Cowes Week celebrated it’s 200th anniversary in August 2026, and the Arcona 435 Mk II Tessa3 marked the occasion in the best possible way: by going out and racing hard against a top international fleet in IRC2, and coming home with a result to be proud of.
Two second places across the week and fourth overall in class is a fine return by any measure. It is a considerably finer one when you look at what she was racing against, and at what Tessa3 actually is.
Because Tessa3 is not a stripped out raceboat. She is a cruising yacht. She has a full interior, cruising comforts throughout and, as her owners are quick and rather cheerfully to point out, a stern thruster. That is not standard equipment in a competitive IRC2 fleet.
“Cowes Week produced a feast of good racing in IRC2. A couple of second places exceeded our expectations, with a fourth overall in a top international class. Not bad for a cruising yacht with a stern thruster. She is unbeatable upwind in over 15 knots.”
That last line is the one worth dwelling on, because it gets to the heart of what Arcona build. Upwind in a breeze is where a hull shape either works or it does not, and where weight, stiffness and rig tension stop being specification sheet entries and start being boat speed. Tessa3’s owners have found what plenty of Arcona owners find once they start putting the yacht under pressure: she keeps giving.
It has been a strong season for her. Tessa3 also led the Arcona fleet home at this year’s Round the Island Race, finishing as the 20th monohull across the line. Two very different racecourses, and the same answer both times.
This is precisely the argument for a performance cruiser. Most owners are not choosing between racing and cruising. They want a yacht that will take the family away for a fortnight in genuine comfort, and that will also hold her own on a start line on a Tuesday evening without anyone needing to apologise for her. The Arcona 435 Mk II does both, and Tessa3 has spent the summer demonstrating it.
Our congratulations to her owners and crew on a superb week.
The Arcona 435 Mk II will be on display at the Southampton International Boat Show from 18 to 27 September, on berth M442, alongside the UK premiere of the Najad 451 AC on M440.
Appointments fill quickly over the opening weekend. Book ahead and we will keep the time clear and give you the yacht to yourselves.