Prince Philip’s yacht races to victory at Cowes
Prince Philip’s yacht races to victory at Cowes
Samuel MontgomeryMon, August 10, 2026 at 5:41 PM UTC
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Prince Philip guiding his racing yacht off the Isle of Wight with a young Prince Charles in 1957 - PA Archive/PA Images
With a hand on the tiller and his eight-year-old son beside him, Prince Philip guided his racing yacht down the Solent in 1957.
Nearly seven decades on, the late Duke of Edinburgh’s 29ft yacht has stormed to victory on the Isle of Wight, winning its Dragon class competition at Cowes Week.
Bluebottle won three races and notched a second place over the course of the week, building up a commanding lead on the other 25 Dragon class yachts.
Built by Camper and Nicholsons in Gosport, Bluebottle was presented as a wedding gift to Elizabeth II and Prince Philip by members of the Cowes Island Sailing Club.
She competed across Britain, Europe and the world, including at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, when she was sailed to a bronze medal by Graham Mann, Ronald Backus and Jonathan Janson.
Bluebottle retired from racing in 1961 to be used by cadets at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
“I’m told that no cadet dare use her for fear of pranging her,” Graham Bailey, the boat’s skipper during Cowes Week, has said.
Bluebottle was then displayed at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth for many years until The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust reunited her with other yachts in Edinburgh, including Coweslip, Prince Philip’s Flying Fifteen racing yacht.
Bluebottle racing during Cowes Week in 2025 - Paul Wyeth
Bluebottle is one of several royal racing boats associated with the Solent, including Coweslip, and Bloodhound, used by the Royal family in the 1960s.
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Prince Philip, a regular competitor at Cowes Week and the former admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron, kept a model of Bluebottle on his bookshelf.
With the consent and guidance of Prince Philip, the trust commissioned David Heritage Racing Yachts of Cowes to restore Bluebottle to full race condition in 2021.
Mr Bailey said: “Cowes is my favourite regatta of all.
“The sailing is more quirky and characterful than all others, it requires skills above those needed in Olympic-style racing.
“It would be lovely if the current royals came aboard and had a go. One of the great sadnesses was that Prince Philip died in 2021 before Bluebottle had been fully restored to racing shape.”
A ‘real privilege’
Bluebottle won on her return to Cowes months after Prince Philip’s death and has since had notable successes at national and international levels against modern Dragon class vessels.
The yacht has climbed to number one in the Dragon class 2026 international ranking list, after Team Bluebottle secured victory at the Finnish national championship.
Mr Bailey is one of the most successful Cowes competitors of the modern era, having started competing in the regatta in the 1980s. This year, his wife Julia Bailey joins him in the four-person crew.
Of Bluebottle’s previous royal owner, Mr Bailey said it was a “real privilege to be in his seat”.
The Royal Yacht Club in Cowes, where Bluebottle is registered, will now host the yacht’s defence of the Marblehead Trophy title from Aug 23-25.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
