Le Mare has the Midas touch to win the Concours d’Elegance

The Concours d’Elegance at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026 has been won by Richard Le Mare’s Hadron H2 ‘Midas’.

In what was a truly exceptional line-up of dinghies, the H2 stood head and shoulders above the competition with a liberal sprinkling of gold and, almost unbelievably 312 diamonds, painstakingly hand-set at the aft of the centreboard case, into the shape of the H2 insignia.

Regular judge Mark Jardine, Editor of YachtsandYachting.com and Sail-World.com, was joined by Hannah Bristow, 470 helm in the British Sailing Team, who took in the stunning collection of boats, and marvelled at the attention to detail on each stand.

The judging started on a strong note with the mighty 18ft Skiff at the eastern end of the hall, with its brilliant green paint, shining carbon and powerful rig controls. Other contenders included a stunning original Solo, sail number 16, the ‘Very Hungry Caterpillar’ National 12 with its eye-catching graphics, and the Tideway dinghy, which evoked memories of Swallows & Amazons style sailing.

There were personal connections to the boats as well, with Hannah recalling her days in the Mirror dinghy and particularly liking the wooden boat on their stand, and Mark enjoying the fantastic restoration of the X One Design ‘Lucrezia’, which was owned by his uncle Ado.

Both the Norfolk Punt, complete with 49erFX rig, and the Shearwater catamaran, caught the eye with Hannah wondering how a classic cat with wooden hulls could have a carbon mast and symmetrical spinnaker, and Mark surprised that an FX rig actually fitted onto a Punt.

In the end it was the Punt, XOD and H2 that the judges classed as the top three, with the H2 taking the trophy.

There was a very personal reason that Richard decided on gold and diamonds for his boat as he explains: “My father was a jeweller and I wanted to honour him when I had the idea for this colour scheme. So I had to use real gold. And how do you crown that? With diamonds, of course! Why not?”

When suggested that he might be cautious sailing on port tack when others approach: “I sail my boat hard. I will be fighting at the pin. Everybody here knows I will be. I have no qualms about that. It is a racing boat.”

Hannah said at the presentation: “The absolute attention to detail stood out for me. Every single thing has been thought out. Plus, how can you lose with diamonds and gold?”

Mark added: “Midas is as much a work of art as a racing dinghy, with golden blocks, fittings and trim throughout, and thoughtful presentation including a chess board on the bow, making use of the carbon weave to place the pieces. Richard is a deserving winner and it’s great to see so many of the classes going the extra mile to make their boats look so beautiful. It’s good for the show, and it’s good for sailing.”