Prima 38 Spring Cup at the Royal Western Yacht Club Overall

The Prima 38 OD Spring Cup organised by the Royal Western Yacht Club of England and sponsored by SILVA Instruments attracted a small, but very competitive fleet including three boats that sailed to Plymouth from the Solent for the event.

A programme of five races was scheduled, three on Saturday and two on Sunday. The conditions for the first race seemed ideal as the committee boat anchored with a twenty-knot south-westerly and bright sunshine on a slight sea. A forty-degree windshift a few minutes later was responsible for a twenty five minute delay while the Race Committee up anchored and re-laid the start line. BARE KNUCKLES (Bob Gateshill) and HI EXPECTATIONS (Phil Harrison) were side by side going away from the centre of the start line on the first beat to Queens Ground buoy with CLOSING TIME (David Riley) just astern to leeward of them and LONGBOW (Ben Archer) to windward.

The wind began to increase and during a vicious squall CLOSING TIME ripped out a reefing point and was forced to retire. As the boats rounded the windward mark the wind was now averaging thirty-five knots and HI EXPECTATIONS was the first to hoist a spinnaker. BARE KNUCKLES decided to reach off and gybe before following suit. The wind was still increasing and HI EXPECTATIONS suffered a wild broach that enabled BARE KNUCKLES to move into the lead. The Race Committee decided to reduce the length of the windward leg by changing the course to New Grounds buoy for the second round of the race. BARE KNUCKLES extended her lead during this round to two and a half minutes over LONGBOW. The latter having passed HI EXPECTATIONS when she succumbed to another broach during which she snapped her spinnaker pole. The wind continued to rise and was now averaging thirty plus knots so the race was finished at the end of the third round and the Race Committee sent the fleet to the relative calmness of the marina.

A skippers' meeting was called by the Race Officer and it was agreed that racing be abandoned for the day, with the programme being revised to sail three races on Sunday. Unfortunately the conditions on Sunday were even worse, with forty-knot winds gusting to fifty so the Spring Cup was abandoned.

The Commodore presented glassware to the skipper of each boat commemorating this event as the first yacht racing of the 175th Anniversary Year.