Racing Records, 1890.
| 1890 | Starts | Prizes | Figure of merit | ||
| First | Other | Total | |||
| 5-Rating Class | |||||
| Glycera | 43 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 37 |
| Alwida | 40 | 11 | 13 | 30 | 29 |
| Archee | 14 | 04 | 05 | 09 | 20 |
| Valentine | 26 | 05 | 04 | 09 | 15 |
| Quinque | 39 | 02 | 10 | 12 | 04 |
| Fair Geraldine | 13 | 00 | 01 | 01 | 00 |
| 2½-Rating Class | |||||
| The Babe | 27 | 15 | 06 | 21 | 44 |
| Humming Bird | 33 | 12 | 03 | 15 | 29 |
| Dolphin | 26 | 07 | 06 | 13 | 21 |
| Cock-a-Whoop | 33 | 04 | 18 | 22 | 10 |
| Thalassa | 10 | 01 | 00 | 01 | 06 |
| Mliss | 34 | 02 | 10 | 12 | 05 |
| Troublesome | 22 | 01 | 05 | 06 | 03 |
Lord Dunraven became Commodore of the Castle Club in the spring. He was already an avowed champion for and a generous supporter of small yacht racing, and during the winter—to be precise, on November 23, 1889—he wrote an epoch-marking letter to the 'Field' which produced good fruit. In it he said:—
May I add a word about the small classes on the Solent? Your remarks in your issue of the 9th inst. were, I think, rather unfair upon the 5's. Roughly speaking, I suppose the cost of a 20 is about three-fifths more than the cost of a 10; a 10 costs nearly two-thirds more than a 5, and a 5 would come to about double the expense of a 2½. The proportional initial expense diminishes according to size; but the converse is the case in respect of working expenses.
The crew of a 2½ can sail a 5, but double the crew of a 5 will be found in a 10, and a 20 will require another couple of hands and a pilot in addition to the crew of a 10.
The 5's and 20's appear to be the cheapest classes. Nothing can be more delightful than a 2½. It is the perfection of racing of its kind; but the absence of any accommodation below is a serious drawback under certain circumstances, especially to persons living at a distance.
In a 5 you can change clothes, boil a kettle, and, on a pinch, sleep.
The 5-Raters, 1890.
Lord Dunraven's boat 'Alwida' and Mr. P. Perceval's boat 'Glycera' were designed by Payne and built at Southampton; Col. Bucknill's 'Quinque' was designed by her owner and built at Hamble in a very substantial manner by Luke & Co.