Fast Lines Half Ton Classics Cup: Sensational and smart

Half Ton sailors love variety. In Thursday’s exciting Long Distance Round the Cans, the last two Windward Leeward and Round the Can races had to determine the thrilling struggle between the four dominating Irish Halftonners and the attacking French and English.

Wind for lunch

Lots of wind at the Long Distance in the western part of the Solent, so the sailors went crazy. Especially in the second half, a long leg in the familiar choppy wind-against-tide situation.

On Hullabaloo XV only one exploding block, caused the sudden passing of two spinnakers. In bursts of more than twenty-five knots, a few boats showed their flashing clean white bottoms, and continued jubilantly towards Cowes.

What should have been an obvious case turned out differently at the Gala Dinner. Hm: some tables are left empty. Hadn’t the Dyers surfed their boat across the finish line by a wide margin, ahead of all the others? After a protest, the favorite Swuzzlebubble seemed to have lost its first place.
Roger Marino surprisingly finished second with the Chimp. Checkmate XV came in third.

King One thus occupied a generous position on the condition that Patrick Boardman’s crew would not drop any stitches in the last two rounds.
No one would give gifts.

Final races

Especially for the last days of this championship, the weather gods brought out their best supply of English drizzle. Eventually it was possible to start in noticeably light conditions for a Windward leeward that had to be shortened.

You saw some people looking for wind in the middle of the Solent, but the steam was playing tricks on them. Once again, King One shows her superiority and finishes just ahead of Harmony and Checkmate XV.

The French Halfajet (team Ronan Treussard) wants to process the gnashing of teeth for a lost protest, earlier in the week. The attack attempt in this first moto fails, but in the second round, it succeeds. Wind and current are more favorable on the right side of the last rak to the finish.

Treussard sends his halftonner in a straight line to the finish, the Dwyers, on the port side of the French, must pinch too much and get the finish buoy more just. Halfajet rises again in the General Ranking and returns to Brittany with his head held high.