Anniversary Classes at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026

2026 RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show © Paul Wyeth / RYA

The RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026 saw over 9,000 people visit Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre in the UK over the weekend of 21st & 22nd February to take in the feast of boats on display.

There is a plethora of dinghy sailing classes in the UK, which is both a blessing and a curse for the sport, with some allowing restricted development over the years and others being almost completely open in design.

Strict One Design classes have no change at all, whilst a few decide to make evolutionary changes, which can help the longevity of equipment, or make the boat easier to sail, without making existing boats uncompetitive.

There were more classes celebrating significant anniversaries at the show than those we talked to, but a combination of time and availability led us the ones we feature here.

Classes we speak to in this video are:

• The B14 celebrating its 40th Anniversary
• The Solo celebrating its 70th Anniversary
• The Shearwater celebrating its 70th Anniversary
• The Kestrel celebrating its 70th Anniversary
• The Merlin Rocket celebrating its 80th Anniversary
• The Firefly celebrating its 80th Anniversary
• The National 12 celebrating its 90th Anniversary
• The Norfolk Punt celebrating its 100th Anniversary

Why is the number of dinghy classes both a blessing and a curse? The choice means there is something for everyone out there, but also means there is less 'One Design' racing at clubs and more racing using either the Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Great Lakes handicap systems.

Take a look at www.yachtsandyachting.com/class to find out more about these classes, with many reports and photos, as well as links to the class association websites.