• Event Sponsor James Matthews was back in form and Diamond regained the IRC trophy secured last year.
• Conor Phelan’s Jump Juice first place on the water secured the overall winners spot for IRC Class 1 over Denis Murphy’s Nieulargo
• Peter Collins maintained the impressive form of his Olsen 30 to take line honours

The Child of Prague was put out on Friday night and for the second week in a row, competitors in the Matthews Helly Hansen sponsored April League hosted by Kinsale Yacht Club enjoyed a spell of sunshine that was decent enough to warrant dusting off the factor 50 sun cream writes Michael Walsh.

Once enough breeze had filled, PRO Denis Kieran called for the AP to be removed to allow the day’s proceedings and some more champagne sailing to get underway across Kinsale’s Outer Harbour.

The light north easterly breeze was due to shift southwards which ultimately it did, meaning the Round the Cans course from Bullens Bay over to the Sovereigns Islands allowed for plenty of sunny photographs of boats finishing under full spinnakers at the Bulman buoy.

Conor Phelan’s Jump Juice first place on the water secured the overall winners spot for IRC Class 1 over Denis Murphy’s Nieulargo , with Paul Tingle’s Alpaca completing the rout for the Crosshaven fleet.

Kieran Collins maintained the impressive form of his Olsen 30 to take line honours from KYCs Finny O Regan in IRC Class 2 and secured the silverware for Crosshaven in this fleet for both IRC and Echo . 

Event Sponsor James Matthews was back in form and Diamond regained the IRC trophy secured last year. Headcase finished in second place and Flyover in third.

A special mention of thanks to Rear Commodore Susan Horgan for organizing the barrebue and for her dedicated assistance on the Race Management Team for the whole series. Also a huge thanks to Race Officer Denis Kieran and to Tony & Ciara O’Brien for providing such a warm welcome and wonderful refreshments each week aboard committee boat White Tiger.

Overall results for the Matthews Helly Hansen April League:

Class 1 IRC : Conor Phelan’s Jump Juice

Class 1 Echo: Denis Murphy Nieulargo

Class 2 IRC: Kieran Collins’s Oracle IV

Class 2 Echo: Kieran Collins’s Oracle IV

Class 3 IRC: James Matthews’s Diamond

Class 3 Echo: O ‘Halloran & Helstern Headcase

Whitesail: Sammy Cohen’s Gunsmoke II

See photos from KYC league here

A strong south east breeze provided Kinsale Yacht Club's Matthews Helly Hansen sponsored Spring Series with two excellent races.

Race one got away promptly at noon with the round the cans course finishing at Charles Fort. Race two got away at 1330 sailing a longer course, taking in Black Head. Only a few brave yachts flew spinnakers early in the day but the breeze decreased slowly from 24 knots and the horizon was awash with spinnakers when the fleet came into Kinsale on the last leg of race three from centre point.

Denis Murphy’s Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo dominated Class One. Shane Stratham’s evergreen GK 34 Slack Alice put in a top performance in Class Two. Matt Hellstern’s new arrival J/24 Headcase proved to be the fleet leader in Class Three. In White Sail KYC boats Paragon and Priviteer won a race each.

Matt Hellstern’s J/24 was a fleet leader in Class three

Race four FG is at the earlier time of 10.55HRS on Sunday 22nd with two races planned.

Results below

Race 2 and 3 IRC

Class One

Nieulargo 

Jump Juice

Alpaca

Race 2 ECHO
Nieulargo
EOS
Alpaca

Race 3 ECHO
Nieulargo
Jump Juice
Justus

Class Two

Race 2 ECHO
Slack Alice
Artful Dodger
Oracle

Race 2 IRC
Oracle
Artful Dodger
Slack Alice

Race 3 ECHO
Slack Alice
Artful Dodger
REAVRA TOO

Race 3 IRC
Slack Alice
Artful Dodger
Oracle

Class Three

Race 2 ECHO and IRC
Headcase
Diamond
Fulmar Fever

Race 3 IRC
Headcase
Fulmar Fever
Diamond

Race 3 ECHO
Fulmar Fever
Headcase
Flyover

White Sail

Race 2
Paragon
Privateer
Gunsmoke II

Race 3
Privateer
Sweet Dreams
Paragon

The much promised sunshine failed to arrive on the first day of the Matthews Helly Hansen sponsored Spring Series for Sailing Cruisers in Kinsale Yacht Club.

