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With the exception of the Special Cups, the Prizes were donated by the ports of Ipswich and Delfzijl and the Richard Langhorn Trust.
See also: Race Report - Finishing Times - Prizes - Photos from Prizegiving Ceremony
By the evening of Friday 4th July all but the small Polish sloop Buffel were safely alongside the waterfront in Ipswich dressed overall and looking splendid in the bunting that had been collected over many years of Tall Ships Races. At 12 metres Buffel was the smallest vessel in the fleet and had made a gallant effort to join in the festivities but strong headwinds had delayed their arrival.
The inter-ship rowing competition that was kindly laid on by the local Sea Cadets on Saturday was well supported. The young crews of Rona II and Scouts Offshore collected 1st and 2nd prizes at a informal prize-giving on the quay that afternoon. Rona II won the tug-of-war prize and Hartlepool Renaissance was awarded the best-dressed ship and crew prize.
The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Penny Breakwell, was the guest of honour at the Captains' Reception held in the old Customs House in the evening whilst the crews enjoyed an impromptu BBQ arranged by Steve, Helen and the crew of James Cook.
Buffel finally arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning, which was meant to be a quiet day for the crew in preparation for the race, but the Scouts Offshore crew organised another round of tug-of-war competitions and a heaving line contest on the quay. There was also a skippers' briefing meeting on the Sunday afternoon in the old Customs House.
During the weekend Penny Atkins of Scouts Offshore and members of her family efficiently arranged the vessel inspections and administrative support. Penny, her mother Carol, and June Dadswell also came out to Delfzijl to assist with the administration there. The ASTO Board is most grateful to them for this.
The fleet locked out of Ipswich dock early on the Monday morning and was in plenty of time for the 12:00 start off the River Deben. The eleven-strong fleet was divided into two divisions by a nominal TCF figure and all crossed the start line between the harbourmaster's launch Fox and the Cutler buoy. Max, the infamous marine photographer, was present and took some great shots of the start.
After the start the wind remained fairly light South Westerly and Tony Wyeth on Ocean Venture achieved line honours again to retain the Seven Seas Trophy. Steve Morgan sailed an excellent race on Morning Star of Revelation and gained first place on corrected time to win the Aurora Trophy.
All the fleet finished before the cut off time and had arrived in Delfzijl by 10th July to join the Delfsail Festival of the Sea. Whilst Ipswich had been a little quiet Delfzijl made up for it with huge crowds on the quaysides until late in the evening. Some of the boats, which were changing crews at Cuxhaven, had to leave early, but not before the prize giving which was carried out by a member of the Delfsail Board, Hans ten Cate. The full prize list is below and it will be seen that every boat won at least two prizes. There are no losers in a Small Ships Race! The final cup to be awarded was the Richard Langhorn Trophy for the 'Spirit of the Race', the winner of which is decided by the secret votes of the captains and crews. The very deserving winner was James Cook of Ocean Youth Trust North East.
The Delfsail festivities continued until 14th July with a great many free events, including a particular form of lunacy called 'mud sledge racing.' Tony Wyeth led his team from Ocean Venture into the finals but the local Dutch teams took the first three places.
After Delfsail the fleet went their separate ways bringing to an end a very friendly and fun Small Ships Race 2003.
| Yacht | Class | TCF | Start time | Finish date | Finish time | Elapsed D H M S | Corrected D H M S | Place o/all | Place class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffel | CI | 0.7505 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 01:48:00 | 1 14 48 00 | 1 05 07 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Discovery | CII | 0.7130 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 06:27:09 | 1 19 27 09 | 1 06 58 54 | 7 | 4 |
| Excelsior | CII | 0.5577 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 10:24:51 | 1 23 24 51 | 1 02 26 34 | 3 | 2 |
| James Cook | CI | 0.8358 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 02:15:35 | 1 15 15 35 | 1 08 48 48 | 10 | 4 |
| Hartlepool Ren. | CI | 0.8854 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 09:30:35 | 1 22 30 35 | 1 17 10 47 | 11 | 5 |
| Morning Star | CII | 0.5666 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 03:42:00 | 1 16 42 00 | 0 23 03 38 | 1 | 1 |
| Ocean Scout | CII | 0.7255 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 06:00:40 | 1 19 00 40 | 1 07 12 16 | 9 | 6 |
| Offshore Scout | CII | 0.7260 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 05:45:10 | 1 18 45 10 | 1 07 02 19 | 8 | 5 |
| Ocean Venture | CI | 0.8474 | 11:00:00 | 8/7 | 17:07:34 | 1 06 07 34 | 1 01 31 44 | 2 | 1 |
| Rona II | CI | 0.8010 | 11:00:00 | 8/7 | 23:09:15 | 1 12 09 15 | 1 04 57 34 | 4 | 2 |
| Williwaw | CII | 0.6284 | 11:00:00 | 9/7 | 10:22:49 | 1 23 22 49 | 1 05 46 26 | 6 | 3 |
| 1st | Binoculars | Ocean Venture |
| 2nd | Heavy Weather Sailing book | Rona II |
| 3rd | Handbearing compass | Buffel |
| 1st | Binoculars | Morning Star |
| 2nd | Heavy Weather Sailing book | Excelsior |
| 3rd | Handbearing compass | Williwaw |
| Ship which made greatest effort to participate | Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual | Buffel |
| Ship with youngest average age of crew | Hand bearing compass | Ocean Scout (19.83 yrs) |
| Ship with youngest skipper | Seaworthiness Book | Captain Jonathan Hide (34yrs - Hartlepool Ren.) |
| Youngest crew member | Delfzijl t-shirts | James Daly (Ocean Scout) Bjorn Willemjn (Williwaw) 15yrs on 4/6/2003 |
| Most international crew | Binoculars | James Cook (Dutch, British & Polish) |
| Small Ships Communications Prize | The Gaff Rigg Handbook | Morning Star |
| Most improved crew | Handbearing Compass | Offshore Scout |
| Oldest Ship in fleet | Rigging Handbook | Excelsior |
| Providing opportunities for visually impaired young people to experience sail training | Safety bag | Discovery |
| Last in Class CI | Sails and how they work | Hartlepool Renaissance |
| Vessel with largest number of young people on board | Clinometer | Rona II (15) |
| Seamanship (awarded for best tactical rounding of WP2) |
Juliet - the creation of a masterpiece Principles of Yacht Design |
Offshore Scout Discovery |
| Vessel which sailed the furthest to take part in the race (Awarded by ABN AMRO Bank) | Two places to sail on Formula 1 Boat Class MAXFUN 35 on Friday 11th July at 1500 hrs. Return at 1830 followed by dinner. | Buffel |
Seven Seas Club Trophy for Line Honours Awarded by The Seven Seas Club to the first vessel to cross the finishing line: Ocean Venture
The Aurora Trophy Awarded by Richard Maskell to the first vessel on corrected time: Morning Star
The Richard Langhorn Trophy for the spirit of the race. Awarded by The Richard Langhorn Trust to the ship, which, in the opinion of the captains and crews of all ships taking part in the 2003 Small Ships Race, has done the most to promote international understanding and friendship: James Cook