The BYC had three team racing matches in 2024.
The first two took place over the weekend of 11th and 12th May.
BYC v RNSA
The Saturday was the match against the Royal Navy Sailing Association, sailed in J70s in Cowes. The Navy kindly transported the Bar team over to Cowes from Gosport in one of His Majesty’s few remaining ships – a curious vessel more like a small version of the Red Jet than the rib normally used to ferry the sailors between Portsmouth and Seaview.
The weather was perfect, as was the initial performance of the Bar team putting the BYC in a commanding lead by lunchtime. If only we had not stopped to eat our packed lunches… The heroics of the morning could not be repeated and the Bar slumped to a narrow defeat by 5 races to 3.
What made the day such a success was having an on-the-water umpire – whilst not every member of the team agreed with every decision she made, having an umpire made a huge difference to the quality of the team racing.
We retired to the Globe on the seafront for drinks, to discover that even the most aggressive member of the Navy team was in fact a thoroughly decent chap, before the Navy returned to their vessel and we made our way across the Island to Seaview for dinner in the Old Fort.
BYC v SVYC
On the Sunday the Bar sailed against Seaview Yacht Club in the Mermaids. The Bar started strongly, but again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Along the way, there were some frank exchanges about the rules. Oh how the umpire was missed! The club has vowed never to team race again without an umpire. Expectations for an umpired match against Seaview in 2025 are already running high. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the Bar’s year.
Bar v Bench
The final match was the annual Bar v Bench, also in Cowes in the J70s, on Saturday 21st September. Sadly, the title of the match was something of a misnomer this year – no full-time members of the judiciary participated, so it was “junior bar” vs “senior bar”. It did at least mean that the Bar was guaranteed a win, and it was the junior bar that secured it after an excellent day of tight racing in Osborne Bay, expertly umpired by George Potter who even managed to make a video of the racing. Please click on the link below to view the video, which even includes some commentary.
As usual, the event culminated with an excellent dinner at the RYS at which John Ungley presented the Gut to our Hon Secretary Andrew Venables on behalf of the (junior) bar.
The general view was that 2024 provided the best team racing anyone could remember, thanks in part to clement weather but more importantly to the introduction of on-the-water umpires. It really transformed the racing. The plan is to repeat this format for 2025 so we hope to see as many members as possible at these events.
Crispin Winser KC
Racing Captain