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Displaying items by tag: First Boyne Swim

#FirstBoyneSwim - The inaugural Boyne Swim will take place on 14 June at 12.30pm and as previously reported on Afloat.ie is to be part of the Irish Maritime Festival held in Drogheda.

The swimming event is being organised by Drogheda Triathlon Club with Aura as the main sponsor.

Starting at Mell, west of Drogheda town centre, the 2.7km long course takes the swimmers through Drogheda Port and finishing South East of the famous (Dublin-Belfast Railway Line) viaduct bridge which spans over commercial shipping activity below.

Drogheda Triathlon Club's main aim is to have the Boyne Swim as an annual event on the National Open Water Calendar alongside the well-established Liffey, Lee & Dun Laoghaire Harbour Swims.

The club are hoping to attract the top open water swimmers in the country to the Boyne Swim with many already registered from all four corners of the country.

This event is open to wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers and has both senior and junior prize categories. Drogheda Port Company are sponsoring the trophies for this event. For further nformation and online registration visit www.droghedatri.ie

The Irish Maritime Festival (13,14 and 15 June) is being hosted by Drogheda Borough Council, Drogheda Port and supported by Drogheda Chamber of Commerce.

Among an expected line-up of tallships, the West Country trading ketch, Bessie Ellen, is to arrive on the Boyne from Oban, Scotland. The crew will experience traditional sailing skills, a sense of adventure and camaraderie of the 110 year lady of the sea.

 

Published in Boating Fixtures

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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