A Hamburg Contribution to the History of the A-Class by Klaus Pollähn – 2026

Auttage 2 E&.17 Klaus Pollaehn, Juergensallee 44N, 22609 Hamburg, Ger. e-mail: rotergolf@t-online.de Ayglob Mebed Dost | wrote and designed this booklet, which contains a special essay on the history of the A- class. Now certainly nobody expects any kind of contribution in this field to come from a German author and model yachtsman from Hamburg. My background and my view towards this subject is perhaps responsible: It is bound to be somewhat different, since | also race full size craft for 50 years- from One Designs to One Ton yachts. The success of the International Meter (R) class yachts since 1907 led IYRU secretary Malden Heckstall Smith in 1922 to create the A-class rule. It was to become another success story similar to the rules preceding it. But barely a professional yacht designer showed any interest in this experimental field. So where did the amateur designers and sailors get their inspiration from? Bill Daniels did not impress Olin Stevens much at Gosport. Or was it the other way round? | felt it was about time to look back at this development in both areas- interlinked or not- which in our case- is going on for nearly 100 years now. Both ventures helped to inaugurate and promote international competition to a larger extent than before like f.e. through the Y. M. Cup -also the Skandinavian Gold Cup. Besides that Meter yacht competition was soon to be included at the Olympic Games. My booklet of a hundred pages is just that- a private project. The need to produce more and more drawings for a proper comparison kept me going for more than a thousand hours- aside from the research. To keep my expense within reasonable limits (1500€) only a very small number of books was printed and bound in a local shop. | did not expect to sell any of them to the public. | gave them away as presents to model yachting friends in Denmark, England, USA and Germany. More than a year later | had to arrange a reprint. So here is your copy – with my compliments. ALG LpWJViNue Ponbug 8.0202 A HAMBURG CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE A-CLASS Klaus Pollahn This essay is based in part on research and earlier articles concerning several prominent model yachtsmen and international regatta events. These articles, which | have described, appeared as privately printed publications in previous years: Bill Daniels, Arthur Levison and their connection to SVAOe Kai lpsen – a Danish sailing legend International exchange and how it came about Mutual influences 125 Years of Model Sailing in Northern Germany The First 40 Years of the M-Class – Under American Influence The following German A-Class boats, sailing under the burgee of the Altona-Oevelgonne Sailing Association, were raced by the brothers Rolf and Klaus Pollahn as skipper or crew: G-100 “Onkel Adolf”, G-101 “Konigin”, G-102 “Never mind”, G-105 “Hamburg”, G-115 “Imme”, G-118 “Moonshine”, G-125 “Hamburg IV”, G-128 “Together”, G-128 “Moby Dick” G-138 “Peter Pim”. G-128 , Moby Dick”, G-138 ,,Peter Pim”. Hamburg, spring 2015 Klaus Pollahn —— / Contents Distinctive Sail Numbers of A-Class Yachts Typical English A-Boats of the 1960s: Photograph of Drumbeat by Ted Porter (Daniels/Levison) Photograph of Moonshine by the Pollahn Brothers (Lewis/Jones) Body Plan of Moonshine 6,7 List of Yachts and Boats Illustrated in the Main Text Which People and Events Have Shaped the A-Class? 9,10 Successful Yachts—A Development Sequence of the A-Class 11 My Foreword as a Preface; an Explanation of the Comparative Series of International Classes in the R-Yachts 12 A Brief Overview of the Development of All R-Classes 13 Development Sequences of the 5.5 m Class from 1950 14 Sequence of the 6 m R-Class from 1907 to 1987 15 Sequence of the 8 m R-Class from 1907 to the Present 16 Sequence of the 12 m R-Class into the 1980s 19 What Connects Me to the A-Class 20 The A-Class—Merely a Test Bed at a Scale of 6 to 1? 