End of Year Prize-giving 2025 at Royal Temple Yacht Club
by Peter Jackson 14 Nov 11:26 UTC
The full year of Racing at The Royal Temple Yacht Club Ramsgate included four series each for both IRC and Cruisers, plus Trophy races and Ramsgate Week.
The fleet, which contains multiple past National Champions, was added to for 2025 including by Simon Northrop & Paul Thomas's ex Richard Matthews Melges 24 Lock Stock, Gary Walters' J97 Jura, and Alan Lucas's modified E Boat 'Ziggy'. After Ziggy capsized on the delivery trip rounding Reigate to starboard on the M25, all three were on the pace from day one. Commodore Karen Cox gave out 40 of the clubs impressive array of trophies & prizes.
Peter Pearson et al's HOD 35 Buccaneer II had drawn first blood in the IRC Spring Series and Club Championship, combining the Spring & Autumn series, going on to score two more 1st and four 2nd places over the total 19 races. Lock Stock started with 6,8,5, but finished with three wins, as did Martin Law's modified Cork 1720 Flying Pig. Nick & Fiona Rawbone's First 34.7 Warrior got three podiums, and the Poupard family's X-99 Xpedite won race 2 but then got just one more podium. Peter & Alex Jackson's Pronavia 42 Sport Assassin had one podium but, now on the market, did just four races, crew training youngsters down to 6 years old. Jura did 6 races finishing close behind Assassin.
But consistency paid as John Barrett & Paul Woodward's X-362 Sport Stiletto, with a complete new set of Relling sails, backed up a 2,2,2,1 start with a 1,1,3 finish to pip Buccaneer by 2 points. Lock Stock and Flying Pig were also just 2 points apart, 4 points back in 3rd & 4th. But Flying Pig at least had the consolation of winning the Autumn Series IRC May Cup overall, with Lock Stock in 2nd ahead of Stiletto in 3rd.
The cruiser class was also closely fought to the end and decided by the last race. Anthony and Peter Dale's Corby 25 "Bad Boys" is likely the only regular racing boat with a wheelchair-bound crew member, Anthony navigating from his laptop and chair lashed midships in the rear of the boat. Over 10ft longer was John & Michelle Stoneley's Sun Odyssey 37 Pippy rating 52 points higher. These two traded blows and wins all season with only Ziggy spoiling their party with a win in race 11.
But overall Michael 'Chalky' White et al's UFO 31 Manana, with four 2nd and one 3rd place, grabbed 3rd spot from Ziggy again by just 2 points. With scores level ahead of the last race Anthony navigated Bad Boys to a win by less then a minute to win the overall and Autumn series trophies from Pippy, who had to be content with the Spring Series Cicely Cup, in which Ziggy beat Manana for 3rd behind Bad Boys.
The IRC Summer Series raced for the famous Centenary Cup also had a different podium, Flying Pig taking the Cup from a close battle between Warrior and Assassin, finally going to Warrior by 1 point when Assassin didn't do the last 2 races. Lock Stock also beat Buccaneer by 1 point for 4th, with Jura 6th and Xpedite 7th.
The Ormande Cup for the Cruiser Class Summer series saw Ziggy giving Pippy a run for her money, but failing to grab the trophy. With Bad Boys out of the picture Manana got herself the engraved glass for 3rd.
The Evening Series was split into 2 parts, part one in the IRC Class for the Neale Bowl This had a popular winner in the Thomas Families Xpedite, from Nick Rawbone's Warrior with Gary Walters & team getting their act together in Jura for 3rd. Jura did even better in the second set of races with a 2nd place from winner Warrior with Xpedite 3rd.
In the Cruiser class Pippy took the Apollo Cup with Sue Andersons Gibsea 262 Impulse making it to the 2nd step of the podium ahead of Ziggy which won the second part of the series.
In the Ladies Race the IRC Spring Festival Cup was taken by Flying Pig, and the Cruisers Mary Cup by the Stoneley's in Pippy. The club's DF95 radio controlled series is ongoing, with presently Dave Tomlinson, Paul Woodward and Peter Jackson in the podium spots.
Other trophy winners:
Crowdy Cup - Most Up and coming Junior; Chris from Lock Stock
John Morris Trophy - Most Meritorious Performance 2025; Simon Northrop. Lock Stock
Temple Mug. For services to RTYC; Chris Cox, Steve King Tommy Foster (Asst. RO)
Boynton Bowl. For services to sailing; Steve King, (Race Officer)