By William Mills
Griff Rhys Jones had his fellow dinner guests in tears of laughter at the prize giving dinner to mark the end of British Classic Week.

The 63 year old TV comedian said;
Sailing a classic boat is like taking a piece of Chippendale furniture and throwing it into the sea, and then steering other bits of Chippendale furniture within inches of it.
British Classic Yacht Club (BCYC) founder Tim Blackman took the stage as the winners were announced after the last day’s racing had been cancelled due to the weather.

David Sherriff’s 1897 William Fife designed Jap, the oldest contestant and amongst the smallest at 30′ was named Classic Week Champion 2015 which he also won in 2012.
Her crew included Olympic Rowing Gold Medallist Zach Purchase, Paralympic Gold Medallist Andy Cassell, and America’s Cup legend Harold Cudmore who made a guest appearance on Thursday.

The Event Trophy for the large Class 0 was won by Marquita owned by John Caulcutt, Jamie Matheson and Stephen Hemsley. Designed by Wiliam Fife III and launched in 1911 she was one of four 19 Metres, racing successfully until the start of the Great War. then spending more than forty years as a houseboat on the Orwell before finally being fully restored by Fairlee Restorations in 1991.
The Stiff Drink Trophy, which went to Jeremy John’s ‘Matambu’ for sheer determination in completing the Around The Island Race, finishing precisely one second before the time limit.