Hawaii Win Half Ton Classics In Norway, Howth Take Third

8th August 2026

WM Nixon

Them were the days – Swuzzlebubble and 2Farr battling it out in Cork Week 2024. 2Farr is now World Champion 2026 Credit: RCYC

The North Dublin Rogerstown Estuary in Fingal is a place of quiet attractions. But it is very different from Hawaii, and both in turn are very different from Hanko in Norway, where the Royal Norwegian Yacht Club has been hosting the Half Ton Classics Cup for an international fleet of 40 boats through this week of 2-7th August.

Yet all three very different locations have been interlinked, as it was Rush SC members who spirited the classic Farr Half Tonner 2Farr, a near-sister of the famous 1976-vintage Swuzzlebubble home to Ireland from Australia. And now 2Farr has won the Half Ton Classics in distinctly mixed Norwegian weather, with the owner/skipper Rich Matzinger claiming to be Californian, yet we find that his home club of Lahaina YC is actually based in Hawaii.

There was further Rush input in that the originally Paul Elvstrom-campaigned Half Tonner King One, Rush SC for a time, has gone to Norway, and placed fourth overall, but ahead of her was Jonny Swann of Howth in the Humphreys Classic Harmony.

Crew of the winner 2Farr were

Rich Matzinger (Lahaina Yacht Club)
Bill Menninger (Newport Harbor Yacht Club)
Jan Eli Gravad (Hellerup Seglklub)
Abbott Tucker Atterbury (Santa Barbara Yacht Club)
Daniel Gorman (Long Beach Yacht Club)
Martin Larsen (Koge Sejlklub)
Craig Wilson

Crew of Harmony:

John Swan (Howth Yacht Club
Robert Kerley (Howth Yacht Club)
Eamonn Bourke (Howth Yacht Club)
Ciaran Kelly (Rush Sailing Club)
Cian Hickey (Rush Sailing Club)
Ryan Glynn (Ballyholme Yacht Club)
Nigel Young (Royal Cork Yacht Club)

Hanko YC in Norway has been the enthusiastic host of the Selden 2026 Half Tin Classics.

Published in Half Tonners, Howth YC

Published in Half Tonners

Tagged under

Half Tonners

About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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The Half Ton Class was created by the Offshore Racing Council for boats within the racing band not exceeding 22'-0". The ORC decided that the rule should "....permit the development of seaworthy offshore racing yachts...The Council will endeavour to protect the majority of the existing IOR fleet from rapid obsolescence caused by ....developments which produce increased performance without corresponding changes in ratings..."

When first introduced the IOR rule was perfectly adequate for rating boats in existence at that time. However yacht designers naturally examined the rule to seize upon any advantage they could find, the most noticeable of which has been a reduction in displacement and a return to fractional rigs.

After 1993, when the IOR Mk.III rule reached it termination due to lack of people building new boats, the rule was replaced by the CHS (Channel) Handicap system which in turn developed into the IRC system now used.

The IRC handicap system operates by a secret formula which tries to develop boats which are 'Cruising type' of relatively heavy boats with good internal accommodation. It tends to penalise boats with excessive stability or excessive sail area.

Competitions

The most significant events for the Half Ton Class has been the annual Half Ton Cup which was sailed under the IOR rules until 1993. More recently this has been replaced with the Half Ton Classics Cup. The venue of the event moved from continent to continent with over-representation on French or British ports. In later years the event is held biennially. Initially, it was proposed to hold events in Ireland, Britain and France by rotation. However, it was the Belgians who took the ball and ran with it. The Class is now managed from Belgium.