One Ton Cup a misnomer

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32053, 30 July 1969, Page 15

One Ton Cup a misnomer

•THE One Ton Cup, which x the New Zealand yacht Rainbow II has just won at Kiel in Germany, was first presented in 1898 by the Paris Sailing Club. It was competed for until 1965 by yachts of the six-metre type but then interest waned. Competition was revived by making a contest for ocean-racers with a maximum length- of 22ft. As a result of changes in the rules, neither the trophy nor the competing

yachts weight one ton. The silver cup weighs a few .pounds while the yachts now weigh between five and eight tons. The . new rules are a combination of the rules of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Cruising Club of America and to keep the competition within reasonable bounds the competing yachts must have sufficient accommodation to be called cruiser-racers. The rules are designed to produce full-bodied yachts, like Rainbow 11, and to prevent the building of extreme hulls designed to take advantage of weaknesses in the old rules. However, old R.O.R.C. yachts built to the spirit of the former rules, are not affected but the “extreme” yachts are»penalised. Just before the One Ton Cup races, Rainbow II underwent hull changes that caused some comment, especially from the crew of the German yacht Optimist which was second overall and won the fifth and final race. Rainbow II defeated Optimist in the fourth race to clinch the series after coming from behind and winning by 30sec. Moreover, in all the races Optimist, the German champion, had the advantage of sailing in home waters. The picture shows Rainbow II In action.