22 Main Text: International Development in Sailing 97, 98 Appendix: Comparison of Sail Plans 99, 100 Appendix: The Daniels/Levison Family of Boats 102 Identification of the Sail Numbers on Page 2 103 Racing Records of Selected Sailors Shown here as a typical A-boat of the 1960s and a representative of the English fleet is “Drumbeat” by Ted Porter (South London, YM 6 m OA). For a long time this was, tacitly, the ideal of a classic model yacht. | can think of no better example to convey both the regatta atmosphere at Fleetwood and the stresses to which a model yacht is subjected there during a championship week. “Drumbeat” is sailing with its second suit of sails. Two still smaller suits were needed for stormy weather. “Drumbeat” is a scarcely altered version of “Jill” (the Daniels original), likewise built in laminated layers and reinterpreted by Joe Meir. The rig and equipment were sturdy; the fittings and wind vane were made of stainless steel by the veteran craftsman Corby. A Striking feature is the deck, with its painted-on deck planking, darker central king plank, and outer waterways. The wooden hatch is roof-shaped, intended to suggest a skylight, and painted accordingly. Everything looks thoroughly yacht-like and “shipshape,” worthy of the full-sized R-class yachts. Roger Stollery, who as a young man had sailed as crew on Danish A-boats by Ipsen and Johnson, went so far as to call the English ideal of that period “stale’—that is, old-fashioned and dated. The Danish boats were impressive in every detail on deck and ingeniously simple in their rigs, but they were not designed to withstand the most extreme loads. This became evident in heavy weather. Kai lpsen could tell you all about it: when he tried to stop his boat at the shore while running downwind under spinnaker, his wooden masts broke one after another. > “Moonshine” and “Red Gauntlet” were sister yachts built in Birkenhead by Ken Jones in 1960-61 to a design by John Lewis, using the same building jig. Their sails and fittings were identical, and their owners, Ken Jones and Jack O’Connor, trained together several times a week over an extended period. This intensive preparation resulted in second and third places at the 1961 British Championship in Fleetwood. The crown, however, went to Dick Priest’s “Highlander,” also from Birkenhead. Our first attempt at sailing, by contrast, with the chartered “KOnigin,” turned into an instructive disaster. Perhaps for that very reason “Moonshine” had already become our dream boat. Its harmonious lines set it apart from the rest. Not only was the hull beautifully planked in mahogany; the deck was uncluttered, and every detail of the rig and equipment was Solidly made to withstand prolonged racing without trouble. The Jones brothers’ many years of experience were evident. At the 1962 championship in Gosport, Tommy Pratt of Fleetwood sailed the boat on charter from Ken Jones. Without the benefit of preparing against the sparring partner “Red Gauntlet,” Tommy Pratt finished only seventh. Although John Lewis had published the elegant “Moonshine” design in Model Maker, relatively few plans were purchased and used for building (by Scottish enthusiasts). In Hamburg | remember one copy, “Imme” G-115, built for Fritz Jacobsen. In England, meanwhile, “Highlander” eclipsed everything else. Several copies were built in Britain, Belgium, France and Germany, including one in Berlin by the Kretschmann brothers. In autumn 1963, at the German Championship in Hamburg, we took possession of “Moonshine”: Ken Jones had entrusted the boat to us. As he was planning a new boat himself (“Mercybeet”), we could not