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Displaying items by tag: Fingal Cruiser Challenge

This year’s Fingal Cruiser Challenge kicks off on Saturday 13 May with the Fingal Coastal, the first in a nine-event series that also includes the famed Lambay Races, the Asgard Race and much more.

Organised by Howth Yacht Club in association with Malahide Yacht Club, the open series of Saturday races is touted as the only alternative on the East Coast to ISORA for coastal racing.

It regularly brings together a variety of keelboat owners and racers to enjoy the action on the water, not to mention the social gatherings after the racing.

Entry is €40 which includes six races in the waters north and east of Howth Harbour, plus three combined with other events and regattas.

The full calendar for the Fingal Cruiser Challenge 2023 is as follows:

  • 13 May - Fingal Coastal
  • 27 May - Asgard Race
  • 3 June - Lambay Races
  • 17 June - Kish & Back Challenge
  • 15 July - Howth-Rockabill-Coastal
  • 22 July - Malahide Regatta
  • 5 August - Gibney Classic
  • 19 August - Dublin Bay Coastal Race
  • 2 September - Fingal Coastal Challenge

The Notice of Race is available from the HYC website HERE.

Published in Howth YC

Saturday 4 July marks the start of the 2020 Fingal Cruiser Challenge with a mini coastal race starting from Howth pier, with the gun at 10am.

Howth Yacht Club intends to start all boats off together and the fleet will be racing under HPH handicap only.

This is the third year of the revamped Fingal Series and will feature a combination of four mini-coastal races and the Lambay Race.

The series is intended to encourage keelboat owners, both racers and non-racers, to participate in some or all of the challenges that we can fit into our shortened season.

The mini coastal races are hoped to be attractive to boats with short-handed or less experienced crews, while providing close racing for those who like to be at the front.

The Notice of Race and entry form for the series are available online.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Aqua Two-Handed Challenge returns to Howth later in July, with a wider array of classes welcome.

Meanwhile, club racing starts tomorrow (Tuesday 30 June) for the one-designs at HYC, as was confirmed last week. Entries can still be submitted HERE.

Published in Howth YC

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. 

At A Glance – Half Ton Classics Cup Winners

  • 2017 – Kinsale – Swuzzlebubble – Phil Plumtree – Farr 1977
  • 2016 – Falmouth – Swuzzlebubble – Greg Peck – Farr 1977
  • 2015 – Nieuwport – Checkmate XV – David Cullen – Humphreys 1985
  • 2014 – St Quay Portrieux – Swuzzlebubble – Peter Morton – Farr 1977
  • 2013 – Boulogne – Checkmate XV – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1985
  • 2011 – Cowes – Chimp – Michael Kershaw – Berret 1978
  • 2009 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978
  • 2007 – Dun Laoghaire – Henri-Lloyd Harmony – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1980~
  • 2005 – Dinard – Gingko – Patrick Lobrichon – Mauric 1968
  • 2003 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978

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