Royal Lymington Cup

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Royal Lymington Cup – Competitors, Results, World Class Innovation

Initially known as the Congressional Cup

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Archivists Notes:-

Location of supporting data:

  1. RLym Website Archive to be found on the RLym Website.
    1. Bulletins & Information sheets.

    2. PotterShip RLym YC magazines
  2. Member’s contributions.
  1. Historical Documentation - also to be found on the RLym Website – Archive Section.
    1. PotterShip No:18 Summer 1997  75th Anniversary Edition.  Top of Page 12. &14. Lots to read.
    2. In October 1974 the first Match racing series was held [see next item regarding Bill Green]. It appears that nobody gave it much thought about what the Series should be called. It was late in the season – the media reported the Series and because it was new & similar to an event held in far off California – so in 1976 the Media called it the Lymington Congressional Cup.
    3. After the 2nd in the Series held in 1976 the originators Long Beach YC, California of the title “Congressional” were “a bit miffed” that RLym had used their upmarket Republic “Congressional” term. At that point the Series became the Royal Lymington Cup.
    4. It lived and thrived for 25 years and was at the root of International Match Racing.  However it was probably a casualty of its own success. The reason for this comment is explained later – see Amateur /Professional.
  2. Personalities:
    1. In PotterShip No:18 Summer 1997 - it relates how Bill Green returned to Lymington fresh from Long Beach YC’s Congressional Cup match racing in California in March 1974. In the October 1974 the first Match Racing Series was organised by the RLym YC.
    2. Eileen Caulcutt [nee Elliot]. Vice Commodore 1984-1987, Rear Commodore Sailing 1979-82 Executive Committee 1978- 1979
    3. Dr Jonathan Rogers Rear Commodore Sailing 1985-8, Executive Committee 1979- 1982
    4. Malcolm McKeag – Umpire - Rear Commodore Sailing 1994-1997 General Committee Member 1992-1993
    5. Ken Robinson - £ sponsorship & acquisitions person extraordinaire. General Committee Member 1990-1993
    6. Nick Ryley. The Regatta Chairman - MC  - General Committee Member 1998-2000,
    7. Tony Blatchford – master of the perfect course - Rear Commodore Sailing 1997-2000 General Committee Member 1996-1997
    8. Sally Potter – Race Committee/Organiser -  Rear Commodore Sailing 1991-1994
    9. Nick Potter – Principal Race Officer
    10. John Doerr. – Chief Umpire.
    11. Mike Urwin – Umpire - General Committee Member 1996-1999, 2008-2011
    12. Roger Hawkes. – Got the boats equal and kept them racing.
    13. Elsa Green – Chief Boat Mother.
    14. Andrew Salanson – Long suffering producer of all the Printed matter.
    15. Many others who well deserve a mention but forgive me I have not mentioned you & about 130 others in the RLym Support team.
  3. Amateurism to Professionalism.
    1. During the period of the 25 years of Royal Lymington Cup that is precisely what happened.
    2. Eventually finding the prize money became a problem.
    3. Our marvellous sponsorship finder got a job away from Lymington area and our principle means of running a future event became almost impossible.
    4. Being realistic – perhaps after a quarter of a century the full on 100% effort to strive for perfection came to a full stop. A Race Event Support Team like the RLym could not go on forever. It was not so much the rank and file but the Senior motivators perhaps needed to do other things and move on.
    5. When the Event started – all the competitors were basically Amateurs even if some they got air flights paid and liberal expenses.
    6. At the end of the Millennium the good competitors were earning a good liveable salary as Professional Match Racers.
  4. RLym Cup was one of the World’s Principle Innovators for World Match Racing and how it was organised.

The following was tried and honed by the RLym Cup Management Team in order to try & perfect how Match Racing should be organised:-

    1. The racing rules as they appertained to Match Racing were changed. I guess it is no accident that there are a number of RYA RLym members involved - some well known Racing Rules experts - Mary Pera, Bryan Willis, John Doerr and more.
    2. For a time televising the protests was tried.  The protests were heard in the ground floor Sail Loft and watched in the wider first floor bar area by a fascinated audience of crews and Support Team. For the short time this was done it did have a sharpening effect on how evidence should not be given to the Protest Committee.
    3. Far too much time was spent in the Protest Room and on the water judging was introduced and perfected by the Team. Grateful thanks to Harry Cudmore. His strenuous efforts in the Protest Room precipitated the need for an alternative.
    4. Foul and an immediate punishment was dealt out instantly on the water.
    5. Apart from the dubious benefits of having expert witnesses in the crew this avoided unnecessary waste of evening time in the Protest room.
    6. Previously one wrong move in the protest room and you lost. 
    7. Now even if a boat served his penalty there were plenty of examples of boats coming back and getting the better of the opposing boat and winning.
    8. It probably also resulted in less long lasting and enduring aggravation and grievance.
    9. Neutral onboard witnesses usually positioned on the stern or sugar scoop to give nearby Umpires in RIBS indications of any overlap of the opposing boat.
    10. A collection of very experienced “On the Water Umpires” began to be trained and employed not only in home waters but worldwide. Our own John Doerr being in the lead on most of this hard work to produce world-class expertise.
  1. Match Racing – the Racecourse, Competition Boats & the Committee Boat/s.
    1. In the 1970’s the windward leeward course was copied from previous Match Racing events – which had its roots in the Americas Cup.
    2. A beat of 1 mile was used during the 1970’s starting with a beat & often finishing on a beat. This would have meant the Committee Boat or a 2nd Committee Boat being on station at the windward mark to do the finishing.  Competing boats would then have to trundle all the way back downwind to the Leeward Committee Boat for the next Flight of races.
    3. The racing was sited in the Solent or Christchurch Bay.
    4. Often cross-tides favoured one side of the course, which was a problem as it made an unfair course.
    5. As all instruments were disabled – the boats did not have an echo sounder – so to prevent competing boats grounding - a fence of 4 or 5 buoys in row at a safe depth away in deeper water from the shore would when necessary be established. No boat was allowed to sail inside the fence line.
    6. When the World Match Racing Event was held for the second time, the RLym YC had the honour in 1989 & it was held in Christchurch Bay. The course initially was a mile beat and approx. 1¾ mile run and then turn upwind to the finish – usually twice round. With 6 flights to each round it took a considerable time to complete.  The boats acquired by Ken Robinson were a Beneteau Europe 35ft with a fractional rig and runners – quite a handful at a windy gybe mark – A couple of contestants lost their damage deposit when they clashed masts in the middle of the week and dropped them into the sea.  Lessons quickly leant were the ideal match racing boats wanted to be robust and that shorter courses with lots of corners was the answer.
    7. One experiment that was tried in order to maintain a perfect windward line was for the Committee Boat to be anchored as usual at one end of the line. A second Committee Boat [Nelson 44 Blue Ranger] at the other not anchored but gently motoring forward and backward to maintain the line exactly at 90 degrees to the shifting wind. Great accuracy for a fair start line and Les Hills had to buy a new gearbox for one of the twin engines. This idea was not repeated.
    8. Reasonably quickly over the years the length of course became shorter with a beat to windward of 600 – 900m
    9. The Leeward mark leg was shortened & came closer upwind towards the Start line.
    10. Using the Committee Boat, as both a Start Boat & a Finish Boat became the norm soon after the early events.
    11. In 1980, Competitors were officially told the Jury were afloat.
    12. To prevent boats wanting to finish or pass through on the start of their second lap & tangling with boats later in the start sequence that were still manoeuvring in prestart, the finish line was positioned on the other side of the Committee Boat.
    13. With strong Solent tides what was a good course, for the beat could often end up as a broad reach on the way back down to the Leeward mark, which made for boring uncompetitive racing downwind. A wing mark was introduced up tide of the windward mark to be rounded as the second mark before bearing away downwind. The distance between Windward Mark 1 and the Wing Mark 2 could be determined by calculating the strength of the tide so that the offset downwind produced an even gybe on both tacks downwind. Thus the match racing attacking and defending on the run became competitive despite the tide.  A neat trick at slack tide was to attach Buoy 2 to Buoy 1 thus no wing leg but the Race instruction did not need to changed and the boats could round Buoys as instructed.
    14. The course area chosen was for many years to the East of the Platform & the Lymington River. But a different area was tried, tested and used many times in later years. This became know to the Support Team as “Keyhaven Bight”. The area inside Hurst Spit close to the beach it had very sluggish tides which was a blessing. It also had the tide moving from the mainland southwards along the spit towards Hurst Narrows for about 9 out of the 12 hour tidal sequence. Which was a benefit and saved re-anchoring due to tidal changes. Another benefit of this location was that the Sea Breeze sets in up to an hour earlier than East of the Platform and Lymington river entrance. The shallow water made quick mark laying a reality, which was a blessing to PRO’s who wanted to change their minds.
    15. The shape of the racecourse slowly evolved and a variation was to position the Leeward buoy 100m to windward of the centre of the Start Line. This enabled the boats only to use the Line when starting or finishing. However the last leg would be a run not a beat.
    16. The RLym Cup did not try this little variation on the Leeward Mark in front of the Start/Finish Line. It was developed later by others, it was to have 2 Leeward Marks and allowing the Competitors the choice which one to round. Boats running down had to pass between these two buoys and turn outwards around their buoy of choice. This had the benefit of giving the chasing boat a chance of finding clear air and not to be immediately sat on by the leading boat on the next upwind leg.  Not entirely sure RLym dreamt up this little variation but it certainly was used.
    17. The use of Rigid Inflatable Boats - RIBs - was always a boat choice for moving crews on and off the boats on the water and for on the water Umpiring.   Damage to the race boats was avoided using these ribs because of their rubber balloon sides.
  1. Boat Mother & The Boat Bosun [Equipment manager]:  
    1. This part of the RLym Cup Support Team deserves special mention.
    2. Elsa Green took on the task of Chief Boat Mum for the duration. She gathered around her a team of ladies who performed miracles at times.
    3. In the early years the boats were donated from members and friends. Some boats were proper racing boats and some were cruising boats of that class. The aim was to equalise the boats so they could race level.
    4. Boat Mums duties initially were to ensure all the donated boats gear for racing and possessions not required were taken off and the boats were down to a bare boat status, stored safely in a cargo container and after the Event was reinstalled back on the correct boat. The boat then handed back to the Owner in a satisfactory state.
    5. Roger Hawkes as Bosun [Equipment manager] took on the task of the “equalising “ all the bare boats and keeping them equal and properly fit to race. Not always an easy task – particularly in strong wind conditions with the inevitable breakages.
    6. Over the years Boat Mothers took on duties of hostess to their allotted Helmsman and his/her crew. Making sure their accommodation was satisfactory. In many cases Boat Mothers provided B&B accommodation in their own homes. This took away the boredom for these Match racers living in strange boarding houses.  The result was Lymington was a favourite venue for the Match Racers.
  1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
    1. Neil Eccles – who has taken the time to provide the Members with a tremendously interesting Club Website.
    2. Peter Bruce – provided useful missing paperwork to fill in gaps.
    3. George Tinley – helped fill in missing gaps in records and as almost permanent Reserve provided insight into how it was.
    4. Nick Ryley  - provided invaluable assistance with insights into the Preparation, Management and the Running of the Events plus making arrangements for an interview with Eileen in Cowes Spring 2011.
    5. Eileen [Caulcutt] Elliott  - had a most useful discussion 25th Feb. 2011 in her house in Cowes – managed to correct a few errors & provided some pictorial information on 1985 Event.

    2. v0.92 3 Mar 2011