The Scriveners Company collects silverware at recent City sailing regattas
The Scriveners Company has collected silverware at two City sailing regattas over the last several months.
In the Autumn, we competed in the City Sailing Challenge at Seaview.
The Scriveners Company crew at Seaview: R-L, Paul Rose (Liveryman, Sheets & Trim), Emily Pite (Ringer, Mainsheet & Spinnaker Halyard), Jonathan Coutts (Notarial Deputy, Bow), Jim Miller (Liveryman, Driver).
The regatta took place in the matched fleet of Seaview Mermaids, non-planing 1.5-tonne keelboats for a crew of 3 or 4, with a fractional rig and a symmetric spinnaker with a double-ended pole. The boats are tuneable with foresail halyard tension and moveable fairleads for the headsail, and a Cunningham, outhaul, kicker and traveller for the mainsail.
With a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire/Past Master Furniture Maker at the helm, a shot of the Furniture Makers at Seaview from the Scriveners boat, just before the latter fouled the former!
Despite accidentally fouling no less than a Past Master Furniture Maker twice in the morning races, in difficult conditions including a Yachtsmen’s Gale Force 7 in the last race our trusty crew were awarded the Mermaid Trophy for the top City Livery YC boat in the regatta.
The Mermaid Trophy, awarded to the Scriveners Company as the top City Livery YC boat in the regatta.
On 16th May 2026, the Scriveners Company competed for the Lord Mayor’s Cup, the oldest cup in inter-livery sport of any type. The regatta consisted of 20 yachts and 3 keelboats and was entered by the Scriveners, the Little Ship Club, the Bar YC, the Innholders, the Gunmakers, the City Livery YC, the Royal Naval Sailing Association, the Information Technologists, the Butchers, the Grocers, the International Bankers, the Educators, Portcullis SC, the Constructors, the Barbers and the Broderers.
The Scriveners raced in Class 2 on Eagle, a Rustler 36, a type renowned for solo offshore round the world racing, with a long keel, masthead sloop rig and 3 spinnakers, namely a heavyweight symmetric useable at a true wind angle (TWA) of 135 to 180, a heavyweight Code Zero (TWA 90-135) and a lightweight Cruising Chute (TWA 125-150). Eagle raced as a crew of 5 with the very fast Fastnet and other offshore race-winning Swan 38 Xara (the Grocers) and the equally very fast Sigma 33 Kusima (the Leathersellers) in the same class.
Eagle flew the burgee of the City Livery YC high in the senior position on the starboard side and a burgee of a fierce pen-toting eagle (denoting the Scriveners) in the more junior position high up port side.
CLYC library photo: The Scriveners (blue hull, Rustler 36, Eagle), leading the equally heavyweight offshore cruiser-racer of the International Bankers (red hull, Nicholson 35, A Day at the Races) at the head of Class 2 in the 2025 City Livery Regatta.
Race 1 began on the RORC line at Cowes and the yachts beat up to the Gurnard north cardinal mark just off Egypt point before a long-ish run of nearly 2.5 miles out past the Ryde Middle Bank. Due to confusion from the race course instructions, the Scriveners thought the race allowed no spinnakers but some yachts ahead launched theirs on the run and the Scriveners then launched the big heavyweight symmetric spinnaker, causing the boat to charge down the course, past several other competitors. It was very hairy as Eagle is tail-happy and very roly-poly on a run in gusty winds as we had here, the gusts occasionally reaching 22 knots. With twin spinnaker sheets and guys and a 3 times World Champion and Olympic medallist on the foredeck, the Scriveners completed a textbook dip-pole gybe on to starboard with 5 minutes to run to the mark, followed by a fine leeward drop at the mark, under the boom and “letterbox”, down the main hatch. Beating up towards the RORC buoy (just south of the Bramble Bank) in a good fresh Force 5, the Scriveners showed a clean pair of heels to various companies in lighter boats not designed for heavy offshore work (Eagle is 8 tonnes and many boats the same length are half the weight) and came round the RORC buoy in fine fettle, then charging for the Royal London Bouy (just short of Osborne Castle’s beach) at a very good hull speed of up to 7.5 knots, slightly catching the Grocers (Xara). The result later showed that the Scriveners had done well, placed 2nd and beaten by Kusima by only 45 seconds over a race of more than one hour.
For some reason, the Scriveners’ Skipper went to pieces during the build-up to Race 2. Correctly charging for the outer distance mark at the start, the Skipper suddenly decided to go into lemming mode and followed others in the class in a luffing match in totally the wrong direction. Then Reef 1 got stuck in, making the sail area too small, then the Foredeck tried to bite the genoa during a tack, getting hit hard on the nose instead, then leaking blood over the decks. After the very hairy spinnaker action in Race 1, we then decided on a cautious genoa goosewing instead of using any spinnaker in Race 2, losing yet more time, though gaining some back by going very shallow inside the Lepe cardinal mark for less adverse tide round Lepe Point. Coming back with the tide on the beats up to the finish, the Skipper with total brain overload then overstood 2 more marks, losing further seconds and we finished a lowly 8th though with pride intact.
Photo John Cavanagh: the Scriveners Company crew with part of the Grocers’ crew at the 2026 City Livery Regatta at the Royal Yacht Squadron. The Scriveners crew were: L-R, “Doc”, Pit; Ex-RN Commodore Stuart, Mast and Trim; Jim Miller, Liveryman, Skipper & Driver; Julian, Bow; Bill, Mainsheet (& Fishmongers Warden). Grocers’ crew present are their Skipper, Jonathan, awarded a cup for sailing extra miles than needed over the course and Camilla, awarded a special cup for bravery, after managing not to be pulled overboard by a trapped arm which became dislocated, then putting it back onto her shoulder herself and keeping on racing.
Later, at dinner in the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Admiral of the City Livery YC, former Rt Hon Lord Mayor Prof Mainelli himself an entrant in the regatta, presented the Scriveners with the Sir Robert Green Trophy, for 2nd place in our class in Race 1.
Eleanor Bellfield, Skipper and Driver of the Leathersellers Company, (Sigma 33, Kusima) was presented with the famous Lord Mayor’s Cup for the best yacht in the regatta.