Looe Lugger Classics 2026

ONCE only a biennial treat for those visiting South East Cornwall, the new-look Looe Lugger Classics is now an annual event.

And this year’s regatta of sailing action, starting on Friday, July 31, promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Weather permitting, a large ‘armada’ of historic fishing luggers will assemble in the harbour over the weekend, joined by several traditional ‘old gaffers’ yachts. The ‘lugger’ is a formidable working fishing boat, taking its name from its distinctive canvas ‘lug’ rig or sails, and many of the original boats are now more than 100 years old. Until the Cornish Lugger Association was formed in 1989, Looe’s last official sailing regatta for these traditional fishing vessels took place way back in 1911.
Sadly, during those intervening 78 years, the Cornish lugger, as a true working vessel, had become almost extinct.

The methods of fishing, usually drift netting and long-lining, had been superseded by modern-day trawlers. But prompted by his keen personal interest, well-known Looe born-and-bred skipper and maritime author Paul Greenwood had vowed to re-kindle the pride and passion of bygone days.

Right up until the mid-1950s, the familiar outline of the Cornish lugger had been a regular sight up and down the home waters of the South West.
But one by one, they were sold off or retired; some had been in the same family for two or three generations, so memories of them were still vivid in the harbours from which they set sail each evening.

In days gone by these huge fleets worked deep out in the Channel, for conger, ray, turbot and the like, or were shooting miles of nets to catch pilchards, once the mainstay of the country’s fishing industry.

As the son of Mike Darlington, who helped Paul Greenwood form the Association 37 years ago this summer, David did not want to destroy everything that his father and others had worked so hard to achieve. Of a similar mindset was his vice-chairman, Jonathan Brice, who was secretary of the luggers in those early days and, like David, had been subsequently involved in classics events out of Plymouth. “Our compromise was a fairly informal one,” said David.

“The traditional luggers would always remain the stars of our show but we would open up the regatta, allowing entries to all vessels encompassing the ‘Spirit of Tradition’, no matter what their size, age, power, and construction material. We just didn’t know how the re-titled Looe Lugger Classics would be received but we have heard not one grumble from traditional lugger owners, while the South West Old Gaffers Association was so delighted that, for the first time in history, they included a Looe ‘stop over’ in their Hattiers Rum-sponsored West Country Classic Series.”

The re-styled weekend now also includes the Made-in-Looe Regatta, celebrating the port’s rich boatbuilding heritage. By adding a tented Regatta Village on West Looe Quay, the organisers have been able to complement the sailing action with live music, heritage demonstrations, photographic displays and refreshments.

Said David: “My colleagues on the lugger committee have been working hard to pull together this year’s regatta and we have now created a real stand-alone ‘event’ on West Looe Quay so that even if the weather is not particular conducive to sailing there will still be plenty to see and do.“But none of this would have been possible without the full and ready co-operation of the Looe Harbour Commissioners. We are also indebted to the help and support we receive from West Looe Town Trust, Looe Town Council, Looe Sailing Club, East Looe Town Trust and many local businesses and individuals.”

These days the owners of the surviving luggers lavish huge amounts of time and money on them, both to keep them seaworthy and also to make sure that they can be enjoyed by yet another generation.
But don’t be fooled by all that hand-shaking, friendship nonsense!
Look out when the starting gun is fired – every sail is hoisted and away they go, battling around Looe Bay… just as hard as they did five or six generations ago.

They may appear to be racing for fun, but some are settling old scores from more than 100 years before – the Guide Me, the Guiding Star and Our Boys competed against each other in the 1911 regatta when the Guide Me won… as she often still does today!

Plans for this summer’s regatta continue to take shape and will be updated on these pages as the event nears.

ONE IN, TWO OUT…and the hungry seagulls know which fishing lugger to follow up Looe River in this undated image from the 20th Century

Picture: The Ivor Toms Collection

EARLY ONE SUMMER’S MORNING: The crew of the Looe lugger, the I.R.I.S, shaking out their nets after a night’s fishing in the mid 1960s: Harry Stephens, Paul Greenwood (the Cornish Lugger Association’s founder chairman), Mike Pengelly, ‘Tiddler’ Sammels, Jack Harris and skipper Frank ‘Moogie’ Pengelly

Picture: The Paul Greenwood Collection