It would be no exaggeration to say that Ian Patterson from East Antrim Boat Club at Larne likes a challenge and the bigger the challenge, it seems, the better.

Ian is, he says, “enthusiastic about helping form an Irish Asymmetric Sports Boat Association with the emphasis on bringing sports boats together under a handicap system that recognises the unique characteristics of sportsboats, including large sail areas and light displacement”.

Ian owns a Viper 640 sportsboat which he has raced successfully locally and at Carrickfergus Sailing Club, also in Northern Ireland.

But before venturing into the world of fast-moving sportsboats, Ian sailed and raced his North Channel 9m, Wildwood — a nine-year amateur build finished in 2012 in which he contested the 2014 Round Ireland Race, placing fifth in IRC 3 and gaining from Winkie Nixon the title of “tiddler of the fleet” in Afloat of 27 June that year.

Continuing his quest for excitement, he entered Wildwood in the 2016 Scottish Islands Peaks Race with friends from the Belfast Association of Rockclimbers and Fellrunners.

Ian Patterson’s Viper 640

Now with Wildwood moved on, he would like to create a sportsboat class/fleet to meet up at as yet unknown regattas this season, leading to a ‘circuit’ of sorts. He is also apparently trying to persuade East Antrim BC and Carrickfergus SC to offer an IRC start for rating qualifiers flying asymmetric spinnakers.

In the CSC 2021 Autumn series, there were four in the NHC Unrestricted class: Sid, Ian Patterson’s Viper in first place; the J80 Jezebel owned by Alan McClernon (CSC) in third; the Pure 6 owned by Jackson Smyth (fourth CSC) and Paul Fekkes’ Ultimate 20 Black and Slippy, who unfortunately only raced once.

About his idea of an Irish Asymmetric Sports Boat Association, Ian emphasises that “the ability to optimise your boat and sails under this rule will be crucial in generating a dynamic and evolving class.

“There are many different sportsboats already in Ireland and this class should not compete with any existing one-design classes but should be there to offer more opportunities to sail your boat and experiment with different set ups.

“This is already a proven concept within the southern hemisphere, and I feel there is an opportunity for Irish sailors with sportsboats to travel to four or five events per year and get exiting competitive sailing that will not break the bank.”

For more, see the Irish Asymmetric Sports Boats group page on Facebook.

Just as Dublin Bay Sailing Club announce a new initiative to combine sportsboats in a new class in April UK Sports Boats have united to form a new class association.

After the success of earlier mixed Sports Boat events, like in Plymouth Race Week & Cowes week, owners and supporters have united their interest in a new class. The newly formed UK Sports Boat Association will be working hard to rally these fun and fast boats together.

It maybe that work completed on the formation of the new class in the UK maybe beneficial to DBSC class and vice versa. One such example of this is coming up with a rule to determine what exactly is a sportsboat?

One of the class initiators, Jochem Visser, said "Many new owners are attracted by their fun & speedy character coupled with the smaller crew and easier logistics. Even though many of them have One Design racing it is becoming ever more apparent that on a local level there is a urgent need for a rating platform which provides fair racing and rewards the better sailors".

The class has simple objectives;

- Promote & support a fair rating system for mixed fleet racing which rewards the better sailors.
- Respect & promote the One-design character within the fleet.
- Represent the class interest to, and affiliate with, local clubs and National sailing authorities.
- Organise an annual Sports Boats Nationals, Season Point Series and local events.

The class is aimed at any Sports Boat with a LOA between 5 and 9.15 meters with aim to include successful boats like the Seascape 18 at the lower end and the Farr 280 at the top end of the class.

The Sports Boat class definitions:

- Ballasted keel boat which caries an asymmetric kite on centreline based pole
- Maximum length overall of 30'(9.15 m)
- Maximum displacement of 2000kg
- Maximum DLR of 100 in which DLR=27.87x(Boat Weight)/Length Waterline^3
- A minimum limit of positive stability of 60 degrees

Information and registration for membership here