The season's racing was good, and the class evidently established itself in public favour. The Castle Club, then at Hamble, gave a number of races for the class, and several members of the club agreed to build 2½-raters for the coming season.
For the results see the record table for 1888 (p. [231]).
CLASS RACING, 1889
The 10-Raters, 1889.
The owner of 'Lollypop' being encouraged by her performances in 1888, commissioned Mr. Arthur Payne to design a racing 10-rater; whence it came about that the swift and handsome 'Decima' was launched from the Belvidere yard in the following spring. She was a few inches shorter than 'Dis,' but in every other respect a more powerful boat—more beam, draught, and displacement, also a larger mainsail.
The 'Drina' was built at Cowes about the same time, but she was designed simply as a 32-ft. L.W.L. day boat, and her owner, Prince Batthyany Strattmann, only decided to race her when she was already in frame. The lead keel was then dropped 1.8 foot and the sail increased 400, to 1,800 square feet. Unfortunately for 'Drina' it was a windy summer.
Mr. Ratsey tuned up his fine square-sterned yacht 'Dolly Varden' with a lovely suit of sails. Captain Montagu lengthened 'Lil' and converted her into the 9-rater 'Nety'; and Mr. Clarke brought out 'Dis' from her padlocked abode and did all that he could to make her win—but in this he was disappointed, though when beaten he stuck to the fight as only a true sportsman can.
Towards the end of the season the attention of Clydesiders was drawn to 'Decima's' long string of successes, and the sporting owners of the old 'Doris' and the new 'Yvonne' sailed them round to do battle in the Solent lists.
Racing Records, 1889.
| 1889 | Starts | Prizes | Figure of merit | ||
| First | Other | Total | |||
| 10-Rating Class | |||||
| Decima | 39 | 28 | 06 | 34 | 59 |
| Yvonne | 32 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 33 |
| Doris | 38 | 12 | 07 | 19 | 26 |
| Dis | 28 | 03 | 09 | 12 | 08 |
| 5-Rating Class | |||||
| Lollypop | 10 | 05 | 03 | 08 | 33 |
| Thief | 03 | 02 | 00 | 02 | 29 |
| Thalassa | 12 | 05 | 03 | 08 | 28 |
| Fair Geraldine | 03 | 01 | 00 | 01 | 15 |
| Cock-a-Whoop | 05 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 10 |
| Blue Bell | 09 | 01 | 03 | 04 | 07 |
| 2½-Rating Class | |||||
| Humming Bird | 38 | 25 | 04 | 29 | 54 |
| Queen Mab | 12 | 05 | 02 | 07 | 28 |
| Cosette | 19 | 04 | 06 | 10 | 15 |
| G.G. | 13 | 02 | 03 | 05 | 11 |
| Nadador | 21 | 02 | 08 | 10 | 07 |
| Madcap | 26 | 02 | 05 | 07 | 06 |
| Thalassa | 13 | 01 | 03 | 04 | 06 |
| Thief | 16 | 01 | 03 | 04 | 05 |