Race officer Denis Kieran aboard White Tiger got the twenty six boat fleet, with welcome Waterford Harbour visitors, off to a prompt start at noon in difficult conditions with a South East lump, light winds and pouring rain.

Fortunately, the fickle wind held up and the fleet sailed the full course taking in both Black Head and the Sovereign Islands with the weather slowly brightening all the way to sunshine and smiles by the time the everyone was back on the marina.

Jump Juice (C. Phelan) dominated Class One, Oracle (K. Collins) Class Two with Diamond (J. Matthews) to the fore in Class Three. Godot (J. Godkin) romped home in White Sail with eleven minutes to spare.

More racing promised next Sunday 15th with first gun at 11.55hrs.

Results:

IRC

One – Jump Juice, Alpaca, Justice.

Two – Oracle IV, Artful Dodger, Slack Alice.

Three – Diamond, Headcase, Runaway Bus.

ECHO

One – Jump Juice, Alpaca, Jelly Baby.

Two – Oracle VI, Artful Dodger, Slack Alice.

Three – Diamond, Headcase, Runaway Bus.

White Sail 

Godot, Gunsmoke 2, Sweet Dreams.

Having lost three weeks to the vagaries of the Irish weather, flat seas and a 9 – 12 knot breeze greeted the fleets on Sunday morning for the last day of the 2018 Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Series.

13 Squibs left the marina and with only 4 points between the 1st to 3rd boats it was all to play for. As the wind was almost due east, and given the configuration of the harbour, the beat was going to be short so three rounds of the course per race was posted on the board.

In the first race the Squib fleet were all pushing the line which resulted in a General Recall. Second time around and with the U Flag flying they were much better behaved and we got them away at 11.07hrs. Allegro, Colm Dunne & Fiona Ward, took the lead at the windward mark. Fuggles, Jeff Condell & Jeff Cochrane, and Badger, Rob Doyle & Rob Gill, were battling for 2nd with Fuggles eventually taking it. Fifty Shades and Outlaw were also in the leading pack and got 4th and 5th respectively.

Race 2 saw the fleet much better behaved on the start line and they all got cleanly away. This time the leaders were reversed with Fuggles in front, Allegro got 2nd and Fifty Shades, Cliodhna & Finbarr O’Regan, were 3rd. At this stage the series was still undecided. Race 3 saw the wind rising to 12 – 14 knots with gusts of 19 knots and lots of shifts on the race course. Outlaw, Ian Travers & Keith O’Riordan, were challenging both Allegro and Fuggles around the course. Fuggles managed to take another bullet with Allegro in 2nd and Outlaw in 3rd.

As we had lost so many races the decision was made by RO John Stallard to give the Squib Fleet a fourth race. Race 4 started with the wind at 16 – 18 knots and gusts of 22 knots recorded on the committee boat. Outlaw lead from the off until they rounded the windward mark. Allegro decided to gybe and run down the middle of the course and this paid off handsomely. Outlaw managed to hold on to second place with Fuggles in 3rd. This however was enough to secure the series for Fuggles with Allegro in 2nd and Fifty Shades in 3rd.
 
Racing was so close in the Squib fleet that the front 3 – 4 boats were arriving at the leeward mark together most of the day. However the tight racing resulted in 3 boats hitting the committe boat at various times, 1 coming to the finish line, 1 starting and the other after finishing, they almost took the burgee off the bow. We also had a M.O.B just after the finish line, thankfully the now very wet crew managed to hang on to the boat, his helm almost followed him into the sea but he held on and then recovered his crew.

The Mixed Dinghy fleet was somewhat depleted today due to injury and other commitments. Race 1 saw Sean Collins in the Laser Radial take both line honours and 1st place, with Tom Good and Dave Carter, both in Laser 4.7’s, 2nd and 3rd. In Race 2 while Sean Collins took line honours again, Tom Good took 1st under PY with Sean Collins 2nd and Dave Carter 3rd. This result was replicated in Race 3. However Sean Collins had done enough to take the title with Micheal O’Suilleabhain and Michael Carroll, 420, 2nd and Tom Good, Laser 4.7, in 3rd. Well gone to the Laser 4.7 sailors who had recently moved up from the Topper fleet and performed so well.

