Sailing Spectacle Returns After Fifty Year Absence

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Ranelagh Sailing Club brings back the Tideway Dinghy Derby

Over 80 dinghies are expected to take part. Picture: JRanelagh Sailing Club

May 27, 2026

The River Thames is set for one of its most dramatic sights in decades on Saturday 20 June, when 80 sailing dinghies take to the water for a ten-mile race from Putney Embankment to Big Ben and back. Organised by Ranelagh Sailing Club, the Tideway Dinghy Derby marks the return the large-scale dinghy race to central London for the first time in half a century—and celebrates the transformation of the tidal Thames into a cleaner, healthier river.

Timed to coincide with the first year of operation of London’s new ‘super sewer’, the Thames Tideway Tunnel, the race will highlight the river’s recovery from decades of sewage pollution. Working closely with the Port of London Authority, the club has secured a partial river closure for the duration of the event, allowing the fleet to pass safely under Putney Bridge before heading upstream beneath ten bridges to a turning mark opposite the Houses of Parliament.

The spectacle will begin long before the start gun. From mid-morning, Putney Embankment will be lined with boats and nearly 150 sailors rigging and preparing for the challenge ahead. Among them will be Pip Hare, one of Britain’s most respected offshore sailors, joining a mixed fleet of Merlin Rockets, Fireflys, ILCAs and a handicap class. This year is especially significant for the Merlin Rocket and Firefly classes, both celebrating their 80th anniversaries.

All proceeds—entry fees, sponsorship and donations—will support the Scaramouche Sailing Trust, the award-winning programme that introduces young people from diverse and often disadvantaged backgrounds to sailing. Based at Greig City Academy, the initiative has transformed lives through training, mentoring and access to national competitions. One alumnus, Kai Hockley, now competes as a grinder with the F50 Emirates GBR SailGP Team.

Donations to the trust can be made here.

The Trust’s work has been widely recognised, winning the 2024 British Yachting Award for Charity of the Year, while student Jessye Opoku-Ware was named Young Sailor of the Year. Funds raised through the Tideway Dinghy Derby will help expand opportunities for the next generation of sailors, supporting everything from coaching and equipment to pastoral care and logistics.

The event is supported by Laing O’Rourke, which delivered the central section of the Tideway Tunnel, along with Thames Water, North Cross, Linklaters, and Tideway itself. Together, they are helping to celebrate a river that is cleaner, safer and more accessible than at any time in living memory. More than 18 million tonnes of sewage have already been diverted away from the tidal Thames thanks to the new infrastructure.

As Tessa Fayers of Thames Water notes, “Events like this show how far the Thames has come, enabling people to enjoy the river safely and confidently, while highlighting that its recovery continues.”

With the private entry list now full, organisers are inviting corporate sponsors and private donors to support the Scaramouche Sailing Trust and help secure the future of this landmark event. For spectators, the best views will be from Putney Embankment before the start, and from bridges along the route as the fleet heads towards Westminster.

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