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Displaying items by tag: definition of a Classic Halftonner

The Half Ton Class Europe is proud to announce that, after some deliberation it has chosen Cowes as the venue for the 5th Half Ton Classics Cup. The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club is to host the regatta, which is open to all former IOR half tonners. The regatta dates are 21-26 AUG 2011.

The local representative of the Half Ton Class, Richard Hollis, owner of the X-95 Crackajax (which is a production half tonner), is also Rear Commodore RCYC. Richard has agreed to co-ordinate the event, with active support of the Half Ton Class Europe.

By announcing the date & venue of the next event at an early stage, the Half Ton Class Europe and the RCYC hope that the participating teams are given enough time to prepare their entry.

The Half Ton Class Europe would like to remind owners that the Class Spirit, well known to all the crews who have participated in one of the previous 4 Half Ton Classic Cups, will prevail in scrutinising applications to enter the event.

The basic definition of a Classic Half-tonner is a yacht which was designed and built as a prototype one-off 'half tonner' (or is a production boat derived from the same hull) under the IOR rule between 1st January 1967 and 31st December 1993, and was eligible to participate at the IOR Half Ton Cup during that period. No alterations shall have been made to the hull of the boat and rigid wing masts will not be tolerated. No outside assistance such as coach boats will be permitted during races and no more than (1) professional crew (ISAF Cat.1) will be permitted on any one boat.

The event will consist of 5 days of racing. The race officer will be asked to set windward-leeward races, Olympic triangles and "round the cans" races on the Solent as well as a 'long' offshore race: wind and weather permitting, this will be a 'Half Ton Round the Island' Race. Together with the inshore racing this should make the Half Ton Classic Cup 2011 a memorable event.

If you want to be kept updated about the event, please indicate your interest via the Class' mail address: bert.janssen [at] halftonclass-europe.net

Official Notice of Race to be published soon on:

www.halftonclass-europe.net

Published in Racing

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.