Queen's Cup

Focus for sailing enthusiasts for the next week is the world famous Cowes Week regatta, and top yachtsmen will tomorrow  be pitting their skills on the waters of the Solent for this magnificent gold trophy, the Queen’s Cup.
The  Cup is the Royal Southampton’s Yacht Club’s premier trophy and is traditionally awarded to the winn
The historic  Cup was originally presented to the Royal Southampton Club by Queen Victoria 1897, her Diamond Jubilee year.and is the prime trophy for the first day’s racing at Cowes Week each year,  which is organised and run by the Royal Southampton Club.
Just eleven boats entered the first Queen's Cup race in August 1897; today the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, attracts up to 1,000 yachts and 8,000 sailors from around the world.
The Cup has subsequently been raced for on the opening day of Cowes Week although for a period it mysteriously disappeared to be re-discovered in 1937 in a second-hand shop in Cardiff by a club member and was bought back for the princely sum of £35.

Tomorrow, top yachtsmen competing at Cowes on the first day of racing will set their sights on the Queen’s Cup as the key trophy for the day.