Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta is almost upon us

Royal Thames Yacht Club announces 250th Anniversary Regatta © Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com

The Royal Thames Yacht Club, one of the oldest yacht clubs in the world today, is very much looking forward to welcoming competitors, their families and friends to what is shaping up to be a most remarkable summer festival of sail on the Solent. The club has worked hard, along with over 100 volunteers, to ensure not only a first-class experience on the water, but a superb social scene shoreside.

The Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta will incorporate the Royal Ocean Racing Club's IRC Nationals for classes Zero to Four that will include many of the yachts competing at this year's Admiral's Cup, the Tideway J/70 Nationals, the Etchells Nationals, the RS Elite Nationals, the Sonar Nationals, as well as the Cory Cup for the Daring Class, the Dragon Southern Area Championship and Round Three of the RS21 UK and Ireland Cup.

Furthermore, there will be fleet racing for the Mermaid Class, Classic Yachts and Cruiser divisions. All in all, the Solent will be teeming with activity, starting with the RS Elites on Wednesday 11th June.

The Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta is being run as a celebration of yacht racing in the Solent where the cooperation and understanding of all the classes and competitors is paramount for a successful regatta of such size.

Tim Hancock, RTYC Race Director has been appointed as Principal Race Officer and will be overseeing four, possibly five committee vessels around the Solent to cater for the 232 entrants. Speaking about the race management, Tim commented: "Classes will be sharing courses, but we will endeavour to stagger appropriately and for some of the fleets there will be a mix of windward/leeward and Solent mark navigation. We cannot run events of this size without the help of our incredible volunteers, over 100, and our thanks go to them. We ask of the competitors to be reasonable; we all understand the importance and prestige of national championships, trophies, Cups and resultant ranking points, and will strive to deliver the fairest racing that we can across the fleets."

The Royal Thames Yacht Club, originally known as 'The Cumberland Fleet,' issued their earliest Notice of Race in the Public Advertiser on 6 July 1775 that declared: 'A Silver Cup, the gift His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, is to be sailed for on Tuesday the 11th instant, from Westminster Bridge to Putney Bridge and back, by Pleasure Sailing Boats, from two to five tons burthen, and constantly lying above London Bridge.' That first race on the River Thames saw some 18-20 yachts compete and the club, following a breakaway in 1823, has held regattas every year for the last 250 years.

Richard Powell, Vice Commodore of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, commented: "To run a regatta of this scale, involving so many fleets, takes a lot of planning and cooperation from many parties. I would like to thank in advance all those from the Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Royal Southern Yacht Club, who will join our own Royal Thames team, in making the event possible. In addition, we will be working closely with Cowes Harbour Commission, Cowes Harbour Master, Cowes Yacht Haven and Shepards Wharf Marina to deliver this regatta, so thank you all for your support and willingness to engage in putting together this celebration of sailing in the Solent."

One of the largest fleets competing at the Royal Thames Yacht Club 250th Anniversary Regatta are the super-keen J70 class, holding their National Championships and sponsored by Tideway. Class Captain Ruby Dent is looking forward to the regatta saying: "It is our National Championships, which is the pinnacle event of our entire season. It is a non-discardable event in our 2025 Grand Slam Series, the overall placings of which will determine which teams qualify for the J/70 World Championships in Cascais 2026. Held this side of the Atlantic, Cascais is expected to be a popular and highly sought after Worlds for British teams, so the stakes are high!"

Shoreside, competitors and their families are in for a real treat with the Royal Thames Yacht Club taking over both the Cowes Yacht Haven and Shepards Marina to host a regatta village featuring daily live entertainment, music, pop-up food stalls and beverage stands.

On Saturday evening, the Club will host a sold-out Regatta Celebration Dinner for some 300 plus guests as well as a Crew Party, that will be followed by a live band, fireworks and Olympic gold medallist DJ Mark Covell will be bringing his fabulous set to Cowes to dance the night away.

With the weather looking promising and sunshine and wind in the forecast, the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta is all set to be one of the great regattas of the summer in Cowes, and a very fitting celebration for the Club's anniversary.

For further details, the Notice of Race, Competitor Safety Key Information and specific Sailing Instructions for courses A, B, C and D, please see the dedicated regatta website: racing.royalthames.com