Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Host Crushes J/80 Cumberland Cup

J/80s sailing Queen Mary Reservoir- England (London, England)- Yacht clubs from around the world were invited to the Royal Thames YC’s biennial inter-club team racing challenge; the only international yachting event held in the Capital. Teams of eight sailors sailed matched J/80 keelboats in exciting 2 Boat Team Racing for the chance of winning the Cumberland Cup. Racing took place at the Queen Mary Sailing Club from Wednesday 9th May to Saturday 12th May.

This year’s regatta was comprised of seven teams and their guests from across the globe- RTYC, Eastern YC (Marblehead, MA), Gamla Stans Yacht Sallskap, New York YC (Newport, RI), Royal Perth YC (Perth, Australia), Southern YC (New Orleans, LA), and Yale Corinthian YC (Branford, CT).

J/80s sailing Cumberland CupPerhaps the biggest draw for the event is the famous, and very extensive, social program; a Reception at the RTYC London Clubhouse, drinks and tours of the Houses of Parliament and the Gala Dinner and Prize Giving in the Coffee Room overlooking Hyde Park!  Such an experience made for many memorable moments for the teams as they explored the city and one of the oldest seats of government in the world.

As for the racing, the sailors experienced a good variety of winds, from less than zero to over 15 kts, making for challenging racing in the cramped quarters of the reservoir.

Royal Thames YC win Cumberland Cup on J/80sNot surprisingly, when one looks at the outcome after eighteen races sailed for each team, it appeared it was the host inviting the lambs to the slaughter by the wily coyotes of the RTYC Team Racing crew!  RTYC won sixteen of those eighteen races to win by a comfortable margin.  Behind them, it was a tie on points between NYYC and YCYC, with the tie going to who-beat-who most; giving the silver to New York and the bronze to Yale Corinthian YC.   Royal Thames YC Cumberland Cup Facebook page here   Summary of the results here   For more Royal Thames YC Cumberland Cup sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.