Stuart Cranston, representing Strangford Lough Yacht Club in Northern Ireland, was on the podium again with his Quarter Tonner, this time finishing second in Class Six at Cowes Week.
The winner was Sam Laidlaw's 28-foot Quarter Tonner BLT, which, after a major and extensive refit, appears virtually unbeatable.
The 7-day series saw mixed conditions, ranging from 6 knots to 30 knots. Cranston's beautifully restored wooden 25-foot Quarter Tonner placed in all the podium positions among a top fleet of Quarter Tonners and similarly rated boats.
The crew for the regatta included Stuart Cranston (Strangford Lough YC), Mark Mansfield (Cork), Saul Vassallo (Malta), Colin McKenzie (Strangford Lough YC), Kristin Borg (Malta), and Chris Gracey (Northern Ireland).
Northern Ireland's Purple Haze on the Podium in Cowes (from left) Kristin Borg, Saul Vassal, Stuart Cranston and Chris Grace. Missing from photo is Mark Mansfield and Colin McKenzie
Purple Haze, a David Thomas design, serves as the prototype for the Bolera Quarter Tonner, which is quite well known in Ireland. Rating considerably below the other Quarter Tonners, she was typically boat-for-boat ahead of the others at the finish, apart from Laidlaw's BLT.
