RC35s to Get Stand-alone Belfast Lough Regatta in June

9th January 2023

Stuart Cranston's Ker 35 Hijacker from Strangford Lough Yacht Club competing at the 2022 Portaferry Town Regatta Credit: Michael Hooley

The last time the RC35s raced in Belfast Lough was in the 2022 Bangor Town Regatta. And so successful was the class that it can look forward to a stand-alone event in June this season.

Hosted by the Royal Ulster Yacht Club in Bangor on the south side of the Lough, the five-race, two-day event will be held on Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th of June. The event organiser is Rory Flannigan.

As this fixture is part of the Celtic Cup, it is expected that many of the RC35 racing fraternity who have frequented Belfast Lough in recent years will return to compete in the event.

Belfast Lough's Archambault A35 Final Call II, skippered by John Minnis, was the winner of the 2022 Celtic Cup Photo: Afloat

Certainly, Stuart Cranston will bring his Ker 35 Hijacker from Strangford Lough Yacht Club to join the winner of the 2022 Celtic Cup, the local Final Call II, John Minnis’s Archambault A35. Both look forward to taking on the cream of the class, many of whom they hope will make the trip from the RC35 strongholds in the Irish Sea. Final Call II won its class at the 2022 Wave Regatta in Howth and will be keen to make up for the gear failure forced retirement from last year’s Bangor Town Regatta.

The Notice of Race and Entry forms will appear in February.

Published in RC35, Northern Ireland Waters, Belfast Lough

Published in RC35

Tagged under

RC35

About The Author

Betty Armstrong

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Betty Armstrong is Afloat and Yachting Life's Northern Ireland Correspondent. Betty grew up racing dinghies but now sails a more sedate Dehler 36 around County Down

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RC35 Class

The concept of the RC35 Class is to bring together similar boats within a close handicap banding and to work with owners and crews to develop the best racing experience possible on the Clyde and the Irish Sea area. The Class is within a tight rating band (IRC 1.015-1.040) yacht racing will be in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Q: What is the RC35 ‘Rule’?
A: Qualifying yachts for the RC35 Class will sit within an IRC Banding of 1.015 to 1.040. In 2017 it is proposed that a tolerance of +/- 0.05pts will be permitted

Q: Are there any other criteria?
A: RC35 takes the most prevalent IRC racing boats on the Clyde and groups them within a fixed rating band. Qualifying boats will have an LOA 32ft—38ft and displacement of between 3,000kg—9,000kg. The rule also requires boats conform to ISAF Cat.4 be anti-fouled and not dry sailed. A limit of sail purchases (2 per year) also applies.

Q: What is the RC35 Championship?
A: The RC35 Championship will cover 8 events (6 to count) and include events such as Scottish Series, Dun Laoghaire/Bangor and an RC35 Championship weekend. Each year the Class will make a commitment to one ‘away’ regatta as part of the Championship.