As a follow-up to your article on cost-effective ocean racing yachts, "Budget Racing" (No. 93, November/December 1998), I’d like to update your readers and let them know that these sturdy little boats are winning bluewater events all over the world. Razors Edge, a Scott Jutson design, holds the record for a boat of its size in the Sydney-Hobart Race. Sticky Fingers, the original Whitbread 30 designed by Simon Rogers, stunned the racing world by trouncing the competition in the 1994 Round Britain and Ireland Race. Recently, Wildwood, which was designed by Steve Jones, won the RORC North Sea Race.
Mount Gay 30s are proving their versatility by winning round-the-cans events as well. The South African-based Alex Simonis design consistently places in that country’s top IMS events. Locally, the recently launched MG30 Surprise, designed by Van Gorkom Yacht Design, won the Buzzards Bay Regatta and the American YC Fall Series.
In the age of one-design, this class offers owners exciting, cost-effective sailing, individuality, and versatility, plus the ability for designers and the industry in general to compete on a level basis. For more information on the class, contact: The World Mount Gay 30 Class Association, P.O. Box 982, Newport R.I. 02840, USA; tel/fax 401-849-6090; e-mail: worldm30class@internetMCI.com; web site: www.mountgay30.org.
