Portsmouth Victory heads for restoration at IBTC Suffolk
by Kim Taylor 14 Nov 2012 15:33 GMT
14 November 2012
One of the original Portsmouth Victorys goes away for restoration by the International Boatbuilding Training College © Kim Taylor
The International Boatbuilding Training College have taken delivery of one of the original Portsmouth Victorys, Z10 Kingfisher, for restoration in the boat building school in Suffolk.
"Io" as originally named in 1934, was renamed "Kingfisher" in 1947, has had a successful racing career in the fleet and was last racing in around 2005. The 1200kg dayboat designed by Alfred Westmacott, now has a modern rig and currently is the focus of some very close one design racing out of Portsmouth Harbour three times a week.
Nat Wilson from IBTC noted "This is not the most obvious arrangement geographically but it ties in with IBTC ambitions to set up a branch of the College in Portsmouth and is seen by the Class and IBTC as a logical collaboration."
Victory Class Captain Maxine Reeves welcomed the move. "We are always looking to maintain older boats in the fleet and are very happy that Kingfisher is in expert hands. We look forward to Kingfisher returning to race with our competitive fleet which enjoys some of the most cost effective and convenient racing in the Solent".
www.victoryclass.org.uk