Round Island Regatta: Saturday August 15th, 2026
Sail, Paddle or Row into the 16th Round Island Regatta!
Join the nonprofit Gundalow Company’s 16th annual Round Island Regatta at Peirce Island Boat Launch on Saturday August 15th 2026 from 1PM to 4PM!
Our tradition continues with a prize awarded for best competitor costume! This years theme is 1776/Revolutionary War (no weapons please) and our awards ceremony will be desserts.
Registration Prices TBD.
Please note that we will NOT be providing lunch this year.
Schedule
HIGH WATER AT 2:10PM
1:00PM-2:30PM
Registration (Peirce Island Boat Launch)
2:00PM
Sailboat Skippers Meeting (Peirce Ramp)
Class 1 Start On The Water
2:15PM
Little Gundalow Derby (Peirce Island Dock)
2:20PM
Youth Paddle Skippers Meeting (Peirce Ramp)
Youth Paddlers Start
2:30PM
Paddle & Oar Skippers Meeting (Peirce Ramp)
First Wave: Lady Isle Start
Second Wave: Round Island Start
3:15PM
Peirce Island Event Ends
3:15PM
Awards ceremony & Desserts (Four Tree Island)
Course
Courses will be described at the sail and paddle skipper’s meetings prior. Sailors will go between one and three times around Round Island and the marks set by the race committee. Rowers and paddlers will have the option of doing the standard twice around Round Island Course (1 mile) or the longer Lady Isle course (1.9 miles), also starting and finishing near the Peirce Island Ramp.
Class
Lady Isle long course– optional for experienced rowers and paddlers
Youth Paddler Class (ages 13 and under)
Single Paddler (ages 14+, paddle and oar)
Multi-Paddlers (all paddle and oar craft with two or more people)
“Round Island” Regatta Course
Starting near the South End Yacht Club, leave Round Island and both race marks (here labeled SE and NW) to PORT for two loops before heading to the finish.
3000 ft / ½ nautical mile each loop, total around 1 mile.
“Lady Isle” Regatta Course
Starting near the South End Yacht Club, leave Round Island to PORT, pass under the New Castle Ave Bridge, leave Lady Isle (AKA Belle Isle) to PORT, and return through the bridges by the shortest route.
2.15 land miles/ 1.86 nautical miles
No handicaps, no protests and skippers are solely responsible
for the safety of their crews and boats.
Contact information, Parking & Directions
Pets
Round Island Regatta is organized by the Gundalow Company in Portsmouth, NH. You can reach our Event Coordinator at 603-433-9505 or [email protected].
This event is held in multiple locations:
- The primary site for Round Island Regatta is the Peirce Island Boat Ramp. Go to Google Maps.
Bikes
Parking
- Parking is available on Peirce Island. There are also many available lots in the area. Please see the City’s parking information page for locations, prices, and limits:
https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/publicworks/parkportsmouth - Portsmouth has two parking garages downtown.
- Please read all street and parking lot signs carefully to understand potential limits and costs.
- For ADA parking: Multiple ADA parking spaces are at the north end of Prescott Park. Limited ADA parking may be available in the Strawbery Banke parking lot. Water St has 2 additional spaces for ADA-only. Note that time limits (typically 3 hours) apply to all spaces, so please check the specific limits for where you park. For more details see https://accessnavigators.com/portsmouth-nh/
- Please note that the Strawbery Banke parking lot is not available for general parking and Water St is permit-only.