TIREE WAVE CLASSIC
10th-16th (inc) October 2026
In association with Native Hebridean Salmon
About the event
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Round 5 of the BWA National Tour.
The longest running and most prestigious event of the British tour is based on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, situated four hours by ferry from the west coast of Scotland. This is a one week long fixed dates event. A true pilgrimage in wavesailing!
Entry opens: 1st August 2026Entry closes: 26th September 2026
(Refunds for entries will not be offered after 30/01/26).
Scotland West: Round 5
Location: Isle of Tiree - Hebrides
Event type: Week long, fixed dates, all fleets.
Dates: 10-16th (inc) October 2026
Event Host: William Maclean
Email: info@tireewaveclassic.co.uk
Tel: 077121 59205
Kids training: Yes. See section ‘Youth Camp Details’.
This is a fixed dates event. Early booking of ferries and accommodation is strongly advised.Event Entries information:
Tiree Wave Classic is a Community Interest Company (CIC) which is formally registered with Companies House and is a not-for-profit organisation committed to promoting wavesailing through training and competition. Tiree has a track history of providing the ultimate training ground for competitors and hence is a one week long, fixed dates, no refund event.
As with all windsurf competitions, the ability to run the event is dependent on suitable weather. Our aim is to hold competition whenever conditions allow. October has been selected based due to its 40 year plus wind and wave statistics. In the event of unsuitable conditions, Tiree Wave Classic will always lay on additional activities and entertainment to keep competitors engaged and productive during ‘waiting’ periods.
None the less, to deliver a safe, well-run and professionally supported event, we must secure judges, safety teams and media crews in advance for the full potential event period. This carries unavoidable costs. For that reason, we will retain 100% of the entry fee regardless of whether the competition ultimately runs. This ensures that the event remains financially sustainable and can continue in future years.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in supporting high-quality competitive windsurfing in the UK.The Tiree Wave Classic 2026 is a fixed dates event which counts towards National Scottish titles and the UK tour titles.
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Dates: 10th-16th (inc) October 2026
Kids Training: Twenty four places for ages 8-17. Three instructors.
This is the highlight of the kids wave training calendar! A week long course of intensive manoeuvre oriented training, culminating in a dedicated kids wave event.
The minimum entry level requirement for this training event is competent waterstarting/carve gybing ability level with chop hopping ability being desirable. -
You can travel to Tiree by driving to Oban and getting the ferry, or by flying from either Glasgow or Oban.
For ferry bookings, timetables or other enquiries please visit the Caledonian MacBrayne website at www.calmac.co.uk
For flight information from Glasgow please visit www.loganair.co.uk
For flight information from Oban please visit www.hebrideanair.co.uk
For more information on Tiree and across Scotland, please visit the VisitScotland website here: www.visitscotland.com
For a complete listing of all accommodation available on Tiree, please visit the island’s portal website: www.isleoftiree.com
This also contains information on all aspects of Tiree lifestyle and what is happening on the island at any time.
Want to book some watersports for family or friends?! Have a look at:
www.wilddiamond.co.uk
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The Tiree Wave Classic 2026 is a fixed dates event which counts towards National Scottish titles and the UK tour titles.
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A fixed dates event is an event that is either long enough in duration as to virtually ensure that some kind of weather conditions are received at a competition venue, or where the possibility or rolling over the event to future dates, in the event of no conditions, is not easy or possible.
Tiree is a non refundable event since:
1: You have to book it like a holiday. 2: We have fixed overheads. 3: There is almost always wind! 4: In the event of no wind, lots of other activities are laid on for competitors to engage with.
This style of event can be a little easier to plan your trip around since it is going ahead one way or the other.
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Mens:
1985 – Mark Wills
1986 – Duncan Coombes
1987 – Stuart Sawyer
1988 – Duncan Coombes
1989 – Stuart Holland
1990 – Nik Baker
1991 – Rich Foster
1992 – Nigel Howell
1993 – Danny Seales
1994 – Niels Larsen
1995 – Mike Viscovich
1996 – Jamie Hawkins
1997 – Nik Baker
2002 – Chris Audsley
2003 – John Skye
2004 – Chris Audsley/Ben Proffitt (Triple Crown/Waves)
2005 – John Skye/Ben Proffitt (Triple Crown/Waves)
2006 – Jamie Hancock
2007 – Kauli Seadi/Phil Horrocks (PWA/BWA Tiree)
2008 – John Skye
2009 – Timo Mullen
2010/2013 – Ben Proffitt
2014 – Phil Horrocks
2015 – Ross Williams
2016 – Phil Horrocks
2017 – Adam Lewis
2018 – Marc Pare Rico
2019 - Phil Horrocks
2020 - no event (pandemic)
2021 - Phil Horrocks
2022 - Julian Salmon
2023 - Lucas Meldrum
2024 - Lucas Meldrum
2025 - Dieter Van Der Eyken
2026 -
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Womens:
1985 – ?
