A Celebration of Sailing
Held each August, Nantucket Race Week brings together local sailors, visiting competitors, and world-class professionals for one of New England’s most anticipated regatta series.
Hosted by the Nantucket Yacht Club and Great Harbor Yacht Club and benefitting Nantucket Community Sailing, the week features youth racing, one-design fleets, big-boat events, and the iconic Opera House Cup — all set against the backdrop of Nantucket Harbor and Sound.
From youth dinghies to classic wooden yachts, the full spectrum of sailing is on display.
Sailing on Nantucket
Nantucket Island boasts two of the most varied, challenging and reliable sailboat racing venues in the world.
With tricky currents and ever-shifting sandbars, the protected waters of Nantucket's 6-mile-long harbor reward local knowledge and cunning.
Outside of the harbor, the Nantucket Sound offers a much different environment: deep water, subtle currents and a consistent sea breeze that test the sailors’ ability to strategize and maximize performance.
Nantucket Race Week is the Island community's way of sharing these bounties with visiting sailors. Whether you boat-of-choice is a Laser, a vintage 12-Metre or a kite-foiler, we’ve got racing for you – please join us!
Nantucket Race Week hosted by the Nantucket Yacht Club and the Great Harbor Yacht Club and benefitting Nantucket Community Sailing (“NCS”).
Nantucket Race Week Overview
Racing for the local fleets kicks off on Thursday, August 6, 2026 with a two-day youth series sailed in Club 420s and Opti prams. On Saturday, August 8th, the competition begins for the Island’s ten one-design classes. The local fleets feature crafts ranging in size from the timeless Beetle Cat to the graceful International One Design and covering more than a century of designs from the John Alden’s Nantucket Indian knockabout to kiteboards and wing-foilers to modern sportboats like the Melges 15 and J/70.
The headline events begin on Wednesday, August 12th with the annual Women’s Regatta. For Thursday’s Celebrity Invitational, each participating team is joined by a guest tactician…think America’s Cup legends, hall-of-famers, and world champions from the globe’s most competitive classes. The Nantucket Regatta is a big-boat event sailed on Friday August 14th and Saturday August 15th, with skippers able to use with their PHRF or CRF ratings.
The week culminates with the fabled Opera House Cup, the grandfather of all wooden boat regattas, where early 20th Century Hereshoff designs go toe-to-toe with 21st Century sleds by Botin and Frers.
About Nantucket Community Sailing
NCS is a US Sailing accredited nonprofit Community Sailing Center and a licensed Massachusetts Recreational Camp for Children. Founded to remove barriers to sailing, NCS serves island residents, seasonal families, and visitors through youth camps, lessons, rentals, community partnerships, and signature sailing events.
Each season, NCS introduces hundreds of new sailors to the water while supporting returning participants as they build skills, confidence, and independence. Programs are led by experienced instructors who prioritize safety, inclusion, and hands-on learning.
Recognized nationally by US Sailing, NCS has received several awards, including Outstanding Seasonal Program (2010), Outstanding Outreach and Inclusion (2014), and Outstanding Program Director (2023).
