Battle of Kinsale hots up

Considering the rich history of yachts and racing, it might seem odd that classic would be applied to boats constructed from modern materials.

But time marches on and the fleet gathered at Kinsale this week steps back to an era within living memory of vastly different boats from the cutting-edge designs of the 21st century.

The last ‘ton-rule’ boats were associated with the International Offshore Rule (IOR) that gave us many of the best-known racing yachts that could arguably be considered the golden era of popular sailing.