A fleet of 7 Toppers took to the water with some of the sailors being very new to racing. Dorothy Matthews was very focused today and it showed with bullets in Race 1 & 2 today. However gear failure just before the start of Race 3 meant Dorothy had to sail for home. Francesca Lewis put in another strong performance but a capsize in Race 2 put paid to her chances of taking the title. However she took 2nd in the third race which was enough to secure 2nd overall. Frances Corkery was placing better each race and took a bullet in the third which placed her 3rd overall.

KYC would like to thank Bruce & June Matthews for providing Destiny as committee boat and also being an integral part of the team. Also thanks to all the mark layers on RIB’s and parents who provided safety cover. Our Race Officer, John Stallard, provided the fleets with excellent courses over the series so many thanks John and also to his team of helpers, Valerie, Susan, Michele, Siobhan and Sid. A final thanks is to our sponsor Osean74 without whom it wouldn’t be possible to run such events.
 
Overall results:

Squib Fleet
1st Fuggles Jeff Condell Jeff Cochrane
2nd Allegro Colm Dunne Fiona Ward
3rd Fifty Shades Cliodhna O’Regan Finbarr O’Regan

Mixed Dinghy Fleet
1st Sean Collins Laser Radial
2nd M O’Suilleabhain/M Carroll 420
3rd Tom Good Laser 4.7

Topper Fleet
1st Dorothy Matthews
2nd Francesca Lewis
3rd Frances Corkery

Blue skies and a cold northerly breeze greeted the fleets in Kinsale Harbour yesterday as the Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Series got underway. RO John Stallard assembled his usual crack team to ensure that the racing is top notch. Bruce & June Matthews, integral parts of the team, also kindly provided the Committee Boat and lunch, so we were very comfortable and well looked after aboard Destiny. Three fleets participated - Squibs, Mixed Dinghies and Toppers and racing got under way at 11.03hrs.

Race 1 got underway with 8 – 9 knots of breeze and gusts up to 18 knots. The Northerly breeze ensured that there was no swell and made for ideal sailing conditions. In the Squib Fleet Fuggles with Jeff Condell and Jeff Cochrane dominated from the first beat in Race 1 with Fifty Shades, Cliodhna O’Regan and Colm Daly and Allegro, Colm Dunne and Fiona Ward battling out for 2nd and 3rd. However things changed significantly in Race 2 with Fifty Shades leading from the start with two newcomers to the fleet Outlaw, Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan and Badger, Rob Doyle and Rob Gill taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. An ebbing tide and lighter breeze made for interesting times at the windward mark I believe. Race 3 started with a slightly lighter breeze of 6 – 7 knots and the ebb in full flow. Fifty Shades again lead the pack with Allegro coming 2nd and Outlaw in 3rd. Only 1 point now separates each of the 2nd to 5th placings so it looks like discards could play a huge part in the overall Squib results. Protests are pending in the Squib Fleet on Race 2 so an update may be posted next week.

The Topper Fleet also welcomed some new members today and for some it was their first time racing in the fleet. Well done to Dorothy Matthews who got 1st place in all three races. Daniel Akerlind came 2nd in Race 1 & 2 and Rachel Akerlind got a 3rd in Race 1, and it was her first time racing. Francesca Lewis put in a very steady performance, her results improved with each race and she came 2nd in Race 3. Frances Corkery also had a good day with 3rd place in Races 2 & 3. Max Dillon got a 4th in Race 1 so well done to him. A big shout out to Harvey Matthews who at only 9 year of age came out in a slightly modified rig Topper, unfortunately he didn’t race as the 18 knot gusts were too strong for him. There are protests pending in the Topper Fleet also so updates next week after they are held.

The Mixed Dinghy Fleet consisted of a Full Rig Laser, Radial Laser, 4.7 Laser, 420 and 2.4m and they sailed under PY. Line honours went to the 420, Micheal O’Suilleabhain and Michael Carroll, in Races 1 & 3 with Master Laser sailor Gary Horgan taking it in Race 2. Well sailed Gary. Sean Collins in the Radial put in a very consistent performance and was over the line in 3rd for all three races. This was enough to put him in 2nd overall on corrected time. David Carter, 4.7 Laser and Georgina Griffin, 2.4m, were 4th and 5th respectively.

Many thanks to Bruce & June Matthews for sponsoring the day prize – all participants in the racing are entered into a draw and today’s winner was Micheal O’Suilleabhain.
 
