The Medway Yacht Club Cruiser Class

The Cruiser Race Race Programme consists a number of different race series,  plus some individual or novelty races.
We currently run parallel races for two different Handicap Classes,   Class A and Class B :
Class A is for RORC IRC rated boats and Class B is for MYC PN rated boats.

Please note the MYC Schedule of Races this year includes several races organised by other clubs, including Upnor Sailing Club, Medway Cruising Club, Royal Engineers Yacht Club, Royal Temple Yacht Club, EAORA and Sail EAST.

Click on the appropriate button for a brief description or scroll to the Schedule of Races below for dates / start times.
 

Captains Cup             Class A Over-All Season Championship	Gill Cup                   Class B Over-All Season Championship
Spring Series ( Sp )                6 race series for Class A and B	Summer Series ( Su )        6 race series for Class A and B
Maximium Cup Series ( ML )  6 short race series for Class A	Limbo Cup Series ( ML )    6 short race series for Class B
Autumn Series  ( Au )             4 race series for Class A and B	REYC Mary Cup race          REYC race for members + visitors
MYC EAORA Janes Cup         Race from Burnham to Medway	USC Frostbite                    3 race series for Class A and B
The MYC Medway Regatta    4 day Regatta for Class A and B	RTYC  Ramsgate Week     6 day Regatta for Class A

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Notes on the Cruiser Race Programme
For the definitive details of each race or series, please refer to the relevant Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions.

The Captain's Cup for Class A and the Gill Cup for Class B.
These are the two main Cruiser Class trophies awarded to the Over-All Champions of Class A and Class B for the season.
These two trophies will be awarded on the aggregate score counting each boat's two place scores in the Spring and Summer series described below.  For details of scoring method, including tie breaks, refer to current Cruiser Class Sailing Instructions.
Quality engraved keepsake glassware prizes will also be presented to the two winners and runners up.

The Spring Series  ( Sp )  for Class A and Class B.
This is a series of six trophy races in both the Class A and Class B race programmes, with the best 4 results to count. This series will count towards the Over-All Season Championship for the Captain's Cup (Class A) and the Gill Cup (Class B).
The races are run on Sundays, Class A starting at 0930 and Class B at 0940.  The races run from the end of April through to July, roughly twice a month,  the exact dates depending on the tides for each year.  For details see the Schedule of Races above.
Where ever possible, the dates are chosen with low water around mid day and if wind conditions permit, the courses will be around 20 to 30 miles and will normally include some legs out in the Thames Estuary.
Most of these races have a Class trophy for the winner as well as our engraved glass prizes for the place winners and Over All prizes for the series, depending upon the number of entrants in each class. The entry fee for this series of six races is £18.

The Summer Series  ( Su )  for Class A and Class B.
This is a series of six trophy races in both the Class A and Class B race programmes, with the best 4 results to count. This series will count towards the Over-All Season Championship for the Captain's Cup (Class A) and the Gill Cup (Class B).
The races are run on Sundays, Class A starting at 0930 and Class B at 0940, roughly twice a month from August through to the end of October.   Again,  the exact dates chosen depend on the tides for each year.  For details see the Schedule of Races above.
The dates are chosen with low water around mid day and if wind conditions permit, the courses will be around 20 to 30 miles and will normally include some legs out in the Thames Estuary.
Most of these races have a Class trophy for the winner as well as our engraved glass prizes for the place winners and Over All prizes for the series, depending upon the number of entrants in each class.  The entry fee for this six race series is £18.

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The Maximum / Limbo Series  ( ML )  for the Maximum Cup (Class A) and and the Limbo Cup (Class B).
Starting from 2006, this former MYC series has been expanded to a series of six short "in river" races for both the Class A and Class B boats, with the best 4 results to count.
It is named after the X99 called "Maximum", in memory of Peter Smith, who was a member of both Upnor SC and MedwayYC.
It combines both the former MYC "Proton" series of 4 races and UCS "Maximum" series ( previously run by Peter Smith ) in a new six race series jointly sponsored by the three clubs, USC, MYC and MCC, with two races organised by each club using their own start and finish lines. ( see NOR and Sailing Instructions for details)
This combined series does not count towards the MYC Over-All Season Championships for the  Captain's Cup  and Invicta Trophy.
The races are run on Sundays, Class A starting at 1030 and Class B at 1040, roughly twice a month from May through to July. Because these races normally take place on days when H.W. is around mid-day, the courses set will inevitably be fairly short in distance and all have a 4 hour time limit.  The courses should also take account of the wind strength and the inevitable foul tide legs.
Although there are no trophies for the individual races in this series, the winner of Class A will be presented with the Maximum Cup and the winner of Class B the Limbo Cup at our Annual Prizegiving party at the Strood Plate Dinner at the end of October. There are also glassware prizes for the individual races and the over all place winners, depending on the number of entries in each Class.
The entry fee for this six race series is £18.