commission him to build one for us (“Osi” by Victor Ward). Thus “Moonshine” marked the beginning of a successful career for us brothers. The photograph shows “Moonshine” with a new rig and sails during training at Fleetwood in 1965, before winning the championship. Ironically, the sister yachts met in the very first race, much to Jack’s disappointment: zero points for “Red Gauntlet.” He ultimately finished 26th out of 41 boats. Spantenriss von ,,Moonshine “, gezeichnet von John Lewis 1960 List of Yachts and Boats Used to Illustrate the History of the A-Class Alain Marchand — Swiss 5.5-Metre design, 2013; now sails as 5.5 SUI 227. p. 87 Albion — A-boat, Bill Daniels, 1931. p. 35 American Eagle — 12-Metre; later used in lake regattas by Ted Turner. p. 18 Arcadia — 8-Metre, Canada, half-model. p. 31 Atlantic — three-masted schooner, Gardner USA, 1900; Atlantic race winner with Charly Barr. p. 21 Aun — 8-Metre, J. Anker, Norway, 1940; later built for Japanese owner, Portugal c. 2003. pp. 41-42 Australia — 12-Metre; winner of America’s Cup, 1983. p. 84 Azzurra — 12-Metre, Italy, 1985. p. 81 Blue Chip — A-boat, USA, Bill Bithell, 1935; Gosport and Hamburg in 1936. p. 43 Bostonia — A-boat, John Black, USA, 1923. p. 31 Capriccio — 6-Metre, modern, S&S, USA 1986, Glen Foster, New York. p. 81 Catswhisker — RA-boat, John Lewis. p. 88 Cheveyo — J-Class, USA; new wooden hull built by Spirit, England, after Ranger model F. p. 79 Clockwork Orange — A-boat in GfK (fiberglass), Roger Stollery. p. 77 Columbia — 12-Metre, US-16, S&S/Nevins, 1958; successful Cup defender. p. 73 Cotton Blossom — USA Universal Rule P-Class; J. Anker; owner Dennis Conner. p. 93 Courageous — 12-Metre US; successful defender. p. 73 Crusader — A-boat, Bill Daniels; owner Scott Freeman. pp. 31-33 Dayspring — A-boat, Admiral Turner; first half of 1920s. p. 33 Dorade — yawl; victorious in ocean races from 1930; Stevens family, built Minneford. p. 36 Defender — large U.S. sloop; America’s Cup defender. p. 25 Drumbeat — A-boat, Jill family; Ted Porter; Levison design. p. 3 Evolution — A-boat, Rob Walsh. p. 85 Fascination — A-boat of Sharpie construction, Kai lpsen, D-55. pp. 68-69 Felca — racing yacht, 1907, Max Oertz. p. 23 French Kiss — 12-Metre, F-K7; French challenger in America’s Cup. p. 88 Ganymede — 8-Metre, by Peter Wilson; Juliane Hempel design. p. 84 Germania IV — 8-Metre, Abeking & Rasmussen, 1936. p. 15 Geronimo — A-boat, Joe Meir; formerly Jill family; appendix p. 98 Goose — US-81, 6-Metre, S&S, 1938 Nevins-built; successful in Europe. p. 14 Hamburg — schooner, known as Rainbow, built in UK c. 1900. p. 24 Hamburg Il — A-boat G-105, ex Levison, Jill Ill type, Fr. Jacobsen. p. 53 Hamburg IV — A-boat G-125, Daniels/Levison Jill Ill type, Fr. Jacobsen. pp. 54, 97 Hamburg V — A-boat G-130, John Lewis design, built by Ken Jones, Fr. Jacobsen. p. 63 Heti — 12-Metre, Max Oertz, 1910 Hamburg; now sailing again with gaff rig. pp. 29-30 Indian Scout — 6-Metre, US 66, Herman Whiton, Luders 1936; successful in Europe. p. 38 Highlander — A-boat, Dick Priest, British champion e.g. 1959, 1961. p. 50 Hollandia — 8-Metre, modern. p. 15 Ibis — A-boat, John Gale, Lewis design; appendix p. 94 Inoquois — 8-Metre, S&S, Van Voorhis, USA. p. 15 Jenetta — 12-Metre K-1, Sir William Burton; restoration at R&B Flensburg. p. 91 Jill — A-boat, Daniels/Levison, G-102, ex K-716, Fr. Jacobsen; SVAOe Hamburg clubhouse. p. 52 KOnigin — A-boat G-101, Saxon type by Dick Priest, Fr. Jacobsen. p. 51 Llanoria — 6-Metre, S&S, gold medals 1948 and 1952 with H. Whiton. p. 39 Lollipop — A-boat, Roger Stollery. p. 77 Lutt Deern — A-boat, Lewis Phaedra design, Werner Meyer; SVAOe Hamburg clubhouse. p. 63 Magic — A-boat, U.S. West Coast; E. Chapar Stout sails at Fleetwood. p. 75 Maybe — 6-Metre, Tore Holm, Sweden. pp. 67, 74 Merlin — Oliver Lee; ‘dinghies’ from California for ocean racing. p. 82 Moonraker I-IV — A-boats, Peter West, Turner design. pp. 44, 45, 61 Moonshine — A-boat, Lewis 1961, G-118, Pollahn brothers, ex K-778 K. Jones; champion 1965. p. 61 Moby Dick — A-boat, Lewis G-128, Pollahn brothers, ex K-715 Ken Jones. pp. 64, 70 Nexus — A-boat, D. Priestley, Fleetwood, 2004. p. 80 Nirvana — 6-Metre, S&S, Rasmussen; restored at R&B, Danish KDY. p. 37 Ortac — sea cruiser, Laurent Giles, J-Class Il, VHS, Hamburg. pp. 52-53 Osi — US A-boat, Victor Ward design, California 1960. p. 45 Polka Dot — US pond yacht, cutter rig 1922. p. 28 Peter Pim — A-boat, Lewis 1970 G-138, Pollahn brothers; YM-Cup winner. pp. 58, 65, 66, 81 Phaedra — A-boat, Lewis Jones; today LUtt Deern in Hamburg. p. 63 Philippa — A-boat, built/owned by A. Levison, K-789. p. 54 Prince Charming — Norwegian A-boat; Sam Berge with Windruder, successful 1935. pp. 39, 40, 42-43 Ragtime, ex semper fidelis — ocean racing yacht, lightweight John Spencer design, Pacific races. p. 82 Ranger — A-boat, Carl Alberg design for Fred Pidgeon; Gosport winner 1949 and Fleetwood. pp. 48-49 Ranger — J-Class, Vanderbilt, successful defender. p. 26 Revanche — A-boat, Kai lpsen, D-22 and D-44. pp. 41, 49, 56-57 Revolution — A-boat, Chris Dicks, K-939. pp. 72, 74 Saxon — A-boat, Dick Priest; an example of a queen, A-G101, Fr. Jacobsen. p. 51 Scharenkreuzer — Harry Becker, Sweden. p. 72 Shamrock IV — English Cup challenger under Lipton/Burton. p. 25 Shunt — A-boat, Roger Stollery, picture p. 78 Sidewinder — RA-boat, Australian, Frank Russell. p. 88 Sinkadus — 6-Metre, A. Laurin, S-52, Sweden. p. 55 Sira — 8-Metre, Johan Anker, classic, owned by the King of Norway. p. 92 Sinkadus — 6-Metre, S-52, A. Laurin, Sweden. p. 55 Shunt — A-boat, Roger Stollery. p. 78 Sonata — early English A-boat, Admiral Turner; John Gale replica. p. 34 Sword — English RA-boat, Graham Bantock, S-83. p. 85 Swordfish — RA, John Lewis design for Provost, Netherlands. p. 79 Temptation — 6-Metre, S&S, USA. p. 58 Toogooloowoo — 6-Metre, S&S, Australia; owner/builder Bill Barnett. p. 76 Ufo — R A-boat, Australian, Frank Russell design. p. 88 USA — US-61, 12-Metre, Gary Mull for America’s Cup. p. 80 US One Design — Keelboat class v. Carl Alberg for U.S. East Coast. p. 49 Westwind — A-boat, Lewis/Jones, owner Fr. Jacobsen. pp. 63, 76 Weatherly — 12-Metre, US-17, Rhodes/Luders 1958; skipper Bus Mosbacher. p. 16 Yeoman — A-boat, K-637, Dick Priest; winner 1950. p. 50 Which Events and People Shaped the A-Class? A Brief Overview. The most important impetus for the desired international competition in this class, following the new formula proposed by Heckstall Smith in 1922, was the founding of the “Yachting Monthly Cups” by the publisher of the magazine of that name. The new model yachts of the largest class, now being drawn, were created—rather unexpectedly—mostly on the drawing boards of amateurs, that is, experienced and long-active model sailors. At first, the initiator of the formula had hoped for something different: experiments and designs by professionals, who would want to explore new avenues without great financial risk, using smaller models for trials. But boats built to the new formula were not small “dinghies”: they were at a scale of 6 to 1, a full metre in size. The further development of the A-Class from this point on had a connection with the many yachts racing in the various metre, or R-, classes since 1907, designed by experienced constructors. A natural diversity appeared among nations from the outset. Yet most professionals avoided this new field of experimentation, while amateurs dedicated themselves to it enthusiastically. lt was an era of change: from gaff rigging to a pointed mainsail, carried on taller, slender Marconi masts. Among the designers of