Revisiting the One Ton Cup era

Back in the day, when grand prix handicap racing was going bonkers, the One Ton Cup was among the holy grails in the sport. Reputations were made at the One Ton Cup.

The One Ton Cup was first created in the early 1900s for the 6 meter class, but it became an ocean racing championship in 1965 when the RORC, and then later IOR, handicap rules gained traction. A “one tonner” was a specific handicap rating number, thus providing designers the target to create the fastest boat.

And they would all gather each year to race for the Cup.

Now, with the Cup long since fought over, 2-time One Ton Cup champion Chris Bouzaid (1969 and 1972) and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron are seeking an indication of potential interest in a proposed “One Ton Cup Revisited” regatta, in Auckland, New Zealand, in February/March 2015.

The regatta would celebrate the (near) 50^th anniversary of the One Ton Cup switching from metre class yachts to offshore racers, using an international rule (RORC) to measure and rate contestants. This was when interest in the Cup went global and led to One Tonners being regarded as the Formula One class of ocean racing.

Click here for updated information.

The current thinking is to cater for RORC and IOR One Tonners that were eligible for Cup competition between (and including) the years 1965 to 1983. The Cup increased the boat size in 1984.

The IRC Rating Rule would be used to equitably handicap the fleet which would be raced in two classes – RORC and IOR yachts 1965 to 1971 (inclusive), and IOR yachts 1971 to 1983 (inclusive).

The RNZYS has had a long involvement in the modern era of the event, competing for the Cup no less than 12 times, in seven different countries. In the process, it has won the Cup on five occasions and hosted the event twice.  

The current proposal for the “Revisited” regatta would be to mirror the One Ton Cup of old – such that there would be three inshore races, a short ocean race and a proper ocean race. In deference to contestants and boats, however, the inshore races would be of approximately 20 miles length, while the short ocean race would be a 40-miler (approx) and the ocean race a 100-miler (approx).

There would be a Prix d’ Elegance and other innovative awards, with an opening ceremony and  prizegiving that would do full justice to New Zealand’s legendary record for celebrating major sailing occasions.

There would also be a New Zealand Millennium Cup super yacht and One Ton Cup Revisited weekend at the beautiful Hauraki Gulf island of Kawau, with its famous Mansion House which, in the mid-to-late 1800s, was the residence of the then Governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey.

This will be a high-profile sailing period in Auckland.

The Finn Gold Cup will be raced off Takapuna Beach in February 2015, while the Volvo Ocean Race fleet is scheduled to arrive in Auckland (from China) on or about around 26 February 2015, and leave for Itajai, in Brazil, on 15 March 2015.

The proposed “One Ton Cup Revisited” would be an important and integral part of this major celebration of sail.

Those interested should communicate, by email that interest, with brief detail of the One Tonner that might/would be involved: Alan Sefton, alansefton@xtra.co.nz

Below is an example of boats that were eligible One Tonners up to and including 1983 (updated Dec 4, 2013 but by no means definitive). Please email the Scuttlebutt editor with any corrections and/or additions:

Boat list as of December 4, 2013
Boat list as of November 27, 2013