Coutts Quarter Ton Cup 12.09.2017
12 September 2017 – Cowes, UK –
Coutts Quarter Ton Cup.
A fleet of 23 exquisitely prepared classic race boats – along with some of the world’s best sailors – have gathered in Cowes for the 13th edition of the revived Coutts Quarter Ton Cup.
With four countries represented, plus visitors from Scotland and Jersey, it will again be an international affair. As ever, there’s a diverse variety of sailors, ranging from members of Ben Ainslie’s 2017 Land Rover BAR America’s Cup team, through seasoned trans-Atlantic solo racers, to long-standing Solent gurus. However, parachuting in a team of hot-shot experts is no guarantee of winning this event – it’s often the crews that have practiced and raced together over a longer period that have the consistency to come out on top.
Louise Morton has won the event for the past three years in succession by adopting this strategy and will again be a formidable competitor. Her all-woman crew includes Olympian Kate Macgregor, plus match racing supremos Charlotte Lawrence and Imogen Stanley. „I’m really looking forward to this Quarter Ton Cup,“ Morton says. „Looking down the list of entries, the standard of the fleet is particularly high and there are some very good boats here, so the winner will need to show a lot of consistency.“
Morton will need to keep a very close eye on the best-performing boat in the season to date – Sam Laidlaw’s Judel/Vrolijk designed Aguila. Laidlaw goes into the event with the advantage of having sailed with exactly the same team at every regatta this year, which has already bagged him an enviable haul of silverware.
A winning format
The format of several 45-minute races each day is one that competitors love – it creates enormously exciting racing with heaps of potential for boat-on-boat contact. This works equally well for Coutts‘ guests, who will be watching the action on the water from the 72ft motor yacht Rum Jungle, with commentary from Land Rover BAR sailor Matt „Catflap“ Cornwell.
With more than half the fleet having an IRC rating in the 0.910-0.915 range, and a further nine boats within four points each side, the rating difference between the bulk of the entries represents around 30 seconds over the course of an entire race.
There’s only one boat that rates significantly slower than the rest of the fleet – the Everitt designed Magnum Evolution that’s being sailed this week by Barry Dunning. She has a reputation as a rocket ship in heavy airs, which will surely have the faster-rated boats looking nervously over their shoulders on the windy opening day of the championship.
While the big names and immaculately prepared boats attract much of the attention, one of the keys to the event’s long-standing success has been in the recognition of both Corinthian entries and the less well funded boats that are enticed by the closeness of the competition and the very real potential to beat some of the very best sailors on the planet.
The prospect of winds gusting more than 30 knots tomorrow morning will keep the fleet in Cowes Yacht Haven until 1200, after which it’s hoped to get at least one race in while there’s still fairly flat water before the tide starts to ebb. Given the renowned difficulty of keeping a Quarter Tonner upright while sailing downwind in a big blow the afternoon promises plenty of thrills and spills for competitors and spectators alike.
Further information about the event is available from www.quartertoncup.org, or from Quarter Ton Class Secretary Louise Morton on louisemorton@me.com or +44 (0)7769 972979 and from Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Press Officer Rupert Holmes on Email rupert@rupertholmes.co.uk or +44 (0)7760 713600.
Revived Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Winners
2005 – Purple Haze (1977 David Thomas design) – Tony Dodd
2006 – Enigma – (1977 Ed Dubois design) – Ed Dubois
2007 – Espada – (1980 Bruce Farr design) – Peter Morton
2008 – Tom Bombadil (1982 Doug Peterson design) – Chris Frost & Kevin George
2009 – Anchor Challenge (1978 Bruce Farr design) – Peter Morton
2010 – Cote (1990 Gonzalez design) – Darren Marston & Olly Ophaus
2011 – Overall – Espada (1980 Bruce Farr design) – Louise Morton
Corinthian – Tiger (1989 Fauroux design) – George Kenefick
2012 – Overall – Bullit – (1978 Fauroux design) – Peter Morton
Corinthian – Tiger (1989 Fauroux design) – George Kenefick
2013 – Overall – Espada – (1980 Bruce Farr design) – Louise Morton
Corinthian – Pinguin Playboy (1979 Fauroux design) – Pierre Paris
2014 – Overall – Bullit (1978 Fauroux design) – Peter Morton
Corinthain – Illes Pitiuses (1983 Fauroux) – Dominic and Jason Losty
2015 – Overall – Bullit (1978 Fauroux design) – Louise Morton
Corinthian – Pinguin Playboy (1979 Fauroux design) Pierre Paris
2016 – Overall – Bullit (1978 Fauroux design) – Louise Morton
Corinthian – Pinguin Playboy (1979 Fauroux design) Pierre Paris
Notes For Editors
About The Coutts Quarter Ton Cup
The revival Quarter Ton Cup was the brainchild of well-known sailors Peter Morton and Tony Dodd. In 2004 Peter was toying with the idea of buying back his old Bruce Farr designed Quarter Tonner Super Q and Tony, the owner of Purple Haze, we keen to increase the number of boats he could race against.
A few phone calls to friends later and the idea of a revival Quarter Ton Cup was rolling. The inaugural event took place in 2005 with 14 boats attending and Purple Haze claiming victory. Each year the number and quality of the entrants has increased with the tenth anniversary event in 2014 attracting a record entry of 33 boats.
The standard of racing in the fleet is truly extraordinary with many of the best-known sailors in the world joining the racing for the sheer fun of it. Certainly the Quarter Tonners are widely acknowledged as offering some of the most competitive racing in the Solent.
Although the revival started in the Solent, the enthusiasm for Quarter Tonners is universal and there are now active Quarter Ton fleets across Europe and Australasia with more boats being rediscovered and given a new lease of life each year.
The boats are quirky, fun, incredibly challenging to sail well, but very versatile in that they are competitive in general IRC fleets. It’s also a class that appeals to youngsters and those on a limited budget who can purchase a boat and refurbish her themselves at very reasonable cost. The fleet is always very supportive of new owners offering endless advice and frequently donating parts, sails and even complete rigs to deserving newcomers.
In 2007 the event partnered for the first time with title sponsor Coutts to become the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup, a partnership that has endured ever since. Coutts most generous support has been vital in making the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup the vibrant and successful regatta it is today.
Further information about the Quarter Ton Class can be found at www.quartertonclass.org or by contacting Class Secretary Louise Morton on Email louisemorton@me.com
Fiona Brown Communications, 127 Tower Street, Brightlingsea, Essex CO7 0AW United Kingdom
