regatta to return next summer are encouraged to adjust their schedules, with the assurance that planning for a bigger, better 2028 edition is already under way.

Further updates will be issued as more clarity emerges around the harbour works and the timeline for the project.