THE NORTH SOUND REGATTA

World-class racing is only the half of it. At North Sound, we're designing for something different.

Every competitive sailor knows the rush of crossing a finish line. The speed. The noise. And if your boat nudges that line first, the satisfaction that comes after everything goes right. But for most of us, that moment isn’t why we started sailing.  

For many sailors it’s the pull of the ocean, the love for the sport, the crewmates who become friends and then family. This has always been at the heart of North Sails, and it’s why we are a founding partner of The North Sound Regatta – born out of the desire to remind us that we sail because it’s fun.  

The North Sound Regatta centers on world class performance whilst keeping the spirit and joy of sailing alive. It is a signature event of our Regatta Refresh – welcoming in a new era of fun, competitive sailing, with dynamic race formats and smarter scheduling. Built to be inclusive, with as much happening on the sand as there is on the water – think family-oriented activities, gear demos, intimate beach gatherings, acoustic sunset concerts – it replaces traditional regatta programming with a relaxed and welcoming experience. Here, the end of the race is simply the beginning of the evening, where sailing isn't time spent away from loved ones – its time spent with them. 

A REGATTA, REFRESHED 

At North Sound, the philosophy is simple: fun first, competition second, fun third. 

This isn't a marketing slogan, it’s a design specification. Now in its second year, North Sound is part of the broader Regatta Refresh program – an intentional rethink of how sailing events are built, run, and experienced. The goal isn’t to soften competition. It’s to make it better by elevating the entire experience to be more human, more inclusive, and more rewarding for everyone involved. 

The schedule has been intentionality re-engineered to let life happen alongside the racing. Later starts allow for slower mornings – proper coffee, a real breakfast, and a briefing that feels like a conversation rather than a chore. Races finish early enough for afternoons on the beach with family, friends and fellow crews, where rivalry fades and the community takes over.  

Then there’s the racing itself. Alongside the classic windward-leeward battles, North Sound brings something different. Less box-checking. More speed. More fun. Courses that make sense for the boats and the place. The clearest expression of this mindset comes on lay day, which, at North Sound, isn’t a lay day at all. Instead of sitting on the dock, what has been coined ‘Triple Head Sunday’ sends the crews back on the water for something entirely different: a high-speed, two-mile time trial. Each team rigs for pure efficiency, races the course twice, and posts an average time. There’s an elapsed-time winner. There’s a handicapped winner. There’s nothing at stake, and everything at stake. 

“In the final twenty seconds, half our crew jumped overboard to lighten the load. I was one of them. I can tell you first-hand: it wasn’t a soft landing.” - Ken Read, President, North Sails. 

The joy, fun, and passion of Triple Head Sunday tells you all you need to know about the energy of this event. Is it textbook how you run a regatta? No. And that’s the point. 

THE BOATS THAT COME 

The fleet is a carefully curated collection of the world’s most formidable performance boats and world-class teams.  

Maxi & Grand Prix Class (IRC): This is the high-performance core of the regatta, featuring some of the world's most advanced racing machines, including Maxi 100s (like Black Jack and V) and Maxi 72s (like Balthasar). These yachts compete under the IRC rating system, allowing for radically different designs to line up and compete on equal terms.  

Performance cruising class (ORC SY): New for the 2026 edition, this class welcomes high-performance cruiser-racers and modern production yachts – Swans and Southern Winds dominate the entry list at this stage. These are luxury performance yachts: live-aboard, beautifully finished, but with serious pace baked in. Racing under ORC, this class gives performance cruisers a true competitive home. 

The split matters. It means carbon race machines aren’t lining up against yachts designed to cruise with interiors and families aboard, ensuring the racing remains as fair as it is fast. Different philosophies, same water, same courses, same shared experience. Both classes sail the same spectacular program – including Triple Head Sunday – and both deliver proper racing. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

North Sound is curated in attendance but inclusive in spirit. The long-term vision caps the regatta at 30–35 boats, preserving intimacy, camaraderie, and quality over sheer scale. Classes are chosen because they work together on the racecourse, and because the people behind them want to be part of something bigger than results sheets.  

With strong momentum already building, including serious interest from 50–55ft performance classes, North Sound is quietly becoming a key event for owners and teams planning their future seasons. Strategically placed in the middle of the Caribbean circuit, flowing naturally from St. Barths and into the heart of the Maxi calendar, North Sound doesn’t just start the season, it sets the tone. 

MAKING TIME FOR LIFE TO HAPPEN 

What North Sound ultimately proves is that elite sailing doesn’t have to be hostile, exhausting, or isolating to be world-class. When owners are part of the team, when families are welcome, when competition is fierce but camaraderie is stronger – participation grows, the racing gets better, and the sport gets healthier.  

This is sailing as it’s meant to be – both elite and human, competitive and fun.