Squib Gold Cup 2025 at Royal Corinthian Yacht Club - Preview
by Petru Balau 28 Apr 12:20 PDT
3-4 May 2025
Gavin Kemp sailing on the River Crouch © Petru Balau Sports Photography / sports.hub47.com
A large fleet of local and travelling boats is expected to compete in the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Squib Gold Cup, a 'must-do' for many East Coast Squib sailors, over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
The second event on the National Squib Owners Association 2025 calendar, the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Squib Gold Cup is scheduled for the early May Bank Holiday weekend, 3rd and 4th of May and will no doubt be an excellent example of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club unforgettable blend of racing and hospitality.
The 8 races scheduled over two days, with a Pan Asian themed bistro on Saturday evening, followed by a DJ set and the Sunday Prize Giving dinner prepared by the renowned Corinthian's chefs, are going to be contested by an eclectic mix of current and past National Championships winners, Burnham Week winners and a number of squibbing world legends sprinkled in for good measure.
Predicting the winners is going to be an almost impossible task, due to the pedigree of the sailors, as the competitors list clearly shows.
Current National Champions, Mick Wright and Alex Porteous are looking to convert the many second place finishes in the last edition into a win, while Burnham Week winners, Ray Apthorp and Ian Simons will surely have something to say about that.
Nigel Grogan, multiple past Gold Cup and National Championship winner, has enlisted the services of one of the most successful crew in the post pandemic history of the event, Chris Agar, winner of the last 3 editions, while the son, Jack, crewed by Mike Banks, in a very uncharacteristic situation for the Squib Fleet, will battle Daniel Henderson, with Hattie Henderson crewing, for the unofficial title of "best young dad or soon to be dad that is also helming a Squib".
The battle of the class captains will pit the ex-captain Dan Wastnage, crewed by Keith Gilmour and Charlie Mathews, to the current captain Phil Aspinall, crewed by Dave Sheppard, with Phil hoping to win the sailing, not the "who is going to fall asleep first during a party" contest.
On the visitors front, Patrick Wilton and Mike Taylor, representing the Haven Ports Yacht Club - hosts of the East Coast Championships later in July, will be joined on the water by Chip Cole and David Smith, who travelled from as far as the club next door.
With their freshly polished boat, Nick Milton and Gavin Kemp are looking forward to the weekend of, slightly faster, racing, while Nic Tolhurst and Ross Corbett are hoping to finish some races for a change.
With the racing following the championship windward/leeward course, Mark Flynn and Jonny Beale are going to find it a bit easier to not miss any marks, while Ian Scott will have to try to not break his replacement crew, Julia Batchelor.
After some impressive exploits in a Blaze earlier in the season, Malcolm Hutchings is back at the helm of his Lady Penelope and, being crewed by Andy Carley, is hoping to throw some spanners into the works of various champions, while Carl Anderson is more than happy to take a break from renovating his house and have a few races with helm Jason Phelps.
With the forecasted wind sitting well in the perfect range for Squibs, the event has all the elements to become a classic, while the freshly reopened club balcony is ready to welcome the fleet.