The Yachting Monthly Triangle Race runs every two years and is a fun offshore event for cruisers to have a go at short-handed racing
The Triangle Race is a double-handed challenge open to cruiser and cruiser-racer monohull yachts of 25ft LOA or over, organised by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club. The event runs, on even-numbered years, from Torquay to Kinsale Southern Ireland to Tréguier Brittany and back to Torquay, a distance of at least 620 miles and lasting 12 days. At least 2 days are spent in each port with receptions, parties and shore based ‘competitions’ as well as impromptu parties ashore and afloat.
The next edition of the race will be held on 12-24 June 2016 and entry costs £500 per boat. Enter the race at: www.rtyc.org/yachting-monthly-triangle-race-2016
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Read about the 2014 Triangle Race
See more articles about the Triangle Race
Participating yacht must have IRC certificates and an SSS base value or 24 or above, or a STIX value of 31 or above and a minimum AVS of 119. The race is run as an ISAF Category 2 event so there are a number of safety and qualifying requirements. Boats must have completed a non-stop qualifying cruise between 1 January 2016 and before arrival in Torquay, of not less than 125 nautical miles, with just the race crew on board.
History
The Triangle Race was founded in 1982, by former YM editor Andrew Bray, who believed the Round Britain Race was too long for most people with family and business commitments.Twenty seven yachts took part in the first race in 1984 and the course went from Falmouth to Crosshaven, in Ireland, to Morgat in Brittany and back to Falmouth.
The next race in 1986 saw the start moved to Torquay and also Morgat replaced with Tréguier. The 1990 edition saw a record 79 boats competing in one of the toughest races yet, with weather alternating between gales and calms with startling suddenness and a competitor being run down in mid-Channel, fortunately without loss to yacht or crew. It was in this year that Rotal Torbay Yacht CLub took over the running of the event.
1998 saw an entry list of 50 boats, including an ex-America’s Cup 12 metre Victory. Entries came from Ireland, Gibraltar and as far as Scarborough on the East Coast and Anglesey on the west. During the stopover of this edition of the race in Tréguier the Royal Torbay Yacht Club was given on behalf of the ‘Triangleurs’, the Key to the town of Tréguier.
In 2008, the Irish stopover of the Triangle Race moved to Kinsale, where warm hospitality and fine dining have made the stopover a firm favourite.
For more information and to make an entry, go to: www.rtyc.org/yachting-monthly-triangle-race-2016