| Yacht Clubs and Sailing Clubs | 1887 | 1888 | 1892 | ||||||||||
| 21'2½ | 17'1¼ | Total | 10 | 5 | 2½ | Total | 10 | 5 | 2½ | 1 | ½ | Total | |
| Royal Yacht Squadron | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Royal London | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Royal Southern | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Royal Victoria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Royal Albert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| Royal Southampton | 7 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 36 |
| Solent Yacht Club | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Royal Portsmouth Corinthian | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 29 |
| Castle Yacht Club | (started) | 5 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 41 | ||
| Island Sailing Club | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
| Minima Sailing Club | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 23 |
| Bembridge Sailing Club | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 16 |
| Totals | 10 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 6 | 34 | 66 | 7 | 40 | 65 | 64 | 75 | 251 |
CLASS RACING, 1888.
Early in 1888, delegates from several of the Solent clubs met at the house of the Royal Southampton, to settle the difficult question of the classes of small racing yachts to be encouraged on the Solent, it having become clear that racing under a rating of length alone was played out.
The Y.R.A. recommended that 10-, 5-, and 2½-rating, by the new formula L. × S.A. ÷ 6,000, should be encouraged as the small classes, but the Scotch and Irish clubs favoured 6- and 3-raters as better suiting their 3-tonners, which had been produced under the 1730 rule, and were about 6-rating. After a lively correspondence in the 'Field,' in which the Editor steered a middle course between the Southern buoys and the Northern shallows, the conference at Southampton decided to adopt the classes recommended by the Y.R.A., and there has been no cause to regret this decision.
10-, 5-, and 2½-raters consequently became known as the 'Solent Classes,' and the limits on S.A. in mainsail and on L.O.A. were quashed, no objection being raised by vested interests.
The 10 class racing this year mainly consisted of a duel between Mr. Clarke's new 10, the 'Dis,' and Mr. Arabin's 6½-rater, the 'Lollypop,' built for cruising, but a very fast and capable boat (see table opposite).
The lengthers 'Verena' and 'Frolic,' each about 7-rating, tried their luck on a few occasions, but they were soon proved to be outclassed under the rating rule. 'Little Nell,' 'Raven,' 'Ina,' and 'Jenny Wren' also competed. 'Dis' finished the season with the excellent figure of merit 52.2, and 'Lollypop' with 34.6. This figure of merit is found by the formula proposed by Colonel F. J. Smith, R.E., in 1890, viz.:
M = 100P ÷ (N + √N + 2)
where M is the figure of merit
N is the number of starts
P is the number of first prizes,