Albacore class looking forward
by Mark Reddington 1 Sep 2023 03:07 PDT
Albacore Internationals at Abersoch Day 5 © Andy Green / Green Sea Photography
Now the dust has settled over the end of the Albacore Internationals, which was held at South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club, Abersoch, the class has already begun the planning for the next Internationals to be held in the USA in 2025.
The venue will be either Tampa Florida, Newport RI or Chesapeake Bay. and a good number of crews have signed up for the event already. The class association are liaising with their North American counterparts, who are helping with logistics and accommodation. Shipping costs are being made easier through the UK Association by managing a monthly payment deal to spread the cost and encourage more crews to enter. This was very successfully carried out for the 2019 Internationals held in Nova Scotia, Canada. The boats were loaded into a container in Manchester and delivered straight to the event.
More good news for the future of the Albacore has come from Ovington Boats who have started taking orders for a new boat build, with delivery at the end of this year. There are some notable helms showing interest having now sailed the boat and discovering what a fabulous dinghy it is to sail and that is a very capable sea boat, as was witnessed at Abersoch!
The class has a demonstration boat which was purchased new this year and is available for anyone to try for a day or charter for an event. The boat is fitted out to the latest specifications and proved its capability by winning the both the nationals and the internationals this year in the hands of Nev Herbert and Lewis Fowler. Close racing is another feature of the class, the next event scheduled for 16th-17th September, the Northern Championships at Scaling Dam SC, and with the club promising a social to match the quality of the racing it will be a great weekend.
The class association has started putting together a calendar for next year, to be published before the end of this year, and are looking to find the best venues available, including the nationals to be held at Tynemouth SC 29th Aug-1st Sept 2024.
For availability of the demo boat please contact