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Displaying items by tag: Kevin Vickers

The Royal Irish Yacht Club looks forward to welcoming Kevin Vickers, the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, as its international guest speaker at a dinner next Friday 9 November.

Ambassador Vickers has served as Ambassador of Canada to Ireland since January 2015. He was previously Sergeant-at-Arms of Canada’s House of Commons and prior to that had a successful 29-year-long career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

He is a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Canada 125 Medal, and the RCMP Long Service Medal. He has also been recognised by the Community of Burnt Church for his outstanding service to their community, and by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency for his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Drug Enforcement’.

In 2014, Vickers was hailed as a hero by Canada’s parliamentarians and other prominent Canadian and international figures for his actions in stopping the October attack at the Parliament of Canada.

This event is open to all RIYC members and their guests and will cost €40 per person including a glass of Prosecco on arrival. A members’ table will be available. Online booking is available HERE.

Another date for your calendar is Thursday 22 November, when the RIYC Military History Annual Lecture is delivered by keynote guest Professor Saul David, well-known British academic military historian, author and broadcaster.

Prof David will deliver his lecture ‘The Force: The First Special Service Force and the Capture of Monte la Difensa’, telling the incredible true story of the assault on Hitler’s Winter Line in southern Italy in December 1943 – one of the greatest military feats of the Second World War – and the small group of elite US and Canadian soldiers who carried it out.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the RIYC’s Christmas brochure details events planned at the Dun Laoghaire waterfront clubhouse throughout the upcoming festive season.

Published in Royal Irish Yacht Club
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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. 

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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