The weekend of the 17th – 18th November 2007 saw the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s Spring Offshore Regatta, with the Squadron Offshore Division fleet racing approximately 20nm north from Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour to Broken Bay, Pittwater on Saturday and then back to Port Jackson on Sunday for the Morna Cup, one of the club’s traditional trophies. The Morna Cup is a sterling silver cup and was presented to the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron as a perpetual trophy by a former Commodore, Sir Alexander Cormick, in 1913.

 “It was an outstanding Spring Offshore Regatta, great sailing conditions on both days and close competition in both divisions,” race officer Rob Ridley said after the fleet returned to Sydney on Sunday.  

“Going up they had a beautiful breeze, a nor’easter, freshening from 12 to 25 knots.  For the return race it was a spinnaker run almost all the way as the 6-8 knot easterly backed to the nor’east, freshening later in the afternoon.

Winner of the Morna Cup, awarded on PHS results over the two races, was Ray Entwistle’s Sweet Chariot, a J-109 from Greenwich Flying Squadron, with 8 points from a consistent 6-2 placings.  Sweet Chariot was one of the smaller boats in the fleet but she still managed 3rd over the line (6th on handicap) in the offshore beat north.  The following day, racing back to Sydney Harbour in a light wind spinnaker run/reach, she finished 2nd over the line (2nd on handicap), just 2 minutes behind a Pacific 50.