Royal Cork Yacht Club will stage the 2023 Quarter Ton Cup in Cork Harbour from July 13-15th, and plans are afoot to make it 'the Quarter Ton sailing event of the decade'.
News of the Cup coming to the Irish south coast from the Solent (for the first time since the Cup was resurrected 17 years ago) has been circulating for several weeks, but the event was confirmed on social media this weekend.
The Quarter Ton Cup is awarded to the winners of the World Quarter Ton class championships between 1968 and 1997 and for the Quarter Ton Classic Revival from 2005 to the present. The fleet's main centre is on the Solent.
The awarding of the event follows a resurgence in Quarter Ton's interest in Crosshaven over the past few seasons.
Several Royal Cork sailors have bought upgraded Quarter Tonners, such as Conor Phelan's Anchor Challenge. Others to arrive in Cork Harbour include Illegal, Panic and Diamond.
Quarter Tonner Panic competing in Cork Harbour Photo: Bob Bateman
The boats have been racing as part of a strengthening of Cork Harbour's Class Three in the 2022 season, with the arrival of three more good Quarter Tonners in the early part of the year.
The event will be held on Thursday, 13th, Friday, 14th and Saturday, 15th of July 2023, hosted by RCYC.
Quarter Tonners GBR 6498 Diamond and Illegal IRL 1751 competing in Royal Cork Yacht Club's 2022 Autumn League in Cork Harbour. Crosshaven will host the 2023 Quarter Tom Cup from July 13. Photo: Bob Bateman
"Come over, you lovely European quarter ton sailors and let's have a great festival of QT sailing", UK Quarter Ton promoter John Santy posted on social media.
The event could also present an opportunity for other Irish sailing events as potential Quarter Ton Cup warm-ups, such as the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale from June 21-24 and Dun Laoghaire's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay from July 6-9.