Results: 1st 2nd 3rd
Squib
Race 1 Fuggles Fifty Shades Allegro
Race 2 Fifty Shades Outlaw Badger
Race 3 Fifty Shades Allegro Outlaw
Toppers
Race 1 D. Matthews D. Akerlind R. Akerlind
Race 2 D. Matthews D. Akerlind F. Corkery
Race 3 D. Matthews F. Lewis F. Corkery
Mixed Dinghies
Race 1 420 Laser Laser Radial
Race 2 Laser Radial Laser 420
Race 3 420 Laser Radial Laser

Kinsale Yacht Club will start its Frostbite Series on Sunday, February 4. This will be raced over six Sundays until March 11, writes Tom MacSweeney. Registration will take place on the opening day. First Gun each Sunday will be at 1055. 

Kinsale Marina Berth Holders

There will be a meeting of berth holders of Kinsale YC on Thursday, February 22, at 8 p.m. in the clubhouse.

Finbarr O’Regan’s Artful Dodger Photo: Bob Bateman

Tom Roche Wins Bell Trophy 

Tom Roche’s Meridian won the St.Stephen’s Day cruiser race at Kinsale Yacht Club for the Gunsmoke Bell. Michael Carroll’s Chancer was second and Finbarr O’Regan’s Artful Dodger third.

Kinsale Yacht Club has its annual ‘Gunsmoke Bell’ race scheduled for St.Stephen’s Day. First Gun will be fired to start the race at 1325 on the Charles Fort Line. It will be an All-In Race under the ECHO handicap system writes Tom MacSweeney.

“A great way to work off those mince pieces,” the club says, encouraging those with their boats still in the water to take part in this cruiser race.

The event is sponsored by Sam Cohen, whose own boat is named Gunsmoke.

Otherwise racing has ceased on the South Coast until the hardy Frostbite sailors get going in the New Year. Kinsale will kick off its Frostbite Series on February 4 and it will continue until March 11.

The club has been early into the organisation of cruiser racing for next year and has secured sponsorship of its Spring Series by Matthews and Helly Hansen. Racing is scheduled over four weekends for both White Sail and Spinnaker fleets. The series will start on Sunday, April 8 and finish on Saturday, April 28. There will be two days of windward/leeward courses and two of ‘round the cans’ according to the Notice of Race. Racing will be under both IRC and ECHO handicap systems. Entry fee is €80 for Spinnaker boats and €60 for White Sail. This will also be the opening event of the SCORA - South Coast Offshore Racing Association - series for next year. Already the warning is out to boat owners to ensure they register their vessels and provide racing certificates - “No registration, no certificates, no result,” says the club. Registration will be on Sunday, April 8, prior to the first race, from 9 to 10.30 a.m. in the club house. First gun will be at 1155 each day.

Kinsale will host the Round Britain and Ireland Race, the Yachting World Triangular Race, the Squib Southerns, Optimist Nationals, Dragon Southerns and the Mini Transat Series next year. It will be a busy administrative and organisational year at the club.

Georgina Griffin has been chosen as Club Member of the Year. She was amongst members presented with ‘Sailing Excellence Awards’ by the club for their performances in national and international events this year. The awards went to: RORC Fastnet Race, Cian McCarthy, EOS; Lough Derg Freshwater Championships, Colm Dunne and Fiona Ward, Allegro; All Ireland Junior Sailing Championships Schull, Micheal O’Suilleabhain and Michael Carroll, TR 3.6m double-handed; Europeans 2017 (Poland), Georgina Griffin, 2.4mR.

The Irish Quarter Ton fleet will be getting a new addition this Autumn with the arrival of the very distinctive and well known Quarter Tonner, Runaway Bus writes Bob Bateman

Kinsale Yacht Club's Alan Mulcahy has bought the 1977–vintage craft made famous in part for her spinnaker that is emblazoned with a printed London Bus, all of which is complemented by her gleaming red hull & white decks.

The news will be welcomed by Kinsale's Quarter–Ton interests that saw the Ed-Dubois designed Diamond arrive into the port last March.  

According to a broker description, The 40–year–old Runaway Bus was built for Mike Richardson, the owner of Seahorse Sails. Built to the same lines as the winner of the 1976 Quarter Ton Cup at Corpus Christi, she was designed by Paul Whiting & in 2006 she was fully re-built by David Heritage in Cowes with new structure & deck, new rig, keel, rudder & systems which left her looking as new. She is still in excellent condition & remains very competitive having won the Jersery Regatta in 2015, come 2nd in the IRC Small Boat Regatta in 2014, 3rd in the Poole Regatta in both 2016 & 2014 as well as 2nd in class & 4th overall in 2014 Round the Island Race. She comes very well equipped with Tak-Tik Wireless instruments & a comprehensive sail wardrobe.