1986 – Louise Freeman
1987 – Clare Seeger
1988 – ?
1989 – Debbie Sawyer?!
1990 – Rachel Medd
1991 – Rachel Medd?
1992 – Christine Spreiter
1993 – Christine Spreiter
1994 – Christine Spreiter
1995 – ?
1996 – Billy Wheaton
1997 – Bel Stanley
2002 – Louise Emery
2003 – Louise Emery
2004 – Charlie Connely (Waves only for the ladies?)
2005 – Ruth Elliot (Triple Crown & Waves)
2006 – Ruth Elliot
2007 – (No Result)
2008 – Louise Emery
2009 – Marie Buchannan
2010/2012 – Debbie Kennedy
2013/2014 – Justyna Sniady
2015 – Sara Kellet
2016/18 – Sarah Hilder
2019 - Liath Campbell
2020 - no event (pandemic)
2021/2022 - Marine Hunter
2023 - Liath Campbell
2024/2025 - Cori MacFarlane
2026 -
Event History
Who identified Tiree as a windsurfer’s paradise?
The legend, because that is what it has become, suggests that it was Graham Strong from Scottish Television who realised the island’s potential while making a film on the lifestyle within its small community.
The concept of the Tiree Wave Classic was the brainchild of Glaswegian, Steve Bisset who was producing a windsurfing magazine called Carve and Gybe in 1985, the year of the first “classic”. Although Tiree, as a windsurfing venue had only recently been “discovered,” word of the conditions found on the island had already become legendary and Steve had little difficulty in assembling a group of the UK”s top sailors for this first major wavesailing competition in Scotland. Mark Wood, Pete Clarke, Duncan Coombs, Pete Caldwell are just a few of the well-known names who made the pilgrimage from the deep south. Unfortunately, the great expectations were not fulfilled due to unfavourable weather conditions and no competition took place. The visitors had grasped the enourmous potential though, and a repeat performance was inevitable!. Sadly too ‘Carve and Gybe’ faltered and the instigator of the Tiree Wave Classic slipped out of the windsurfing scene.
Tiree Wave Classic 1985
Enter Andy Groom and Joe Kelly, proprietors of windsurfing shop 7th Wave. Andy, Joe, and many of their customers had become very attached to Tiree and as the legend continued to grow they decided to adopt the “Classic”, they are responsible for the event as we know it today. With just a hint of flamboyancy, a few phone calls and letters went out to Hawaii inviting such people as Pete Cabrinha and Fred Haywood, it was an ambitious move but it wasn’t surprising that the invitations weren’t accepted; Tiree is a long way from anywhere apart from Coll and the prize money on offer wouldn’t start to cover any of those guys expenses.
What was successful, however, was the publicity campaign at home, and in 1986 more people were to join the pilgrimage to this, now hallowed, place. Before long names such as Duncan Coombs, Peter Hart, Jamie Knox, Dave Cordell, Justin Hooper Geenhill and many more appeared on the entry list along with all the top Scots.
7th Wave was to support the event financially and had done a superb job of twisting the arms of their suppliers for equipment prizes., Colin McDonald, chairman of the Scottish windsurfing Association, had also secured additional finance from the Highlands and Irelands Development Board. Key figures in the surfing /windsurfing trade, Tad Ciastula and Tommy Armstrong, were invited to judge. The 1986 Tiree Wave Classic was on!.
This was to be a team effort with Joe and Andy being joined by 3 Rosses; Mungo, Sue, and Neill ( not all related ), Andi Robertson, and many others with all the timekeeping, flag hoisting, horn sounding, and result computing. Spells of duty were interspersed with time on the water, in some cases even in the competition, the spirit that is an essential element of the event was developing. The winner was Duncan Coombs with Scotland’s Gordon Millar coming third and Mungo Ross taking the amateur prize.
The event itself was considered by most to be an unqualified success and made the most of the variety offered on this special island. Three different beaches were used on various days with the final taking place at Crossapol. This was a truly “Classic” day with a force 5-6 blowing cross-offshore giving, at times, mast high waves. Another trend within the arena of the Tiree Wave Classic was also to begin here; that year and almost every year since a virtual unknown was to appear and to shine. This time it was Mark Wills who pushed Duncan Coombs very hard but wasn’t quite consistent enough to take the top spot. Although a few loops had been witnessed that week Duncan will long be remembered for an outrageously high jump in the final, for a few brief moments it seemed he might never come down.
For many though the high point of that year’s event was probably the showing of a five-minute sequence, at peak viewing time, on BBC Scotland. The prize-giving dance was the first in a line of memorable evenings to be enjoyed until the present time. The specialist windsurfing magazines all featured a report on the event and, with an initial interest shown by TV, hopes were high that worthwhile sponsorship could be obtained. Many people were involved in trying to achieve this, and maybe it was a case of too many cooks, but nothing major materialised.
