His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain’s ESP16 Bribon has won the International Six Metre European Classic Championship, while Eric Monnin’s SUI100 Duclop claimed the European title in the Open fleet.
Both Bribon and Duclop won their final races on the last day of the eight-race series hosted by the Société Nautique de Genève on Lake Geneva, which were sailed in a northerly breeze that peaked at 12 knots.
The final day of the 2026 International Six Metre European Championships began with the overall result in both the Open and Classic fleets uncertain.
In the Classic fleet Bribon led the regatta, two points ahead of Reinhard Suhner’s SUI45 Mecara in second with 18 points, with Violeta Alvarez on GBR57 Erica sitting in third, also on 18 points. Also in the title hunt was fourth placed Louis Heckly on FRA11 Fun with 19 points.
In the Open fleet, SUI145 Eau Vive, skippered by Jamie Hilton, held the overall lead going into the final race with 16 points, one point ahead of second-placed Duclop, with Dieter Schön’s IVB145 Momo in third place, a further four points back, on 21 points.
Ten to twelve knots of northerly breeze and a light chop greeted the competitors as the fleets assembled at 1000 this morning.
In the Open Championship Eau Vive and Duclop both got off the line cleanly at the windward end, but at the first windward gate it was Duclop who led the fleet around, followed by Jeremy Thorp’s GBR89 Battlecry in second, Basil Vasiliou’s USA105 Jane Ann in third, followed by Eau Vive in fourth.
The Duclop crew – who, last week, won the Swiss Championship – did not put a foot wrong for the rest of the race. After keeping a tight cover on the chasing pack on every leg, the Swiss team took their third race victory of the series and sealed the 2026 Open European Title. A fourth in today’s race for Eau Vive was enough to secure second overall, with Momo holding on to third overall, despite a lacklustre day.
Monnin described the team’s strategy going into the final day, one point behind Eau Vive: “The situation wasn’t that easy,” he said. “Because we knew we still potentially had one place to lose to Momo – which wasn’t the case for Eau Vive, where we were their only opponent. We said to ourselves, ‘one point is just one point’, so if we can have an early lead, then we can do it.”
Once around the top mark in first, Monnin said he felt the race and the European title were within their grasp – although with the wind starting to fade and become patchy, the second beat had been somewhat nervy for them.
“We knew that when it’s patchy you can’t just cover,” he said. “So we played the shifts. We took the right side and that left them a bit of opportunity to come back. Luckily, though, it was the right call.”
Monnin paid tribute to his crew for the victory. “It’s great to achieve this win with this team. We are all really good friends and we have a good team spirit on the boat. I’m new to the International Six Metre class, but we have some crew members who are very experienced in these boats, and that helps a lot. So, if there is a secret to this success – it’s the crew.”
A string of three protests in the Classic Championship, heard but not ruled on before the fleet left the dock this morning, meant there was uncertainty about the exact points split between the top few teams.
Bribon engaged with Erica during the pre-start, hoping to get the upper hand off the start line. At the first windward mark, Philippe Durr’s Astrée squeezed in on the port layline to round in first, ahead of Bribon coming in fast on starboard. Third around was Andrew Bianchedi’s ITA43 Dan, with Louis Heckly’s FRA11 Fun in fourth, and Erica in fifth.
The Bribon crew sailed a savvy race in a decreasing breeze, doing enough to hold their lead to the finish. Behind them, their closest rival Erica had moved up into second, just a few boat lengths astern. When the final points were tallied, Bribon were the European Champions with 17 points, Erica second on 18.2 points, and Mecara in third on 25.7 points.
Bribon’s victory sees the Spanish boat defend the European title for the second consecutive time (her previous two victories were 2022 in Cascais, Portugal and 2024 in Sanxenxo, Spain) and marks the fifth time the crew has won the European Championships.
Helmsman Ross MacDonald said the crew had tried to put the uncertainty about the outstanding protests out of their minds going into today’s final race of the Championship.
“We just knew we had to sail a good, clean race,” he said. “So our goal today was just a simple one: to get a good start and go the right way as best we could. Then, maybe halfway through the race, have a look at how things are going and decide from there.”
MacDonald confessed that nothing felt certain during the final race, until the crew heard the winning horn from the committee boat.
“It’s so shifty out there and the wind is going up and down so quickly that it really is just about putting your best foot forward and making sure you’re going as fast as you can down the race course. You’re always keeping an eye on where everyone is, but it’s almost impossible to cover because what someone has 200 metres away can be totally different from what you have. It was a tough day for our tactician [Alejandro Abascal], but he did a fantastic job today.”
Asked what the secret to Bribon’s long-term success might be, MacDonald had this to say:
“Well, a lot of it’s the crew. You know, they’ve been together for a long time now. For some of us, it’s been decades – and I think that makes a difference. There’s no doubt the boat’s good. It’s usually quite good with a little more wind, but it hangs in there in lighter breezes – which is all we need. This is a very well-prepared team and a well-prepared boat, and that gives you confidence that you can sail reasonably conservatively.”
An afternoon start on the fifth and penultimate day of the 2026 International Six Metre European Championship on Lake Geneva, Switzerland saw the event’s 50-strong fleet of 30 Classic and 20 Open yachts complete the seventh and penultimate race of the series in six-to-seven-knot breezes.
In the Open Championship, a second place for SUI145 Eau Vive, skippered by Jamie Hilton, was enough to promote the Swiss boat back into the overall lead. Meanwhile, in the Classic Championship, His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain’s ESP16 Bribon is on top of the leaderboard tonight.
At the first windward mark for the Classic fleet, Louis Heckly’s FRA11 Fun was first around – followed by Ossi Paija’s FIN80 Astrée III in second, Esben Poulsson’s GRE2 Aera in third, Reinhard Suhner’s SUI45 Mecara in fourth, and Violeta Alvarez on GBR57 Erica in fifth.
However, confusion reigned at the leeward marks as the leading five boats rounded the gate incorrectly. First to round correctly was Andy Postle’s GBR33 Nirvana, followed by Bribon. After the race, Fun, Astrée III, Aera, Mecara, and Erica were scored ‘NSC’ (did not sail course) in the official results.
After subsequent protests lodged ashore against the race committee the disqualified boats were given redress equivalent to their finishing position on the water.
Today’s scores now see Bribon on top in the Classic Championship with 16 points. Second is Mecara (18 points), with Erica third – also on 18 points.
In the Open Championship, Foti Lykiardopulo’s GRE1 Aera crew recorded their third race win of this series, having led off the start and around every mark.
Second was Eau Vive, with Jeremy Thorp’s GBR89 Battlecry in third. In the overall standings, Eau Vive leads on 16 points, from Eric Monnin’s SUI100 Duclop (sixth today) in second (17 points), and Dieter Schön’s IVB145 Momo in third (21 points).
The scene is set for a final showdown tomorrow between the top few in both Championships.
At last night’s European Championships Gala Dinner at the Société Nautique de Genève, the original painting by French marine artist Marc Berthier, which is featured in the official event poster, was auctioned off by International Six Metre President, Louis Heckly. The highest bid of several thousand Euros came from a French sailor. The proceeds of the auction went directly to the International Six Metre Archive.
Racing at the International Six Metre European Championships hosted by the Société Nautique de Genève on Lake Geneva concludes tomorrow, July 24 – with the eighth and final race of the series scheduled to start at 1000.
