Sharpie European Championship 2026 in Torreira, Portugal
by Daan Versteeg 7 Aug 06:53 PDT
The Sharpie European Championship took place last week off the coast of Torreira, Portugal. Sailors from across Europe headed to the northern Portuguese coast to celebrate the anniversary of this 95-year-old former-Olympic sailing class.
Four days of racing in near-perfect conditions were complemented by an exceptionally festive social program ashore. Portuguese hospitality knew no bounds on land, while on the water, the competition for points was fierce.
Defending champions Patrick van Raalte and Jeroen Kool once again proved they are the team to beat at the European level, securing a convincing overall victory. The podium was rounded out by the Portuguese team of Calao and Oliveira, followed by the Dutch duo Daan and Finn Versteeg. With five different race winners across nine races, the depth of talent at the top of the Sharpie fleet was clearly demonstrated.
From the UK Richard and Alex Mulderij from Wells-Next-The-Sea performed a strong last-day, with even a podium finish to finish 7th overall. Timothy and Theo Ashby became 14th overall, with Elliot and Mia Hall became 25th. All family teams, showing the attraction both in water and on-shore.
Remarkably for a sailing class dating back to 1931, more than 25% of the participants were under the age of 25. Just like at last year's European Championship in England, there was an influx of new sailors from the host country, a promising sign for the future of this sporty, classic, international, and affordable form of centerboard dinghy sailing.
The 2027 European Championship will take place from July 25 to 30 on the Braassemermeer in Roelofarendsveen (Holland). It promises to be a true Sharpie celebration, featuring over 50 racing boats in action. A dress rehearsal for the European Championship will be held in early September 2026 in the form of the Dutch National Championship. The British Nationals will be held early October 2026 in Brancaster Staithe.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat Name | Nat | Sail No | Crew | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | SPOTVOGEL | NED | NED 128 | Patrick Van Raalte / Jeroen kool | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 14 |
| 2 | OUTSIDER | POR | POR 40 | Bernardo Calão / Antonio Oliveira | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | | 6 | 32 |
| 3 | DONDERSTIEN | NED | NED 174 | Daan Versteeg / Finn Versteeg | 8 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 35 |
| 4 | ALLWEATHER | NED | NED 15 | Job Volwater / Ton Van Berkel | 3 | | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 45 |
| 5 | WODAN | NED | NED 145 | Dennis Van Vliet / Misha Van Vliet | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 7 | | 6 | 10 | 50 |
| 6 | ATRASADO | POR | POR 44 | Mário Coutinho / Manuel Calão | 6 | | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | | 5 | 52 |
| 7 | FUUT | NED | NED 226 | Richard Mulderij / Alex Mulderij | 7 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 52 |
| 8 | DOORDRIJVER | NED | NED 119 | Tom Weller / Jeroen Van Veen | 1 | | | 2 | 3 | 3 | | 3 | 2 | 66 |
| 9 | FIFTY SIX | POR | POR 56 | Francisco Calão / Paulo Silva | 13 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 69 |
| 10 | RECIFE | POR | POR 50 | Salustiano Ribeiro / Pedro Palabra | 10 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 80 |
| 11 | WITWIEK | NED | NED 94 | Derk Jan Konijnenberg / Jorik Konijnenberg | 9 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 80 |
| 12 | ROCA III | POR | POR 37 | Antonio Martins Pereira / João Cavaz | 15 | 11 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 88 |
| 13 | CARREGAL | POR | POR 43 | Francisco Alçada / João Alçada | 22 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 94 |
| 14 | MADRIGAL | GBR | GBR 129 | Timothy Ashby / Theodore Ashby | 14 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 22 | 110 |
| 15 | QUIRUIBIO | NED | NED 219 | Charles Mittelmeijer / Henk Van Dorst | 11 | 14 | 13 | 24 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 17 | 110 |
| 16 | NEO | POR | POR 51 | Pedro Gomez / Bernardo Santos | | 16 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 115 |
| 17 | BRANDARIS | NED | NED 55 | Arie Van Vliet / Yitze Hazenoonk | 17 | 12 | 18 | 13 | | 8 | | 12 | 13 | 119 |
| 18 | PRAIAMAR | POR | POR 55 | Nelson Machado / Anna Ornas | 16 | 17 | 20 | 9 | 16 | 14 | | 16 | 14 | 122 |
| 19 | MUSTANG | NED | NED 138 | Peter Van Dorst / Diessel Van Dorst | 19 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 123 |
| 20 | ZEEDUIVEL | NED | NED 87 | Lotte Koome / Jordy Schootmeijer | 12 | 15 | 14 | 14 | | | 16 | 19 | 15 | 131 |
| 21 | FIGUEIRA DA FOZ | POR | POR 54 | Gonçalo Duarte Silva / André Ribau | 20 | 13 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 148 |
| 22 | JERSEY GIRL | POR | POR 52 | Pedro Lopes / Rafael Costa | 21 | 20 | 21 | 15 | 22 | 22 | | 17 | 21 | 159 |
| 23 | AZIMUTE | POR | POR 15 | Paulo Matos / Mário Oliveira | | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 16 | 161 |
| 24 | ZITUQUI | POR | POR 27 | Ramiro Terrivel / Nadine Van Acker | 23 | 19 | | 21 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 169 |
| 25 | DRAGONERA | GBR | GBR 122 | Elliot Hall / Mia Hall | 18 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 175 |