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Displaying items by tag: Glenarm Race

The Vaughan family in the Jeanneau 349 Toucan win the second Glenarm Race in Northern Ireland.

The chance to end the season on a high rewarded those who took part in the Royal North of Ireland annual Glenarm event in late September as the brisk Northerly kept them on their toes in a lively race.

The club lies at Cultra on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, and the destination Glenarm is a few miles north of Larne Harbour on the East Antrim Coast.

Nine boats entered the event he which is open to both racing crews and those who prefer the camaraderie of a cruise-in-company. The Vaughan family in the Jeanneau 349 Toucan, Gordon Patterson’s Sigma 362 Fanciulla, Woo Kearney in the Sigma 33 MaDeCoco and Johnny Parkes Oceanis Clipper 323 Pegasus left Cultra start line at 10:00. While Toucan made the decision to cross the Victoria shipping channel at the earliest opportunity preferring the relative shelter of the Co. Antrim side of the Lough they made it out of the Lough first, heading northeast to make the most of the tidal gains. They held firmly onto the first position until the finish off Glenarm.

The other three hugged the Co. Down coast on the way up the Lough. Next to finish was Fanciulla and having suffered a huge tear in their main sail and damage to their jib, this was no mean feat. However, it was MaDeCoCo that clinched second position from Fanciulla on corrected time, followed by Pegasus in fourth.

Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club's Glenarm Race resultsRoyal North of Ireland Yacht Club's Glenarm Race results

The five boats taking the cruise-in-company option timed their departure from Bangor Marina at 11:00, heading straight for Glenarm under engine and arriving amongst the finishing racing fleet. The strong Northerly against the north-flowing ebb resulted in a fairly bouncy sea state for those motoring, but they did have more time to appreciate the stunning east Antrim coast, and all enjoyed the hospitality on arrival.

A barbeque had been arranged by Conor Haslett at the Marina, and the winner’s trophy was awarded to the Toucan crew in front of a crowd of family and friends.

Published in Belfast Lough

RC35 Class

The concept of the RC35 Class is to bring together similar boats within a close handicap banding and to work with owners and crews to develop the best racing experience possible on the Clyde and the Irish Sea area. The Class is within a tight rating band (IRC 1.015-1.040) yacht racing will be in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Q: What is the RC35 ‘Rule’?
A: Qualifying yachts for the RC35 Class will sit within an IRC Banding of 1.015 to 1.040. In 2017 it is proposed that a tolerance of +/- 0.05pts will be permitted

Q: Are there any other criteria?
A: RC35 takes the most prevalent IRC racing boats on the Clyde and groups them within a fixed rating band. Qualifying boats will have an LOA 32ft—38ft and displacement of between 3,000kg—9,000kg. The rule also requires boats conform to ISAF Cat.4 be anti-fouled and not dry sailed. A limit of sail purchases (2 per year) also applies.

Q: What is the RC35 Championship?
A: The RC35 Championship will cover 8 events (6 to count) and include events such as Scottish Series, Dun Laoghaire/Bangor and an RC35 Championship weekend. Each year the Class will make a commitment to one ‘away’ regatta as part of the Championship.