Cumberland Cup 2025 at Royal Thames Yacht Club - Overall
by Jack Fenwick 19 May 13:48 BST
15-17 May 2025
Royal Thames Yacht Club win the Cumberland Cup 2025 © Freddie Cardew-Smith / RYTC
The final day of the Cumberland Cup with nine teams from across the globe, saw an intense battle to secure the final place in the Gold Group before a double round robin to decide who would lift the trophy from 1781.
Five races were needed to complete the second round robin of the opening stage and while the top three were secure in Gold Group, the fourth spot was still very much up for grabs. Eastern Yacht Club were the only club of three vying for the final spot who were in control of their own destiny with Yale Corinthian and New York Yacht Club having completed their races. Eastern had one more race to sail against Corinthian Yacht Club in which victory would mean a place in the Gold Group.
Despite a valiant effort, it was not to be though as Corinthian took the win in first and second meaning the final Gold Group team was Yale Corinthian.
With much lighter winds than the previous two days racing, the course became shiftier than usual with delays and recalls more frequent than hoped for. Unperturbed, the race team lead by the iconic Keith Sammons squeezed 22 races in to every available gap. While the top four teams were fighting it out in a double round robin, the silver group were battling for the final places in the standings. The difficult winds proved extra challenging for some and made heroes of others as the read the breeze just that little bit better.
The Swedish team, who had not managed to secure a win in the opening series, managed to snatch not one but two wins in the Silver stage and the cheer from all the other clubs as they took that first win could probably have been heard back home in Stockholm. St Francis Yacht Club, who had also had a disappointing opening series, sailed a flawless round winning four from four races to top the Silver Group and take fifth overall just ahead of Eastern Yacht Club.
In the Gold group, Royal Thames continued their winning ways, taking the first of two rounds undefeated, Yale Corinthian were also on form in the light winds finishing the first round in second place. With the second round progressing slowly it became clear that a final was less and less likely. In the end, the penultimate race of the Gold Group became the de facto final with a winner takes all race between Royal Thames Yacht Club and Yale Corinthian Yacht Club. Royal Thames looked like they would continue their winning ways as they lead comfortably round mark 2 on to the run but a text book chase down by the Yale Corinthian team brought them back in to contention by mark three.
The Thames team again looked to take the lead on to the final beat but some great sailing by Yale took the race out to the left of the finish with everyone blocking everyone from getting back to the line in a winning combination. Eventually, a penalty on one of the Yale boats brought the spin cycle to it's conclusion and the Thames team took the win and with it, an unassailable lead and victory in the Cumberland Cup.
With first place decided, there were two races left to decide the final spots on the podium. Corinthian would take on Royal Thames followed by Seawanhaka vs Yale. With Royal Thames winning their final race against Corinthian, the stage was now set for Yale Corinthian to either secure second place, or set up a three way tie. A tight battle all around the course saw the race come down to the last few metres with Seawanhaka trying to block their opponent out past the committee boat having taken a lovely little gust to bring them in to position.
In the end though, they were just not quite close enough to make the block stick and Yale Corinthian managed to sneak the tack in ang get across the line to take the win, and with it second place, with Corinthian YC taking third.
As the teams made their way ashore, the Thames team was greeted with an obligatory spraying of Nyetimber sparkling wine and a rapturous applause from their fellow competitors who had been enjoying a cold beer outside the clubhouse watching the action unfold. A jubilant Royal Thames team then congratulated their fellow competitors on a well sailed regatta, enjoying a cold drink before everyone had to run off to get ready for the Prizegiving dinner back at the Knightsbridge clubhouse.
With the first two courses of an excellent dinner out of the way a somewhat raucous prize-giving got under way before dessert. Captain of Team Racing, Guy Brearey got the proceedings under way with thank yous to all of the volunteers who made the event happen with multiple standing ovations to the various groups who had worked tirelessly before getting down to the details of the results.
As each place was read out, so eager to give their thanks were most teams that the microphone was regularly stolen to give thanks and in some cases, history or geography lessons (don't ask...) but nothing will top the Swedish team from Gamla Stans who gave their rendition of the Swedish entry to the Eurovision Song Contest which they were missing to compete at the Cumberland Cup.
On receiving the Cumberland Cup, a trophy considerably older than the Americas Cup, team Captain Murray Hampshire declared, "To beat such great American teams, team racing, in Sonars, is a great achievement for our team. Now all we have to do is replicate this result when we compete in your home clubs through the summer. We're coming for you!"
Wrapping up the prize-giving, Guy said, "Team Racing is a really important part of the Royal Thames DNA. The current Team Racing programme includes a wide range of events, both home and away, and the Cumberland Cup is our flagship International home event.
"This year's regatta saw the best yacht clubs and the best sailors go head to head in a very closely fought regatta. It is always a pleasure to host the best teams in London, but to do so in our 250th anniversary year made it that much more special. The combination of top level racing and excellent social events typifies what the Thames is all about.
We are already looking forward to the Cumberland Cup 2027!"
As the festivities of the prize-giving made way to a return to the bar to compare versions of races now in the history books, Rear Commodore Sailing, Tom Partridge commented "The Cumberland Cup surpassed all our expectations. Three days of tremendous racing in challenging, shifting conditions - all credit to the race management team ensuring the event went ahead smoothly. A special mention to the nine international teams whose competitive spirit on the water was matched by their camaraderie ashore.
"It was both an honour and a pleasure for us at the Royal Thames to host such a prestigious team racing event."
Full results: events.ksail.co.uk/RTYC/2025/CumberlandCup
The Cumberland Cup will return in May 2027 as plans are already being formed to make it bigger and better than ever before.