The Autumn Series  ( Au )  for Class A and Class B.
This extremely popular end of season fun series is run on consecutive Sundays in November and attracts a large number of visitors from other clubs and the MYC Sonata OD Class.This is a series of four short "in river" round the cans races for both Class A and Class B, with committee boat starts down river at 0930 and 0940 respectively. There is a three hour time limit and a trot boat service designed to get everybody back in the warmth of the bar by  lunch time for some serious post race mortems. The best three results count and there is a traditional sit down hot lunch and prize giving immediately after the last race, when about 30 engraved Cruiser Class glasses are presented as individual race and Over All prizes and the winner of Class A receives the famous wooden Autumn Trophy. The entry fee for this four race series is £10.

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In addition to our four main Series of races described above,  we also run the following individual races :

The MYC / EAORA Janes Cup Race  for Class A boats only.
This race is for four of the Club's premier racing trophies and is our traditional contribution to the EAORA Off-Shore series for IRC rated boats. This race is started in Burnham by the Royal Corinthian YC and we organise the finish, either by committee boat at a mark or the course somewhere down off Garrisons point or at a finishing line off Gillingham. There is a Prizegiving Party and supper back at the MYC club after the race, when the Jane's Cup is presented to the Over All winner, with the winners of the three EAORA divisions picking up the Vendetta Cup, the Garrison Trophy and the Dutch Cup.
Free river moorings and a trot boat service are normally made available for visiting competitors.
The entry form is in the EAORA handbook and the normal EAORA race fees and safety inspections apply.
There is usually a back to back EAORA race starting in the Medway on the Sunday morning and returning to the east coast.

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The Harty Trophy and Invicta Trophy races   for Class A and Class B.
Weather permitting, these are traditionally longer races out into the Thames estuary.   In order to maximise the time spent racing in the Estuary, this race may be finished down river.   This may be achieved by sailing to our normal Sailing Instructions with a Committee boat shortening course at a normal mark of the course, for example at the North Kent buoy.  Alternatively,  Supplementary Sailing Instructions may be issued which define an alternative Finish Line, for example in Stangate Creek.
The Class Committee may organise a post race party and encourage all competitors to  join in.  This may involve a "raft up" in Stangate Creek or a jolly ashore  in Queenborough. ( Details of any social "event" will be given to all entrants prior to the race ).
This race is one of the Spring or Summer Series races,  see the Schedule of Races for date chosen for this year.

The Ramsgate Bowl    for IRC rated Class A boats only.
This trophy was originally awarded to the winner of a feeder race to Ramsgate the weekend before the RTYC  Ramsgate Week Regatta.  This year, as in recent years, the Ramsgate Bowl will be awarded to the MYC boat that scores best over the entire Week, using the RTYC points scored for the "Whole Week" series.

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In addition the MYC Cruiser Class races described above,  we also support MYA race series and other local Regattas.

The USC Frostbite Series.
This USC series of three races for both Class A and Class B follow straight on from the MYC Autumn Series. The races start and finish at the USC line and have similar short in river courses. For details on entry, sailing instructions, courses and prizes, contact the MYA Race Series Organiser, Peter Smith at Cabin Yacht Stores.

The Medway Cruiser and Keelboat Regatta
The MYC organises and hosts the four day / five race series for Cruisers and Keelboats in the Medway Regatta,  run under the auspices of the MYA.  This Regatta is normally run over 4 days in mid July. from a Thursday through to the Sunday..The dates are chosen to give reasonable tides and with fair breezes, the courses will be around 15 to 20 miles.   For both Class A and Class B, there will be two back to back races on the Saturday, with committee boat starts and finishes, giving a five race series over the four days with one discard allowed.  Details will be given in the Medway Regatta NOR and Sailing Instructions.  (Contact the MYA ).
For Class A,  the three weekend races also count for the Sail EAST Championship series.
There will be prizes for each daily race plus Over All prizes for each Class and IRC Division.
The social scene at the MYC includes post race parties on Friday and Saturday nights with meals and music, and there will be a full bar and galley service during all four days.
Visiting yachts to the Medway will be allocated free river moorings and the club trot boat will be running all hours.
In addition, the USC organises an All Comers Cruiser race for Class A, B and Sonatas on the Wednesday evening, starting around 1900 hours,  followed by a race party and prize giving. Full details are in the Notice of Race and Entry Form, which are also published in the MYA Regatta Handbook which should be available from the MYC office in May. See Contacts page.

The RTYC  Ramsgate Week Regatta.
Ramsgate Week is now a major IRC event in the South East and has regularly attracted over 100 entries, including a good number of boats from France, Belgium and Holland.  MYC visitors thoroughly enjoy "The Week", both on and off the water, and the mixture of a superb open sea sailing area and brilliant on shore facilities and free live entertainment every night in "The Tent" makes this without doubt a very popular Regatta.
The first weekend races count towards the Sail East Championship and this year the Regatta will be held in August. (see Race schedule above).
For more details on Ramsgate Week contact the Royal Temple Yacht Club (see Contacts) or visit the RTYC web site where you can enter on line.

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