Coutts Quarter Ton Cup 2013 - Online Entry Open

PORTO CERVO, ITALY

The 2013 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup will be hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes, from 15 to 17 July. Now in its ninth year the event continues to attract huge attention and will once again be open to Quarter Tonners built under all three iterations of the Quarter Ton Rule, and will be raced under IRC. The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club is delighted that Coutts will again be supporting the event as title sponsor.

This year's regatta will follow the well established and much loved formula of fast and furious racing afloat, followed by informal and fun après sailing ashore. With upwards of 30 teams expected to race, including a number of new crews, competition will be fierce and the old guard can expect to have the young pretenders snapping at their heels.

A view of the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup 2013 - Race

Fresh from victory at the recent Vice Admiral's Cup Regatta where once again the Quarter Tonners were one of the largest classes, Peter Morton and his crew of likely lads aboard Bullit will be hoping to claim their fourth victory. However, there are plenty of contenders determined to keep Bullit off the top step of the podium. Rickard Melander's Alice II and Ian and Catrina Southworth's Whiskers will definitely be giving Bullit a run for her money while Louise Morton's girls in Espada will be keen to get their hands on the trophy for a second time following their victory in 2011.

The Corinthian Division is wide open this year as George Kenefick, who has won it for the past two editions, is unable to race leaving the field clear for a new Corinthian champion. As always Richard and Anna Thomas will be putting up a good fight for the Corinthian Trophy aboard Sgt Pepper, the 1984 Bolero Mk II designed by Richard's father David Thomas. Challenging them from France will be Pierre Paris's Pinguin Playboy which recently underwent a significant refit in Cowes.

There are also some exciting new faces making their maiden Coutts Quarter Ton Cup appearances this year. Geoff Gritton and his team from Brightlingsea aboard Panic showed plenty of promise at the Vice Admiral's Cup, and now they have analysed the lessons of that regatta we can expect them to come back even stronger. Geoff and his Essex Boys put Panic through a major refit this past winter and the boat is now looking fantastic so as well as success on the race course they will also but in with a chance of winning the Concours d'Elegance. Bad Toad, a 1992 Tony Castro design, has similarly undergone major refit work during the past winter and is now looking very smart too.

Richard Fleck sailing the Ceccarelli designed Per Elisa will also be taking part in his first Coutts Quarter Ton Cup. Richard was delighted to finish ninth at the recent Vice Admiral's Cup and is looking forward to mixing it up with the bigger Coutts Quarter Ton Cup fleet. Another new boat to look out for is Magnum Evolution, whose crew will include the boat's designer Julian Everitt.

As usual racing will be on a mixture of windward/leeward and round the cans courses in the Central Solent with Rob Lamb officiating as Race Officer. There will be social events each evening at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club's waterside clubhouse, with the legendary Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Gala Dinner being held on Tuesday 16th July.

Online entry is now open and the entry form, notice of race and full details can be found at www.rcyc.co.uk.

Members of the press requiring further information or images should contact RCYC Press Officer Fiona Brown on E-mail: fiona.brown@fionabrown.com or Tel +44 (0)7711 718470

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

TOP