Skip to content

Centenary of the A Class Championship

Vane A Class at Gosport

5 World Champions, countless National Champions, a Cadet World Champion (age 12), 8 previous winners (some multiple times!!) and many multi generational teams are all heading to Gosport Model Yacht Club for the centenary of the Scrutton Cup (The A class Championship trophy) and the Yachting Monthly Cup (originally for International competition and was the model yachting equivalent of the Americas Cup.

Given in 1923 The YM cup was raced for by a challenger & defender, and was intended to use Model Yachts to test design ideas which could be used in full size yachts of the day. Such was the interest within the MYA that Herbert Scrutton presented a separate trophy for the MYA championship for A class yachts. Initially this championship was the British Empire Championship and was therefore only open to British passport holders but after the racing resumed following a wartime break the event became the MYA British Open A class Championship for competition by all Nations.

Raced for over 5 days, with the YM cup now a separate stand alone knock out event, the event will be hotly contested with Walsh, Stollery, Roberts, Harris, and Bantock , all names you’d expect to find in the top of the leader board at the IOM Nationals, joined by some past winners Alex Austin, Dave Geldard, Graham Butler, and Shaun Wyeth. Also we have new boy on the block MYA Racing Officer Nigel Barrow’s first event Vane sailing but with his analytical mind, he’ll so get the hang of it!! Another notable fact is the Wyeth family’s contribution to the event, with Graham assisting with the starting, and Shaun & his 3 sons all racing boats. This must surely be a record of 4 boats all from the same family!!! Also watch out for Lewis Wyeth, Shaun’s eldest son, who won the Northern District Championship at Fleetwood yesterday with 11 boats racing.

We expect about 20 boats (40 sailors) will be taking part in the weeklong event (30th July to 4th August) which is preceded, on sat 29th July, by a separate day racing for classic & vintage A class boats with boats from 1970’s and before right back to the 1930’s.

Interesting note………….. Of the GBR winners of the MYA IOM Nationals only one has never raced a free sailing (vane) A class boat!!

Lots happening, come and see it!!

https://www.gosportmybc.club/

Derek Priestley
MYA President

Back To Top
No results found...