August 1906 - Pilot Cutter Race - Big Event Arranged for Next Month - 'Owing to the great interest taken in the big pilot-cutter race at the Cardiff Regatta on Tuesday it has been decided to hold, on September 25, an open championship race for the pilots of the Bristol Channel. The course arranged is from a mark boat off Penarth Pier, down Channel, round the Copperas Buoy (near Ilfracombe), and back to the Ranie Buoy. A big passenger steamer will be engaged to follow the race and subscribers of a guinea (21 shillings in old money or £1.05) will be entitled to three tickets, and half a guinea to one ticket. Only a limited number will be issued, and only those holding subscribers' tickets will be allowed on board. The entrance fee for the pilot cutters is 20s. (£1), and already a considerable number have entered. The arrangements are in the hands of Messrs. W. J. Guy, John Davies, P. Fletcher, and T. Gibbons, 70a Bute-street. Local jewelers will be invited to tender for two cups of special design.' - Evening Express [135] [361] 16th August 1906

September 1906 - Pilot Boat Race - Magnificent Contest - Bristol Channel Championship - A Sensational Finish! - 'Great interest was manifested in the pilot cutter race for the Bristol Channel championship, which took place on Tuesday.

It was a magnificent contest, fought out with the greatest determination, the result being in doubt fro the whole of the twelve hours, that the race lasted. The finish was the most dramatic affair imaginable, the Hope and the Mascotte, which had steered an entirely different course to the other boats, stealing a march on them and dashing up quite unexpectedly out of the darkness, winning the first and second prizes.

The event was the outcome of a discussion which followed the Cardiff Regatta, and as the result of efforts made by Mr. W. Guy, Mr. W. Harry, Mr. Thomas Gibbons, and others over £100 was raised. The first prize was £50 and a £25 cup, and the second prize £20 and a £10 cup. The Channel pilots, always good sportsmen, hailed the event with much enthusiasm, and the owners of all the best boats showed their appreciation of the generosity of the owners by entering the contest. The crack boats of Cardiff, Barry, and Newport all competed, so that the element of inter-town rivalry lent an additional spice of interest to the proceedings.

The Entries - The entries were as follow:- Marguerite, Cardiff (Frank Trott) ; Hope, Barry (Sam Davies) ; Faith, Barry (Sam Harwood) ; Victoria, Barry (C. J. Dalton) ; Amy, Newport ( W. J. Pearce) ; Irene, Cardiff ( Thomas Thomas) ; Alpha, Newport (W. Prosser) ; Excel, Cardiff (A. Woodward) ; Mascotte, Newport (Thomas Cox) ; Jubilee, Newport (D. Jenkins) ; Phyllis, Cardiff (David Dugan) ; and Patty Ann, Cardiff (Thomas Francis). The Irene was unable to sail, so that the starters included four Cardiff, four Newport, and three Barry boats.

The weather in the forenoon was all that could be desired. A grey morning was followed by a day of brilliant sunshine. There was a fresh easterly breeze. The officers of the day were Messrs. W. Guy, chairman ; P. Fletcher, vice-chairman ; H. Watts, John Davies, and Thomas Gibbons, hon secretary. The Cambria, which was chartered by the committee and subscribers, left the Cardiff Pier Head about 8.30. By 8.45 the scene off Penarth Pier was animated in the extreme as the boats, in racing trim, were all near the starting point. The course was from off Penarth Pier to the Copperas Buoy, which is opposite the Hangman Rock near Ilfracombe, and back to the mark buoy off Sully. At nine o'clock the first gun was fired and manoeuvring for position followed. Five minutes afterwards the starting gun was fired, and just 30 seconds later the Patty Ann crossed the line, followed half a minute later by the Faith. The official time of the principal boats crossing the line was as follows:-

	H	M	S
Patty Ann	9	5	30
Faith	9	6	0
Alpha	9	6	3
Amy	9	6	21
Hope	9	6	21
Phyllis	9	6	21
Marguerite	9	6	21
Victoria	9	6	41

The official times of finishing were as follow:-

	H	M	S
Hope	9	26	35
Mascotte	9	44	15
Faith	9	50	0
Alpha	9	52	0
Marguerite	9	54	40

The race was by common consent one of the best and the finish one of the most dramatic ever witnessed in a big race in the Bristol Channel.' - Cardiff Times [019] [361] 29th September 1906