International 14 Century Cup - Are you old enough?
by Luke Boughton 16 Apr 2019 15:10 BST
22 June 2019
International 14 Century Cup © ISC
The Century Cup is an International 14 race held at Itchenor Sailing Club with a twist. Both the helm and crew must have a combined age of over 100.
The history of this race goes back to 1961 when Norman Moore and Captain Charles Currey donated the Century Tankard with the deed of gift saying that both helm and crew must have a combined age of over 100. There have been 27 races for the century cup with the oldest pairing winners Alan Laflin & Eric Arens from San Francisco having a combined age of 135. The oldest sailor to win the trophy was Robin Nott at 73.
The event has a handicap system which gives points to sailors with spare years over and above the 100 required to enter. There is also handicapping to enable classic and vintage 14s to compete against the latest generation of boats. It's a great opportunity for older boats and older sailors to compete on a level playing field as well as meeting up with old friends for a party afterwards.
This event brings together everything that we know and love about the I14 class, mixing the fastest boats with a history that goes back years.
The 14 is not just a young man's boat, we have sailors in the 50s and 60s and the current world champion helm is 57. Crewing an I14 in your later years is a lot more challenging but we also have crews in their 50s & 60s.
This year's instalment of the Century Cup is going to be sailed on Saturday 22nd June followed by drinks and dinner at Itchenor Sailing Club. If you are interested in this event and would potentially like to sail or spectate please let us know on our Facebook Group, 14s forever. This year we have a team from Hawaii and Italy entered as well as at least one former POW winner. We also expect a large group of past 14 sailors coming to join us for the party and as spectators.
Fourteens are indeed forever!