sailing A-boats, there was initially no clear uniformity in form—particularly in the separate placement of the rudder and keel farther aft. An intense international contest for prestige soon developed between the English and ‘foreign challengers, often Americans, and was fought mainly on English model-sailing waters. Two prominent English figures of this period were Bill Daniels and Admiral Turner, both designers and sailors. A Norwegian became a champion in the United States for the first time—an apprentice in the USA—and this arrangement ended when the Second World War interrupted the story of the A-boat. An American crew carried the famous cup, which had been founded in England, to the United States. An English challenge there failed. The Americans then returned the trophy to Britain as a sporting gesture for regular competition. After its return, the contest in Europe became a major event: the winners came from very different nations—Denmark, Belgium, France and Germany, and most frequently England. After 1949, however, the Americans often stayed away. At an international meeting for the 1972 Olympics in Hamburg, English sailors dominated. Roger Stollery and Ken Jones achieved their first Successes abroad. The introduction of remote control changed the A-Class completely. The YM Cup, formerly the most important international trophy, lost its significance following the Open British Championships. Much lighter, less easily handled A-boats began to prevail. Compared with the present development of the R-classes, the model-yacht designer now provides ever fewer clues to the approach taken. The A-Class is entering new territory of its own, much as it did over ninety years ago, when its successful international history began. Successful Yachts from the History of the A-Class Show the Development re ostorua Ranger Revanhe L Fastipat ter Revolution Peter Pim Ve <= S wordtish heveve Couragesns Phaedra — ——— Lollipep + Clackwrh Orange age Sidewinder Ufo 1. Bostonia,USA 5. Revanche Il, DK 10. Peter Pim ,GER 2. Revanche I+ Prince Charming 6. Jill 7. 3.Ranger,USA Moonshine + Highlander 8. Fascination, DK Seite 17: 11. RA Swordfish, NL+J-class Cheveyo 13. Lollipop + Clockwork Orange 14.RA Frigate 4. Naiad +Moonraker 9. Revolution 12. 12m R Courageous, USA +Phaedra 15.+16 Sidewinder + Ufo , AUS 10 For comparison | drew the profiles of the successful 12-Metre “Courageous” by Sparkman & Stevens. Under skippers Ted Turner and Ted Hood, she successfully defended the America’s Cup twice. Below is the A-boat “Phaedra,” designed by John Lewis, today the privately owned boat of Werner and Ursel Meyer in the SVAOe clubhouse in Hamburg-Oevelgonne. Not the form but the intended sailing purpose explains the subtle differences. A Foreword to My Central Idea In this essay | attempt to place the development of model sailing, using the A-Class as an example, ina wider context. The A-Class, the largest class among model yachts, had its models in the metre R-yachts. As the hundred-year development of these closely related international R-classes is probably not entirely familiar to readers, | have included my own graphic depictions of individual R-classes to assist the discussion. There is no recognized model for these sequences even today. My selection of yachts is necessarily subjective. Source material on them is rarely accessible. Successful professional designers in particular have often been reluctant to publish drawings of their yachts; those drawings were company capital. My development sequences, drawn for the first time, therefore serve only as the comparison sought here, in connection with the model yachts of the international A-Class—a graphic first. In their own professional field, yacht design, the professionals largely kept to themselves. In the A-Class, on the other