Half Ton Classics Cup 2025

With today’s coastal race having a points weighting of 1.5 Paul Pullen’s Miss Whiplash now leads the regatta by 1.5 p0ints from Greg Peck’s Swuzzlebubble with Jonny Swan’s Harmony third and Philippe Pilate’s General Tapioca fourth.

Click here for Overall Results

The 40 mile coastal race Mylor Yacht Harbour Tuesday at the Henri Lloyd Half Ton Classics Cup came down to a nail biting finish with Paul Pullen’s Miss Whiplash claiming victory over Greg Peck’s Swuzzlebubble by just six seconds after more than five hours of racing. In third place by just 25 seconds was Jonny Swan’s Harmony.  Click here for Full Results

To say that David Evans, owner of Hullabaloo XV, is committed to the Half Ton Class and attending the Henri Lloyd Half Ton Classics Cup 2016 is an understatement. David sailed his boat 380 miles single handed to be here this week on a trip that included a force eight gale, so we spoke with him about his epic adventure from Walton Backwaters in Essex to Falmouth.

It’s Coastal Race day sponsored by Mylor Yacht Habour here in Falmouth and the Half Tonners are preparing for a 40 mile romp around the Cornish coast.  The forecast is for easterly winds up to force five and although we have grey skies at the moment they promise that the sun will be back soon. If the forecast is accurate it’s anticipated that the boats will finish at around 4pm, although the race committee may shorten if the wind goes lighter.

Immediately after racing A2 Rigging will be hosting beers on the dock and then it will be onto the Regatta Marquee for the daily prize giving at 19.00.

At today’s briefing race officer Jack Pentry announced that today he will use the Z Flag penalty (20% scoring penalty for anyone over the line at the start) instead of the Black Flag. After discussion with competitors it was agreed that the first start for the race will be run under the P Flag and the Z Flag will only be imposed after an initial general recall.

The Henri Lloyd Half Ton Classics Cup 2016 got off to a spectacular start at Falmouth with big waves, a steady breeze, hot sun and two terrific races. The day was sponsored by Euro Car Parks and RAM Gaskets, and as well as great racing the fleet also enjoyed some traditional post sailing Cornish hospitality as the participants came together for a Cornish Pastie supper and the daily prize giving set against a spectacular sun set at Flushing Sailing Club.

Race Officer Jack Penty and his team were able to complete both a practice race and the first two championship races of the series in an easterly wind of around 15 knots. The wind strength was rather less than might have been expected for the sea state of big rolling and occasionally breaking waves, so keeping the boats powered up through the swell but under control was the order of the day.

As always with the Half Ton Class, the racing was extremely close and first blood went to Paul Pullen’s 1986 Andrieu designed Miss Whiplash with Greg Peck’s newly acquired 1977 Farr designed Swuzzlebubble, winner of the 2014 Half Ton Classics Cup with previous owner Peter Morton, second and Philippe Pilate’s General Tapioca, launched in 1978 to a Berrett design, third.

The tables were turned in race two as Swuzzlebubble took victory from Miss Whiplash with the French team of Jean-Philippe Lau and Claude Charbonnier sailing the 1980 Jubert designed Sibelius third.

In the overall standings the Falmouth based Swuzzlebubble and Miss Whiplash lead the fleet with both boats counting three points and Swuzzlebubble taking the overall lead only on count-back.  General Tapioca added a fifth in race two to their second from the opener, giving them eight points and third overall.

With such a big sea running it was inevitable that someone would find themselves demonstrating why IOR boats had such a well deserved reputation for downwind instability.  M & R Evans and their crew from Howth, Ireland aboard The Big Picture performed a spectacular pirouette and the crew found themselves making as one with the non-slip. Fortunately they were soon back on their feet and bowling along with big grins all over their faces.

Another Irish team, this time from Rush Sailing Club, encountered another somewhat unexpected and decidedly damp incident when their lifeline lashing broke just after the start of race one. Although several of the crew of M & R Evens’ The Big Picture fell off the side of the boat they were all able to hang on and were rapidly dragged back aboard.

The Half Ton Classics Class has a hugely loyal and committed membership who lovingly maintain and race these historic little yachts. A fine example of commitment to the class is David Evans of the Stephen Jones designed Hustler SJ32 Hullabaloo XV. Not only does David maintain his boat in fantastic order, but he will go to great lengths to attend the Half Ton Classics Cup.  This year he sailed the boat 380 miles single handed from Walton Backwaters in Essex, including taking on a force eight gale, to get to Falmouth. Now that’s what we call dedication!

The second day of racing will feature a single Coastal Race starting at 10.30am, which will have a points weighting of 1.5. The forecast indicates more easterly winds of 10 to 15 knots and the course, which will take the boats up and down the Cornish coast within a 20 mile radius of the entrance to Falmouth Harbour, will be announced at the daily competitors’ briefing at 08.30. The regatta continues until Friday 19 August.

For full results and further information about the Henri Lloyd Half Ton Classics Cup 2016 please go to:

Click here for the official day one results from the Henri Lloyd Half Ton Classics Cup 2016 in Falmouth.  Our thanks to day sponsors Euro Car Parks and RAM Gaskets for their fantastic support today!

Full Results

We’re just waiting for the formal overall results to come up online but what we can confirm provisionally is that the top seven after two races are:

1.  Swuzzlebubble – 2, 1 = 3
2. Miss Whiplash – 1, 2 = 3
3. General Tapioca – 3, 5 = 8
4. Harmony – 5, 4 = 9
5. Checkmate – 4, 8 = 12
6. Per Elisa – 6, 6 – 12
7. Emiliano Zapata – 7, 7 – 14

In the second race the tables were turned as Greg Peck’s Swuzzlebubble beat Paul Pullen’s Miss Whiplash by 34 seconds giving both boats a first and second on their scorecards and putting the Falmouth based boats into equal first place. Third place in race two went to Frenchman Jean-Luc-Bourbon’s Sibelius with Harmony, owned by Jonny Swan from Howth, Ireland fourth and Philippe Pilate’s General Tapioca from Belgium fifth.

Click here for the Race 2 Results