Prince Philip’s beloved 29ft racing yacht Bluebottle delivered a spectacular performance at Cowes Week, storming to victory in the Dragon class competition on the Isle of Wight.
North Sails Cowes Week, its 200th anniversary, concluded this weekend, totalling an extraordinary 5,000 competitors, 642 boats, and 156 trophies.
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Throughout the week, Philip’s former vessel secured three race wins alongside a second-place finish, establishing a decisive advantage over the 25 other Dragon class competitors throughout the regatta.
It is a remarkable chapter in the story of a boat steeped in royal heritage.
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Camper and Nicholsons of Gosport originally constructed Bluebottle in 1947, which was gifted to the then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip for their wedding by members of the Cowes Island Sailing Club.
In 1957, the Duke of Edinburgh himself sailed her along the Solent with his eight-year-old son, then Prince Charles, at his side.
At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Bluebottle earned a bronze medal under the helmsmanship of Graham Mann, alongside crew members Ronald Backus and Jonathan Janson.
Her racing career spanned continents before she was retired from competition in 1961. She was subsequently handed over to cadets at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
As skipper Graham Bailey has noted: “I’m told that no cadet dares use her for fear of pranging her.”
Bluebottle later spent a considerable period on display at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust eventually brought her to Edinburgh, reuniting her with Coweslip, the Duke’s Flying Fifteen racing yacht, and other vessels from the royal sailing fleet.
The restoration to full racing condition, undertaken by David Heritage Racing Yachts of Cowes, saw the boat return to racing for the first time in 60 years.
Tragically, though, Philip died in 2021 before the work could be completed – something Mr Bailey described as “one of the great sadnesses”.
The skipper, one of the most decorated Cowes competitors of recent decades, has raced at the regatta since the 1980s. He said it was “a real privilege” to occupy the seat once held by the Duke.
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This year, his wife Julia Bailey has joined the four-person crew aboard the historic vessel.
“It would be lovely if the current royals came aboard and had a go,” he said.
Bluebottle triumphed on her return to Cowes just months after Philip’s death and has continued to outperform modern Dragon class rivals at both national and international levels.
Following a victory at the Finnish national championship, Team Bluebottle has ascended to the top of the 2026 international Dragon class rankings – a remarkable achievement for a vessel approaching her 80th year.
The Royal Yacht Club in Cowes, where Bluebottle is registered, will stage the defence of her Marblehead Trophy title from August 23 to 25.
Philip, who served as admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron and was a regular fixture at Cowes Week, treasured the yacht so dearly that he kept a model of her on his bookshelf.
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