hand, sailing and designing amateurs followed their own path for many years, unaffected by other developments in yachtbuilding. Where such outside influences can be shown, they were followed; this applies, for example, to the Scandinavians Sam Berge (Norway) and Kai Ipsen (Denmark). For comparison: a conventional American 12-Metre design by Al Mason (red, inside), with the body plan of the A-boat “Peter Pim” (blue) drawn around it. dA. A Brief Overview of the Development of All R Classes The Six-Metres have flourished most successfully. Launched in 1907 as the smallest class, they attracted 0 the largest following. Of 1,550 boats built, about 100 are Ya modern examples from the past 30 years. Some 305 classics remain registered, with 135 actively racing. For many years the chief attraction was the Scandinavian Gold Cup, ~~") donated by Finland. Today an active class association unites owners. Six-Metres fitted out as cruising yachts are rare; one example is the converted Dutch Olympic representative of 1932. eine Seltenheit- wie hier ¢ Eight-Metres are now also considered pure racing yachts. | C . Etwa About 500 were built, and 177 remain registered. Classics form | \ N oN \ | tm class the backbone of the fleet. They have met in world championships since 1983. Transporting them by road ona \ 8 low-loader is demanding, and most events are held in Europe. \ \. The Japanese Toyabashi family named their classic Aun (J. Anker, 1940) for European regatta appearances. The prestige of the Twelve-Metre as an elite Xennjacht wurde nach dem 2. Weltkrieg von racing yacht was established by its use in the America's Cup after World War II. Classics with famous names retain that heritage. Nyala, built by Nevins in 1938 and now in Italian hands, won the world title at 75 years of age! In the United States most of the roughly 100 built are still at home, often used by foundations to introduce young people to sailing. In Europe, extensive restorations give classics renewed prominence. The 5.5-Metres, introduced after the war as a smaller R class intended to replace the Six-Metre, have drawn much attention. Their participation in the Olympics from 1952 helped. Sailors from the United States and Bahamas returned to Europe; Scandinavia and Switzerland are now major centres, where the Gold Cup is also frequently contested. iz 55m , LAassic 7 pees Llv/sien a , Evolution " Madern Die Entwicklungsreihe der 5.5er von 1950 bis 2014: Klassik, Evolution, Modern 13 bin R von Had HE Whiten LUGS S$ A&5 , 545 ecyle * He Jean Toler AUS, | yapricie’ Bruce Kirby US-1F7 A983 Glom Faster VX. | /| empest 7 Eric Ridder Evolution of the 6-Metre R Class from 1907 to 1986 14 Wes rr Liptep er 7920er Hope USA MW Var “ Johar SF 1924 8-N 8 “Cermanial’’ 7936 38- G-?2 AaR 1 AUN' ha 3-JPN-1 7970 tA S&S Troqyois LLSA Eugene van cor his Cary MUL 4 lan Howlett S-NED 7 aan inede ‘ GBR léter Wilson Development of the Twelve-Metres since 1907 over approximately 70 years: 1. Heti, 2. Anitra, 3. Weatherly, 4. Courageous, 5. Azzurra, 6. USA, 7. Australia. 16 What became of the idea of providing comfortable accommodation so these yachts could have a second career as cruising boats? In a purely racing yacht, the open cockpit offered little room for a comfortable interior. Here coffee grinders once served to operate the winches. American Eagle: its later owner, Ted Turner, converted this A much-noted possibility appeared with 12-Metre for numerous offshore regattas in the United States and Europe. Its exceptionally solid construction made this possible! Ceritssngigion Gov Baseise* | ! cae aS if wren Latter With the 12-Metre Ashanti 5 (shown in the upper accommodation plan), the Bremen owner also raced in the United States and gained admiration for its craftsmanship, including construction by Germanischer Lloyd. