The 2026 Thistle National Championship will be held
July 25 – July 31, 2025 at Eugene Yacht Club in
Eugene, Oregon
Are you ready for July 25 to July 31 of 2026 at Eugene Yacht Club in Oregon? Bring your family and come for the sailing but park your boat at the club and stay for the tremendous views of the Cascades and Crater Lake, walk along the Willamette River flowing through the middle of Eugene, spend time at the world-famous Oregon Coast. Wine tours, golf, kayaking, hiking, river rafting, and much more are also waiting for you here. Oregon is an outdoor person’s paradise.
Eugene Yacht Club hosted Thistle Nationals in 2016, 2007, 2002, and 1969.
Location: Eugene Yacht Club, 26126 Bangs Rd, Junction City, OR 97448
Register for Thistle Class National Championship here: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/VP4PtPlzgJ
Register for the July 26 Women’s & Juniors Championship here: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/TuAzHWxjky
This regatta will be limited to 80 boats. If we have fewer than 80 boats then extra banquet tickets will be made available for purchase at $55.00 each.
Registration Fees are $550 (early registration. $625 late registration) per boat. This fee pays for trophies, facilities, rescue boats and fuel, PRO and Judges, event insurance, Awards Ceremony Banquet for you and your crew, and all the other administrative supplies. Your fee also includes tent camping on the grounds, Self-contained RV camping on the grounds. Oh, and the beer kegs.
Out-of-State Waterway Permits are required by the State of Oregon. Oregon Marine Board requires every non-Oregon boat to purchase a Water Way Access Permit for $8. Please go online at https://odfw.huntfishoregon.com/customer/catalog and scroll down to the “Waterway Access Permit – 7 day non-resident” and purchase your own $8 permit. We used to be able to purchase these in bulk for our out of state guests, but they recently changed the system to require individual names and info to be attached to each permit. The funds are used to combat invasive species.
Meal Plans: https://theclubspot.com/shop/regatta/VP4PtPlzgJ
Dinner Plan for the week is $95 per person. Dinners are full meals with main course, salad, and dessert. This includes dinner on Sunday night for the opening ceremony and carries through Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Wednesday is a night off to let the kitchen crew reset and gives you a chance to enjoy some of the local offerings.
Breakfast Plan for the week is $60 per person. Every day from Monday through Friday you will be served a full, hearty breakfast. We’re not talking muffins and orange juice. Our kitchen crew pumps out great eggs, fruit, pancakes, sausage, etc. You’ll be ready for a day on the water.
Snacks on the Water Please plan on bringing your own snacks for your time on the boat. We have ice machines on the grounds if you need to keep things cool. Ray’s Food Place is a full Grocery just a few minutes from EYC.
Morning Coffee Your morning coffee will be available to all. We will have a coffee cart on the grounds ready to supply you with your fix. Specialty coffees will be available for purchase from the coffee cart.
There are restaurants about 10 minutes away in the town of Veneta. See below “Amenities Nearby” for links to local spots.
Logo Gear: Logo Gear: All shirts are white with the 2026 Thistle Nationals logo on the back. Both Ladies cuts and youth sizes are available. We have a gray fleece hoodie and a sailing cap available as well. In order to keep the logo apparel prices reasonable we are using a local print shop. All of your logo items will be handed to you and your crew at the regatta sign-in.
Day Care: There will be a kid’s camp with professional daycare providers. The price is $175 per child. Ages 1 through 11 are welcome. Kid’s Camp will be 0pen from Monday morning through Friday afternoon. The registration for Kid’s Camp is available on the regatta registration ClubSpot page. You will see it as one of the options to purchase along with shirts and meals. Please do not forget to download and sign the waiver located at the same link you download the NOR from.
Camping: Eugene Yacht Club has a large lawn available for tent camping. There is no charge for this. We have bathrooms and showers and some coin laundry on the grounds. There is an ice machine so bring your cooler to hold your snacks. There will be some room for self-contained RV parking. There is also a County Park right next door to the yacht club. Richardson Park: https://www.lanecountyor.gov/government/county_departments/public_works/parks/our_parks/richardson_park This park has many RV and tent sites as well as boat ramps and docks. It is right next door to Eugene Yacht Club. It books up quickly but if you check the site occasionally you will find cancellations most days.
Off-Site Accommodations: You will find many Airbnb opportunities around the Fern Ridge Lake area. If you would prefer to stay in a hotel there are many, many options available in Eugene and Springfield, which make up the major metro area near Eugene Yacht Club. Hotels such as the Valley River Inn have enough parking for a car with boat trailer. Any hotel you find in Eugene is going to be within commuting distance. Many of us live in Eugene and beyond and commute to the club for daily racing and other events.
Schedule Summary (there may be updates as we progress):
Friday, July 24: First boats begin to arrive. Early boats can be weighed and measured.
Saturday, July 25: More boats arrive. Registration and measuring.
Sunday, July 26: Women and Junior Nationals. After the regatta we will have the opening ceremony.
Monday, July 27: will have racing all day and live music and a beer keg during dinner.
Tuesday, July 28: will be racing all day and then a fun trivia night during dinner.
Wednesday, July 29: will be racing all day. This will be a free night for you to head into town for dinner or to pick up supplies.
Thursday, July 30: More racing. After dinner will be the raffle night. This should be a big night of great prizes and fun.
Friday, July 31: Final day of racing. The banquet will be held around the corner at Deepwoods.
Full Schedule is on the NOR https://eugeneyachtclub.org/regatta/kV1Ywtq9hw/#notice-board
Other Helpful bits of Information
Eugene Airport (EUG) is only 8 miles/10 minutes away from the Eugene Yacht Club. It’s a quick Uber ride and a great option for crew who don’t want to listen to 1500 miles worth of skipper stories while they tow their boat.
Eugene Yacht Club on Fern Ridge Reservoir is one of the finest dingy sailing venues in the Pacific Northwest. Travel Lane County’s Eugene Cascade & Coast website is a great place to begin your search for local activities and hotels. You can also find winery tours and can schedule Tee-times at some amazing golf course.
Oregon Vacation Drop off your boat and enjoy the scenery with your family. Oregon is an incredible place to explore. From Crater Lake to the Oregon Coast it is not possible to see it all in one whole summer. But we invite you to come a week early or stay a week later and visit while you are here. Bring your family and drop off your boat at EYC for a week while you explore. Please let Marty know if you plan to drop off your boat a week early and leave it a week after the regatta: thistlenationals@gmail.com. We’ll provide you with a pass to attach to your boat.
It is common for regatta participants to bring their non-sailing family members. Your family will not lack activities in the area while you are racing. Within 30 minutes of the club are river walks, wine tours, kayaking, sunset hikes, trampoline park, mini golf, and café’s galore. A walk around the University of Oregon campus is always worth the time and a good chance to inspire your teenagers to head this way for college and crew at EYC.
Dog Kennels Pets are not allowed at Eugene Yacht Club. However, that doesn’t mean you need to leave your four-legged family behind. Jonah at Orchard Point Kennel (about 4 minutes away) is offering a discount to people attending Thistle Nationals. Just enter the promo code “ Thistle10” for a 10% discount.
Amenities Nearby (10 minutes away):
Our Daily Bread Bakery https://www.ourdailybreadrestaurant.com/
Countryside Pizza and Grill https://countrysidepizzaandgrill.com/
Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant https://ixtapamexicanrestaurant.com/veneta/
Ray’s Food Place (grocery store in Veneta) https://www.gorays.com/
ThistleNationals@gmail.com is how we will be communicating throughout the year.