Ireland has battened down the hatches because of fears Hurricane Katia would wreak widespread havoc with storm-force winds and giant waves. The Coast Guard has issued a weather alert warning people to stay away from cliff edges. Boaters are also warned of the dangers of walking near exposed quays.
Hurricane Katia as seen from the space station
The Quarter Ton Class is a sailing class of the International Offshore Rule racing the Quarter Ton Cup between 1967 and 1996 and from 2005 until today.
The class is sailed by smaller keelboats of similar size and is likely the world's most-produced keelboat class.
The Ton, Half, Quarter, etc. 'classes' were each given a 'length' and yacht designers had almost free rein to work the hull shapes and measurements to achieve the best speed for that nominal length.
The Ton Rules produced cranky and tender boats without actual downwind speed. Measurement points created weird, almost square hull shapes with longish overhangs.
They were challenging to sail optimally and lost value very quickly as any new wrinkle (e.g. 'bustles') to take advantage of the rule made older boats very quickly uncompetitive.
Although its heyday was 30 years ago, the boat class continues to make its presence felt by holding its own in terms of popularity against some fern race fleets.
Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
