Information on the upcoming 18th International Robotic Sailing Regatta
[last updated 6/2/26]
We are excited to announce that the 18th annual International Robotic Sailing Regatta (IRSR) is to be held the week of June 7 to June 12, 2026 in Ithaca, New York! This event will be sponsored by the 2025 winners: Cornell University.
Registration:
- The Sailbot registration form was due April 30, 2026.
- The first 5 members per team are free, with a $30 fee for each additional attending member. A payment link due May 15, 2026 was sent out to teams of more than five attendees. Please be exact with your attendees count, however if there is any change, please contact sailbot2026@cornell.edu.
- Registration includes a welcome meal, awards reception, and event t-shirts!
Other Information:
- All sailing events will be held at the Merrill Family Sailing Center, while reception/awards dinners and presentations will be held in Upson Hall on the Cornell University campus.
- [Update] Linked here is the itinerary for the week of events, including location addresses as well as room numbers for the presentations and dinners! Please note that sailing event times may vary due to pace and weather constraints, and any changes will be announced as the event occurs.
- [Update] Sailbot is introducing an optional paper deliverable (document/pdf) with a purpose of promoting open documentation of boat design processes to accelerate learning between teams. Due to it being close proximity to the event, this year’s submission of a paper deliverable is optional and will not impact scoring. The idea is to have teams submit an (<10 page) document describing their boat designs and technical components, as well as include post-competition reflections of their design process. These documents will be posted to a page on this website for future teams to learn from and elevate the competition level. Although optional this year, we encourage all teams to participate and send a document deliverable submission by the end of June 2026.
- The competition events and requirements remain the same as the previous year, so check out the Rules tab for details.
- Transportation will not be provided, so please plan to make your own arrangements.
- Housing: There will not be any organized on-campus housing, so it would be recommended for teams to look towards hotels or other living accommodations. Additionally there will not be organized hotel blocks due to low interest.
Please check back periodically for updates! Additionally, email sailbot2026@cornell.edu if you have any other inquiries, or to be added to an interest list and notified when new information is posted.
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17th International Robotic Sailing Regatta (9-13 June 2025, Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester MA, USA)
The 17th annual International Robotic Sailing Regatta (IRSR) was held the week of 8-13 June 2025 at Regatta Point Community Sailing on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester Massachusetts. It was sponsored by the 2024 winners: Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
The week provided better than expected sailing conditions with sailable breezes (4-11 kts) most times Mon-Wed with day temps of 65-85F. A light rainfall on Tuesday with no wind led to an hour extension for that day’s events. Thursday proved more challenging with 5-12 kts sustained but with occasional 20 kt gusts. All events proceeded as scheduled with the exception of the Search event when a passing boat with prominent orange life jackets spoofed Cornell’s boat and forced a restart.
Electrical gremlins plagued several of the teams but eventually all boats made it to the water. While not the largest fleet to assemble for SailBot, it was one of the most varied fleets in recent history. Displacements varied from 144 lbs to 30 lbs; lengths from 1.4m to 2m; sail rigs from sloop, to cat, to gaff, to rigid wings; underbodies with lead, iron, rock, or no ballast; monohulls to trimarans; keel depths from 1.5m to 0.2m. Several teams’ boats underwent significant modifications as the week proceeded after recovering from breakages and rescues.
In the end, the Cornell team showed its mettle and excellent preparation by placing first in 5 of the 6 events it entered. Congratulations to the team and their boat “RedForty”!
