During the 1970s yachts built to the IOR Half Ton rule became very popular as affordable cruiser racers and by the end of the decade a sizeable fleet was racing on Sydney harbour. In 1978 the fleets of the RSYS and the SASC were combined and by the early 1980s two dozen half tonners were crossing the start line every week.
As interest in the IOR-type yacht declined in the late 1980s, other similar boats like Norn and Kupu Gila joined the division to swell the numbers. They still sail today with half tonners Zeus II, Bloodhound, Mingara II and Tingari and form the nucleus of the RSYS Division 3. In recent years, other yachts with
broadly similar performance, like the beautiful Varuna, have been added to the fleet and despite varying performance in light or strong winds the handicaps are a great leveller and all competitors have the opportunity for success, either in the full series or the short series.
Division 3 has a regular number of starters each week who continue to prove that it is not necessary to own a modern light-weight flyer to enjoy exciting and competitive racing on Sydney Harbour.
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