And yet more quarter tonners...

More boats found at the back of boatyards revived to compete on this year's circuit

The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Cowes is delighted to announce that it will host the 2009 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup from 15 to 18 July 2009. Since it's revival in 2005 the Quarter Ton Class has gone from strength to strength and this fifth Coutts Quarter Ton Cup will bring together both familiar faces and a number of new teams and boats with a record entry expected.

As always the event will feature both great competitive racing in the central Solent and a full programme of social events, including the now legendary Coutts Quarter Ton Gala Dinner, all of which will be hosted at the Royal Corinthian's beautiful waterside clubhouse. The event is open to Quarter Tonners built to all three iterations of the Quarter Ton Rule and racing will take place under IRC to ensure a level playing field.

Quarter Ton owners are as obsessive about their boats as vintage car owners are about their cars and the attention to detail that goes into returning these wonderful little vessels to their former glory has to be seen to be believed. The winter months are always a busy time for Quarter Ton owners as they pour many hours of tender loving care into their boats and this winter has been no exception.

Regular followers of this event will remember that in 2008 Peter Morton, the man behind the Quarter Ton revival, raced his newly discovered and very much 'un-restored' 1978 Bruce Farr design Anchor Challenge. Having had to borrow a rig after the original disintegrated on stepping, Morty and his team then spent the entire regatta catching deck gear as it flew off and watching sail after sail delaminate, before facing the ultimate ignominy of being awarded the Ruffazgutz Trophy for the worst turned out boat. Facing crew rebellion and determined not to be up for the Ruffazgutz again this year, Morty has spent the winter hard at work in the shed bringing Anchor Challenge (a sister ship to his 2007 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup winner Espada) back to life and currently awaits delivery of his new rig and sails.

Watching Morty's progress with interest is his wife Louise, the administrative powerhouse behind the Quarter Ton revival, who now owns Espada. After finishing an extremely close fourth at the 2008 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup and winning the Quarter Ton Class at Skandia Cowes Week 2008, Louise and her all girl Espada crew have their sights firmly set on victory at this year's Cup. No doubt we can look forward to a battle royal between these two very evenly matched boats as husband and wife go head to head.

"I am really excited about racing Morty this year in sisterships, although there are all sorts of things going on that he won't tell me about," commented Louise Morton. "Oh well, I guess two can play at that game...... so now Espada is in David Heritage's shed being tweaked. It is a lovely class to be racing in and I am delighted with the way the class has grown over the last five years."

Among the new boats joining the fleet for 2009 is Illegal Immigrant, a Ceccarelli design from Greece, formerly called Pandomium, and a near sistership to Per Elisa, the last boat to win the original Quarter Ton Cup. Also new to the fleet this year are The Itch, which owner Berry Aarts brought from Holland to Cowes late last year; and Menace (ex Junior), a 1981 Fauroux design, recently purchased from France by Tim Rees, who has previously crewed aboard Purple Haze and Sgt Pepper. Tim will be sailing the boat with fellow Quarter Ton stalwarts Derek and James Morland making them a team very much worth watching. Jamie McWilliam is planning to join the party by shipping his Quarter Tonner back from Hong Kong. Purple Haze is due to make a comeback with Tony Dodd and rumours are circulating that Ed Dubois is planning to return in his 2006 winner Enigma.

Another familiar face in a new boat will be Ollie Ophaus, who has sold his beautifully restored Super Nova to Ireland and is now hard at work restoring a 1990 Pepe Gonzalez boat reputed to have originally been sailed by Prince Philippe of Spain in the Quarter Ton Cup. This is one of two boats Morty found in Spain having discovered them mouldering in the back of a boatyard in Vigo.

In preparation for the 2009 edition of the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup the fleet has put together an excellent early season racing programme starting with the Red Funnel Easter Challenge (10-12 April) and the Raymarine Spring Championships (18-19 April), both raced in the Solent, the Royal Southern May Regatta (16-17 May), the Vice Admiral's Cup (29-31 May), the IRC Championship (5-7 June) and the Round the Island Race (20 June). The final warm up event is a trip to Ireland for the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale, Co Cork (24-27 June). Full details of the 2009 programme can be found here.

For further information about the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup 2009 please contact Anthony Collis, Club Secretary, Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, The Parade, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7QU, Tel +44 (0)1983 293581, Fax +44(0)1983 294385, E-mail anthony@rcyc.co.uk