Thanks again to US yachtsman and naval architect Steve Kelley, who has kindly provided his dockside photographs of the David Thomas Quarter Tonner Purple Haze (1977). Kelley was sailing in a series around Europe during the summer of 1978, and found himself in Cowes in early June of that year and was able to photograph several interesting yachts, including Purple Haze.
 |
| Stern view of Purple Haze in Cowes in 1978 (photo courtesy Steven Kelley) |
 |
| View of the cabin top detail on Purple Haze - the boat may have been first campaigned by the Ratsey sail-loft - the sticker on the cabin says "Every One Loves Ratsey Sails" (photo courtesy Steven Kelley) |
 |
| Cockpit detail of the Quarter Tonner Purple Haze (photo courtesy Steven Kelley) |
David Thomas was a popular designer in the UK, and was instrumental in resurrecting the Quarter Ton Cup in 2005 - and his Purple Haze, skippered by Tony Dodd, won the inaugural event of the new series, now raced under IRC. Purple Haze was restored for the 2005 event, and has since gone on to compete in all of the series since then. She sails with an IRC rating of 0.870, and after winning in 2005 she went on to finish 2nd in 2006 and was 2nd again in 2008. A full list of her results and other recent photographs can be seen on the 'Histoiredeshalfs' website.
 |
| Purple Haze on her trailer, showing very clean lines for an ex-IOR yacht (photo Adrian Bishop/Histoiredeshalfs) |
 |
| Purple Haze during the 2006 Quarter Ton Cup (photo Fiona Brown) |
 |
| Purple Haze (above and below) - a regular competitor in the modern Quarter Ton Cup |
 |
| Purple Haze being refitted at Corby Yachts - March 2024 (photo Facebook) |
Article updated March 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment