2003 Setley Cup model yacht race

by Mark Jardine 2 Jan 2004 20:24 GMT 26 December

The Setley Cup model yacht race held on a small pond just outside Lymington is a traditional meeting of top sailors, enthusiastic children and taped together plastic bottles. 39 model yachts, mostly constructed at home on Christmas day entered the 2003 event with a near even mix of monohulls and multihulls.

Many top sailors and designers bring their creations along to race in the Setley Cup. This year was no exception with names such as John Doerr, Jonathan Rogers, Jez Fanstone, Stuart Jardine, Dave Bedford and Chris Mason all seen either watching the racing or wading a little too deep for their boots into the lake to retrieve a stricken model.

The format of the racing is very simple, four races across the lake with points awarded like any other regatta. There are no bouys to navigate around since the models are allowed no radio-controls. Many varied methods are used to try and pursuade yachts to stay in a straight line during their voyage to various degrees of success.

A brisk, cold wind made the racing exciting with the 2ft long boats getting up to surprising speeds at times. In the monohulls Matthew Bye sailing a model of an old 'Robber' design won. Richard Mason took the multihull class with three victories in the four races.

The Setley Cup was awarded to Matthew Bye for the monohull victory with the Seahorse Cup going to Richard Mason for the multihull win. Afterwards everyone went off to various Boxing Day parties to discuss designs for next year's event or to dry socks and boots belonging to both children and their parents who had ventured too deep into the water...

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Skipper	R1	R2	R3	R4	Pts
Monohull
1	8	Matthew Bye	1	2	3	2	5
2	1	Harry Worthington	2	4	5	4	10
3	12	Simon Mason	3	5	2	7	10
4	16	Jake Fanstone	4	6	6	8	16
5	15	Aaron Merton	22	8	7	3	18
6	4	Tallulah Rogers	22	1	4	22	27
7	17	Hector Hurst	22	3	21	5	29
8	2	Chris Felstead	22	7	22	6	35
9	3	Vita Heathcote	22	7	22	6	35
10	6	Nick Hassell	22	9	22	9	40
21=	20	Sam Batten	22	22	22	22	66
21=	7	Jack Clifford	22	22	22	22	66
21=	5	Otto Figueivedo	22	22	22	22	66
21=	19	Sam Hall	22	22	22	22	66
21=	14	Kate Hardacre	22	22	22	22	66
21=	10	Charlotte/William Laurence/Redford	22	22	22	22	66
21=	18	Georgia Leach	22	22	22	22	66
21=	21	Oliver Porter	22	22	22	22	66
21=	13	Zak Smith	22	22	22	22	66
21=	9	Hannah/Thomas Snellgrove/Dudley	22	22	22	22	66
21=	11	Connie Stock	22	22	22	22	66
Multihull
1	8	Richard Mason	1	4	1	1	3
2	2	James Bye	2	3	19	2	7
3	1	Esme Worthington	4	2	3	19	9
4	5	Rowan Merton	3	19	4	3	10
5	6	Bobby/Daisey Haines	19	8	5	6	19
6	14	Alex Wilcox	19	19	2	3	24
7	10	James Wood	19	6	19	5	30
8	15	Lizzie Wilcox	19	5	19	7	31
9	11	Nick Hardacre	19	1	19	19	39
10	12	Edward Walrock	19	19	6	19	44
11	9	Yenei Tinley	19	7	19	19	45
18=	17	Luke Aitkin	19	19	19	19	57
18=	16	Andrew Austin	19	19	19	19	57
18=	13	Greg Carey	19	19	19	19	57
18=	3	Charlie Davis	19	19	19	19	57
18=	4	Will Davis	19	19	19	19	57
18=	18	Richard Gale	19	19	19	19	57
18=	7	Magnus Lee	19	19	19	19	57