It is understood Runaway Bus will arrive into Kinsale next week but thought unlikely the 23–footer will be ready in time to enter the currently underway CH Marine Autumn League at nearby Crosshaven. Race reports here.

The second day of racing at the Dragon South Coast Championships has been cancelled at Kinsale Yacht Club following two one hour postponements this morning writes Bob Bateman.

Race Officer Alan Crosbie went out in a RIB to inspect the course area. Fog and mist early on gave way to only a zephyr of breeze leaving no option but to scrub the two scheduled races. 

The cancellation means Kinsale's Cameron Good takes the championship title as per Afloat.ie's report here.

Mark Mansfield, tactician on The Big Picture, fourth overall at August's Euro Car Parks Half Ton Classic Cup 2017, reviews progress in the Class and the Kinsale Yacht Club event.

Having done the last two versions of this event I feel I have a decent level of knowledge to comment on the racing and the classes progression. Firstly well done to the organisers for staging a great event at Kinsale Yacht Club and well done to the Principal Race Officer Anthony O'Leary for running it so well. Finally, well done to Phil Plumtree and the Swuzzlebubble team for winning the regatta with a race to spare. This is the third win for Swuzzlebubble in three events, each with a different owner. More about this later.

Mike and Richie Evans's The Big Picture, from Howth Yacht Club was fourth overall. Tactician and article author Mark Mansfield is wearing the white cap Photo: Bob Bateman

Day One—Nigel Biggs' new Checkmate XV111 just led from Paul Pullen's Miss Whiplash on countback. Swuzzlebubble lay one point back and Mike and Richie Evans,The Big Picture, lay a further point behind. David Cullen's Checkmate XV was a few points further back and it seemed likely that these five boats would be the feature boats in the event. All had professional sailors aboard and one of these boats had three professional sailors. Swuzzlebubble had an eighth place on this day which she would eventually discard but it was clear that she would be the one to watch as she was the top rating boat by some margin and was using that extra speed to get out in front allowing her to sail her own race.

Phil Plumtree's Swuzzlebubble had an eighth place on day one but it was clear that she would be the one to watch as she was the top rating boat by some margin Photo: Bob Bateman

Day Two—Strong Southerly winds were forecasted for the following few days and so the organisers took the decision to delay the coastal race until later in the week and use day two to get in as many short WL races as possible. In the end four good races were sailed in moderate to fresh testing conditions. Swuzzlebubble counted two wins and two second places to shoot into a large lead over David Cullen's Checkmate who also scored two firsts. One point back was Checkmate XVIII and The Big Picture lay in fourth, a few points back. Big loser of the Day was Paul Pullen's Miss Whiplash who had four very average results and fell out of the running. It was now clear that the first four boats (Swuzzlebubble, Checkmate XV, Checkmate XVIII and the Big Picture) were pulling well clear of the pack and the winner would be from this group. Occasionally, other boats such as Paul Wayte's beautiful newly optimised Headhunter, Johnny Swan's Harmony and Philippe Pilatte's General Tapioca would come to the fore, but it was the first four that generally filled the top three results in each race and were pulling well clear.

Paul Pullen's Miss Whiplash had four very average results on day two and fell out of the running Photo: Bob Bateman

Day Three—Wednesday was postponed due to excess wind and many enjoyed a long lunch in Kinsale's Fishy Fishy restaurant accompanied by some very nice wines.

Day Four—Strong Southerly winds greeted the competitors and three races were planned including the none–discard coastal race. Swuzzlebubble took a first and a second in the earlier Windward Leeward races to extend her lead and the two closest followers, the two Checkmates each counted a poorish race to allow Swuzzlebubble be on the cusp of winning the regatta outright if she had a decent last coastal race. The Big Picture had consistent top results to lie in fourth. The final race of the day, the coastal race, ended in Swuzzlebubble taking a fifth, though a relatively poor result for her, it was enough to ensure Swuzzlebubble could not now be caught and did not need to sail the final race on the Friday.  1.5 points now separated the Two Checkmates with Dave Cullen in the marginal lead. Big Picture finished the Coastal race in second place and lay in fourth overall and could neither fall to fifth in the last race on Friday, nor get up to third. There was then a large points gap to General Tapioca and Headhunter.

