More than 150 classic yachts return to Cannes for a week where naval heritage, competition and the Mediterranean come together

There is something fundamentally different about seeing a classic sailing yacht under way.

In a marina, its lines can be admired. Its varnished wood, rigging and beautifully preserved details can be studied at close range. But once the sails go up and the yacht starts racing, the character of the boat changes completely.

That is the spectacle currently unfolding in Cannes.

From 19 to 26 September 2026, the Bay of Cannes and the waters around the Lérins Islands are hosting the 48th Régates Royales de Cannes, one of the major events on the international classic-yachting calendar. Organised by the Yacht Club de Cannes, the regatta brings together more than 150 classic sailing yachts, including boats associated with some of the most influential naval architects in sailing history.

Among the names represented are William Fife III, Nathanael Herreshoff and William Gardner — designers whose work helped define different chapters of yacht design and racing.

For one week, these yachts are not museum pieces.

They are racing yachts again.

A Cannes tradition built around classic sailing

The Régates Royales have become closely associated with the final weeks of the Mediterranean sailing season.

The event is centred on the Bay of Cannes, with the Lérins Islands providing the backdrop. On shore, the Vieux Port becomes an important part of the experience, with classic yachts arriving, crews preparing their boats and spectators able to watch the activity from the quays.

Cannes Tourisme notes that visitors can follow the preparations and departures from the waterfront without needing a ticket, offering an unusually close view of the boats and crews before they head out onto the racecourse.

For the 2026 edition, the fleet is spread between two locations. The classic yachts are based around the Vieux Port, while the Dragon and 5.5 Metre classes are based at the Yacht Club de Cannes at Pointe Croisette.

It gives the city two different perspectives on classic racing: the larger traditional yachts around the historic port and the highly competitive smaller metric classes at Pointe Croisette.

A fleet covering more than a century of sailing

One of the defining characteristics of the Régates Royales is the variety of boats competing.

Classic yachts race under the CIM — Comité International de la Méditerranée — rating system, which allows boats of different dimensions, rigs and characteristics to compete using corrected times. Under the CIM definition, a classic yacht must generally be at least 35 years old and is classified according to its construction and characteristics.

Alongside the classic fleet, the Cannes programme includes several important international classes.

The 2026 Fédération Française de Voile calendar lists competitions for 8 Metre, 12 Metre, 5.5 Metre, Dragon, Tofinou and CIM-rated yachts.

Each brings a different interpretation of sailing performance.

The 12 Metres, for example, belong to a rating system dating back to 1906 and became particularly famous through America’s Cup history. The 5.5 Metre class, meanwhile, uses a development rule that permits different designs while aiming to maintain comparable racing performance.

Then there is the Dragon.

Designed in 1929 by Norwegian naval architect Johan Anker, the 8.9-metre keelboat has remained an important part of international sailing for generations. It was an Olympic class from 1948 until 1972 and continues to have a particularly strong presence in Cannes.

Where heritage meets real competition

The beauty of the Régates Royales is that the boats may belong to another era, but the racing is very much of the present.

Classic yachts require their crews to work with boats whose characteristics can be very different from those of contemporary racing yachts. Sail trim, wind shifts, tactics, positioning and timing remain decisive.

The result is a fascinating contrast.

From the shore, the yachts can appear almost leisurely as they move across the Mediterranean.

On board, the situation is very different.

Every sail adjustment matters. Every tactical decision can influence the result. And the crews are racing boats whose value is not only measured in performance, but also in history and craftsmanship.

That combination is what gives the Régates Royales their particular identity.

Cannes as the natural stage

Few locations could provide a more recognisable setting.

The Bay of Cannes places the fleet against the backdrop of the Croisette, the city and the Lérins Islands, while the Vieux Port provides a direct connection between the racing yachts and the city itself.

The result is an event that can be experienced from several perspectives.

Walk along the harbour and you can study the boats at close range.

Stand along the waterfront and you can watch the crews preparing for departure.

Or look towards the bay and the classic fleet becomes part of the Mediterranean landscape.

For Cannes, the event is also an important celebration of the city’s maritime identity. The Alpes-Maritimes Department describes the Régates Royales as a gathering that brings together sporting competition, elegance and maritime heritage, with crews and enthusiasts travelling from around the world.

Preserving the past by putting it back on the water

Perhaps this is ultimately what makes the Régates Royales so compelling.

Classic yacht preservation is not only about maintaining woodwork, hulls, spars and interiors.

It is also about preserving the way these boats were intended to exist.

Under sail.

In competition.

With a crew working together and the yacht responding to the wind.

The Régates Royales provide that opportunity every year, turning the Bay of Cannes into something that resembles a living archive of sailing history.

The yachts are old, but the event is not nostalgic in the passive sense.

They are still sailing.

They are still racing.

And they are still being pushed by their crews.

The 48th edition

The 2026 edition runs until 26 September, bringing together the classic fleet and metric classes for another week of racing in Cannes.

For anyone interested in yacht design, sailing history or simply the beauty of traditional boats, the Régates Royales offer something increasingly rare: the chance to see some of the world’s most remarkable historic sailing yachts doing exactly what they were built to do.

Not sitting quietly in a marina.

Not displayed behind a barrier.

But sailing — together — across the Mediterranean.

The Régates Royales de Cannes are, above all, a reminder that some of the finest chapters in yacht design are still being written on the water.