Charlie Cumbley - Etchells European champion-again!

Published 12:42 on 4 Aug 2026

The Etchells European championship was this year held during the famous Cork week regatta, so it made for a nice change to have a 'party atmosphere' with musicians playing the yachts back into harbour most days and the Murphys flowing. The weather was quite a challenge from brilliant sunshine and good winds to fog and mist! On one of the days the windward mark wasn't visible and so it was a case of timed tacks on port then starboard with the aim of hopefully getting somewhere close to the mark! The fleet was its usual high standard and races won and lost in a few seconds in some cases. However, after a weeks racing and a great set of results - 6 x 1sts and a 3rd to count, team "Tango" aka owner Chris Hampton, Charlie and Sam Haines were crowned European champions 2026 - it's almost 20 years since Charlie was part of the winning team for the first time!

Last updated 14:30 on 4 August 2026