Forty two boats to head for the starting line for the twentieth anniversary of the Royal Torbay Yacht Club’s Triangle Race, on Sunday 20 June 2004.

This double handed offshore race has an opening leg of 220 nautical miles from Torquay to Crosshaven in Ireland, from their the fleet sail the longest leg of 270 miles to Treguier in Britanny, before the 110 mile dash back to Torquay.

This biennial amateur event always attracts an eclectic collection of boats and crews, who enjoy some demanding competition afloat, interspersed with some serious partying at the stopovers.

This year’s fleet features a good cross section of “repeat offenders” and newcomers, including the first all female crew to contest the race.

Whilst Kirsteen Donaldson and Mary Sturgess, sailing an X332, Pyxis, will represent the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, most of Mary’s sailing career has been at the Royal Torbay.

Probably the most consistent of the “repeat offenders” are last year’s winners, Mik Underdown and Peter Howe from the Channel Islands, who are back again with the winning boat, Majic, a J110 class 36 footer.

The race, which in its heyday back in the late eighties and early nineties, attracted up to 79 entries, was down to just 26 last time, but new race director John Clapham has started a revival, that he hopes will turn the Triangle Race into Europe’s premier amateur short handed race.

The Triangle Race re-starts from Crosshaven, where it is hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, Friday 25 June 2004, while the Club Nautique de Treguier send the fleet off back to Torquay on Wednesday 30 June 2004.

For more information check out www.royaltorbayyc.org.uk