Conner in a half tonner

America's Cup legend signs up for Half Ton Classics Cup

The second running of the Half Ton Classics Cup (a sailing regatta for former IOR-half tonners) will be held in Dinard, France from Sunday 28 August until Saturday 3 September. The local Yacht Club of Dinard will be hosting the event.

Earlier this week the Half Ton Class Europe was contacted by the America’s Cup legend Dennis Conner who showed great interest in attending the event: he asked whether there were any competitive half tonners available to rent for him and he had a crew of five that had 'all the necessary sailing knowledge' - according to the skipper himself.

Very soon the class found a boat that suited Conner perfectly: a Belgian lightweight Joubert/Nivelt designed boat from 1982, a former Fastnet Race winner, with a good racing record in Dutch IMS regattas. The former Grim'lo is generally considered to have one of the best speed potentials among half tonners and it comes with an incredible low IRC-rating of only 0.9200… Conner specified he would bring his own sails, “so the owner did not need to be worried”.

Other confirmed entries were also very enthusiastic when they heard the news. It is not every day that you have the chance to beat Mr Conner off Saint-Malo.

All information concerning the event can be found at the website of the Half Ton Class
Europe, where there is a large database of half tonners from all across Europe as well as an historical overview of all the winners of the Half Ton Cup since 1966.