Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club has an active sailing section and offers a full competitive programme for eight months of the year.
Fitting out is generally not until mid-March, but by that time the sailing programme is already under way. The first or second Saturday in March generally sees the start of the Spring Race Series. This is a five-race calendar run over successive Saturdays, with the best three results to count in deciding the series winner for the Joyce Martin Cup. There are similar racing series in the summer and the autumn, while the club’s two-day weekend regatta in August sees the John Davidson Plate and the Paul Iverson Cup, two of our most prized trophies, contested on successive days.
The club has two start lines and a selection of courses which can be adapted to suit tide and wind conditions. We employ a handicapping system (ours uses Byron software, www.byronsoftware.org.uk) which makes time adjustments depending on the type of boat being raced. The result is that everybody should start on an equal footing regardless of their craft, with sailing ability coming to the fore.
One of the advantages of being a club dating back to 1872 is that some of the silverware on offer is truly spectacular and many of the historic trophies have been keenly fought for over the years by several generations of Royal Cinque Ports sailors. One such example is the eye-catching Prince of Wales Cup, an imposing trophy we have proudly on display. It is not contested every year but is an indication of the club’s pedigree and past history.
Trophies are presented at the end-of-season “Layingup Supper”, which is generally held in early December, a tremendously popular occasion which is one of the club’s social nights of the year.
The club also takes part in Ramsgate Week, six days of ultra-competitive racing in a wide variety of sailing classes. RCPYC members have had good success in this nationally renowned event in the UK sailing calendar.
In addition, we support the Dover Regatta, a more leisurely-paced two-day mix of water-based events and attractions on land in early July which features the colourful parade of sail round the harbour, with the Lord Warden and the Mayor taking the salute from the assembled boats, “dressed overall”.