Only 1.5 points separated the two Checkmates with Dave Cullen's Checkmate XV (below) in the marginal lead. Photos Bob Bateman

A successful Class dinner was held in Actons Hotel on Thursday night which went on late into the night, for some.

Day Five—Swuzzlebubble decided not to sail on the Friday. First and fourth places were already finalised (Swuzzlebubble and The Big Picture). Nigel Biggs needed to finish ahead of Dave Cullen and have a boat between them to finish in second overall. 17 to 20 knots greeted the fleet and PRO O'Leary signalled an around the buoys race consisting of two rounds and a finish off Charles Fort in Kinsale. Nigel Biggs got the best of the start and was ahead most of the race. However, Dave Cullen was in a bunch close behind that included the Big Picture. By the last mark Nigel Biggs rounded in the lead, followed by three other boats flowed by Big Picture with Checkmate XV behind her. Big Picture pulled through to second and Checkmate XV to third across the line. Big Picture with her lower handicap had a chance to snatch the win and deny Checkmate XVIII second overall but fell short by nine seconds and so the race finished with Checkmate XVIII winning followed by The Big Picture, followed by Checkmate XV, thus giving second overall to Nigel Biggs and Third overall to David Cullen. Fourth overall went to the Big Picture, fifth to General Tapioca and sixth to Miss Whiplash.

Half Ton racing is excellent, very close. The camaraderie within the class is also very strong

Progression of the class – Three newly optimised boats were among the 21 entries this year. The larger fleets of Half–Tonners are based in France, the UK and Belgium and if the event were in one of these locations it is likely entries would be closer to 30. During the regatta an agm was held to discuss some important points that appear to be affecting the class. These were;

1 Should the class limit the number of professionals on each boat
2 Should the class, like they do in the Quarter ton Class, put an upper handicap limit on yachts taking part.
3 Should the class allow asymmetrical spinnakers.

1—Limiting professionals. A poll of Half Ton members will likely be done to either limit the professionals on each boat to either one or Two. It was felt generally that professionals help to coach the crew and generally are good for the class, but too many and the professionals can effectively sail the boat themselves, thus little improvement happens when the pros depart.

2—Limiting the upper Handicap limit. Swuzzlebubble has been a problem child in this class since Peter Morton did a no–expenses spared restoration of this very long half tonner. This included a taller, ultra high Modulus Carbon Rig with more sail, a deeper keel and other top mods. This led to her being approx. 25–points higher rating than most. Consequently she can go for a conservative start, sail for a few minutes and then her speed allows her to cross the fleet and sail the remainder of the race without other interference. The remainder of the fleet are close on rating and end up very close to each other at all marks, taking wind on downwinds, etc. This is costing the bulk of the fleet a minute or more per race, and often that is about the margin that Swuzzlebubble wins by. She is being well sailed, but she has a great advantage. In the Quarter ton class they stopped this issue early and now most quarter tonners are within 10 points of rating of each other. It is being suggested that an upper limit of .965 be introduced. Swuzzlebubble would be able to get to this by reducing sail area and adding some weight which would lessen the advantage she currently enjoys, especially in light to medium conditions. A proposed poll of the class is being organised on this.

3—Allowing Asymmetric sails. This appeared not to be so straight forward. Some owners already have them (but can't use them at the Half Ton Cup). Allowing them might mean owners have to buy one or two asymmetric kites, perhaps add a sprit and in the end may not even use them at a Half Ton cup. Others would prefer to stay without them as most of the racing is windward leeward anyway. This will also be balloted.

Summary – Having sailed four Quarter Ton Cups and now two Half Ton cups, The Half Ton class is now easily as competitive as the quarter tonners. The racing is excellent, very close. The camaraderie within the class is very strong. I can see more restorations being done in this class and numbers rising for their Half Ton Cups. Next years event will be in Nieuwpoort in Belgium in mid–August and I suspect that there may be up to 30–boats will arrive for that. The inaugural IRC World Championships is being held just up the road in The Hague in Holland a month before the Half Ton worlds so there are many half–tonners considering doing that as well as a warm up event. The boats are of a size that they can, if required, be transported by water, though most will trail behind jeeps.

Mark Mansfield is a four–time Irish Olympian, a helmsman in the Star Class from 1992–2004. He is a World Sailing 'Group 3' Sailor.