CLASS RACING, 1892
began, so to speak, with a conference of club delegates under the hospitable roof of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, on the last Saturday in February. An amicable meeting agreed to encourage as many open races as possible by withdrawing the restriction that owners and helmsmen should be members of the clubs.[9] It was also decided that the classes 'not exceeding ½-rating,' and 'exceeding ½-rating but not exceeding 1-rating,' should be added to 'the Solent classes,' and be supported by the yacht and sailing clubs on the Solent. Dates for match days were agreed to, and the meeting separated.
The result was satisfactory, as better sport in the small classes was seen on the Solent in 1892 than in any previous year.
Racing Records, 1892.
| 1892 | Starts | Prizes | Figure of merit | ||
| First | Other | Total | |||
| 5-Rating Class | |||||
| Dacia | 31 | 23 | 04 | 27 | 59 |
| Cyane | 12 | 06 | 04 | 10 | 34 |
| Windfall | 09 | 04 | 04 | 08 | 29 |
| 2½-Rating Class | |||||
| Gareth | 09 | 05 | 01 | 06 | 36 |
| Faugh-a-Ballagh | 49 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 26 |
| Polynia | 25 | 07 | 05 | 12 | 22 |
| Papoose | 41 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 20 |
| Hoopoo | 44 | 09 | 17 | 26 | 17 |
| Cockatoo | 40 | 07 | 08 | 15 | 14 |
| Molly | 41 | 05 | 14 | 19 | 10 |
| Stork | 36 | 04 | 05 | 09 | 09 |
| Bud | 33 | 02 | 08 | 10 | 05 |
| 1-Rating Class | |||||
| Doushka | 23 | 13 | 03 | 16 | 44 |
| Nansheen | 32 | 15 | 08 | 23 | 38 |
| Pup | 23 | 07 | 08 | 15 | 23 |
| Rogue | 45 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 20 |
| Mahatma | ? | 12 | 18 | 30 | ? |
| Barbet | ? | 01 | 12 | 13 | ? |
| ½-Rating Class | |||||
| No complete records | |||||
The 10-Raters, 1892.
An attempt to revive the 10-R. class was made by Mr. J. Gretton, jun., who built the 'Doreen' from a design by Mr. W. Fife, jun. She forms a startling exponent of the modern racer.
Her mainsail, a lug, contains 1,061 square feet of canvas by Y.R.A. measurement, her total S.A. being 1,572, her L.W.L. 38 feet, and her L.O.A. 56.5 feet (see table for 10-raters). A fine, seaworthy craft, fast in a breeze, but not so good in light winds owing to the absence of a sky-scraper. She has the divided skirt forward, but the forestay is taken through the deck some distance inside the stem-head, this having an O.H. of 8.2 feet. This arrangement was used for a similar reason on the cutter yacht 'Margaret,' 265 tons, illustrated in the 'Field,' 1853.
