UK Sailmakers South Africa Sonar one-design sails at the 2025 Cumberland Cup © Simon Winkley.
Custom Sonar sails by UK Sailmakers South Africa power top international teams
The 2025 Cumberland Cup, hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club from May 14–17 at Queen Mary Sailing Club, brought together nine elite teams from around the world for three days of tight 2v2 team racing in Sonar keelboats.
This year’s edition carried special weight as part of the Royal Thames’ 250th anniversary celebrations—an ideal stage for showcasing the club’s commitment to world-class sailing, matched by top-quality sails built specifically for the event by UK Sailmakers South Africa.
Sails Built for Fair Racing
UK Sailmakers South Africa supplied 13 mainsails, 18 jibs, and 16 spinnakers for the Royal Thames’ Sonar fleet in advance of the regatta. Designed for even performance across boats, these sails made fair competition possible—giving every team the chance to shine in a highly tactical format where consistency is key.
“It was great to see the Sonars racing with brand-new sails—performing really well right out of the bag,” said one sailor during the opening day of racing.
Photos from Day 1 and 2 of the 2025 Cumberland Cup © Freddie Cardew-Smith.
Despite shifty conditions and variable breeze, the sails proved reliable and responsive throughout the event.
“This is our biggest flagship team racing event,” said a Royal Thames representative. “We’re seeing great close racing and really competitive teams on the water. These new sails have held up beautifully and are contributing to a top-level regatta.”
An International Showdown
Nine yacht clubs were invited to this year’s regatta, representing some of the most competitive team racing programs in the world:
- Corinthian Yacht Club (Marblehead, MA, USA)
- Eastern Yacht Club (Marblehead, MA, USA)
- Gamla Stans Yacht Sällskap (Stockholm, Sweden)
- New York Yacht Club (New York, NY, USA)
- Royal Thames Yacht Club (London, UK)
- Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (Oyster Bay, NY, USA)
- St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco, CA, USA)
- Yale Corinthian Yacht Club (New Haven, CT, USA)
- Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, LA, USA)
Photos from Day 3 of the 2025 Cumberland Cup © Simon Winkley.
After the initial two round robins, teams were split into Gold and Silver groups, setting the stage for another double round robin to determine who would take home the Cumberland Cup—a trophy dating back to 1781.
The final showdown in the Gold Gleet featured four standout teams: Corinthian Yacht Club, Yale Corinthian Yacht Club, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and the Royal Thames Yacht Club. One sailor described the last day of racing as “tough competition with no easy races,” and credited the race committee for running a packed schedule in “very shifty conditions.”
In the end, Royal Thames Yacht Club won all six of their Gold Fleet races to claim the Cup. You can watch race day highlights on the Royal Thames YC YouTube page here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.
Overall Results from the 2025 Cumberland Cup. Full results available here.
The Royal Thames YC team celebrates their regatta win. Celebration photo © Simon Winkley. Trophy photo © Freddie Cardew-Smith.
Expanding the Fleet: J/70 Sails for Future Events
In addition to the Sonar sails delivered for this regatta, UK Sailmakers South Africa also built a full inventory of custom J/70 one-design sails—including 12 mains, 14 jibs, and 16 gennakers—for the Royal Thames Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron.
These new sails will support training and future one-design events in the UK, continuing UK Sailmakers’ tradition of delivering matched, high-performance sails for elite programs.
A Testament to Global Collaboration
The Cumberland Cup was about more than just racing—it showed what’s possible when yacht clubs, organizers, and sailmakers come together to make great sailing happen. UK Sailmakers South Africa played a key role behind the scenes, delivering reliable one-design sails that helped ensure fair, competitive racing for the teams from around the world. The biennial event is set to return in May 2027.
