Cumberland Cup 2025 at Royal Thames Yacht Club - Preview
by Jack Fenwick 15 May 14:10 BST
15-17 May 2025
Cumberland Cup at Royal Thames YC © James Tomlinson / RYTC
Nine of the best international Team Racing Clubs have gathered in London for the biennial Cumberland Cup.
From Thursday to Saturday the teams of eight sailors will compete in two vs two team racing in a double round robin to select the top four teams who will fight it out for their chance to win the coveted trophy with roots dating back to the foundations of the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1775.
Gamla Stans Yacht Society, captained by Andreas Rosenlew have been competing at many recent international events and include a 6th at the Palmer Trophy and 2nd in the Swedish National Team Race in 2024 and are aiming high for the Cumberland Cup.
With seven of the nine teams hailing from the USA, there is significant risk of the trophy taking a transatlantic flight post event. Cumberland Cup debutants, Corithian Yacht Club lead by captain Jamie Ewing are excited to attend the event for the first time with a new team and are looking forward to having a blast both on and off the water. St Francis Yacht Club, with Jeff Holder in charge, are fresh off a win in the 2024 Cornerstone Cup but have confessed that they'd really rather win the Cumberland Cup! Kelsey Wheeler, captain of the Eastern Yacht Club team loves the welcome they receive not only from the hosts but all the other competing teams who make it such a fun event on and off the water, with a second place at the Global Team Race Regatta last year and first place in the Soiland in 2023, they are sure to be fighting it out at the front.
Predicted to take second place by the competing teams, New York Yacht Club have a results list too long to detail but their Captain Natalya Doris said "The Cumberland Cup is one of the premiere international team race regattas and something we look forward to. The RTYC are gracious hosts, putting on an excellent event on and off the water. We are so excited to be here & celebrate the club's 250th anniversary."
With home field advantage, the Royal Thames Yacht Club may be the bookies favourite but the team, lead by Murray Hampshire fresh from wins in the Carmela Cup and a semi-final spot at the Wilson trophy is under no illusions, "we really want to defend our title in this the clubs sesquicentennial anniversary year but we have some very strong competition to compete against so we will have to work hard for each and every win."
Whilst the racing is hard fought, the teams have a great social scene to look forward to with activities not only in the Knightsbridge clubhouse but also a reception at the Houses of Parliament and a more low key British affair with garden games in Hyde Park.
Racing will be covered over the three days on Facebook and Instagram and the results will be updated live at events.ksail.co.uk/RTYC/2025/CumberlandCup and of course with racing close to the shore you can always pop along to Queen Mary Sailing Club and see the action up close.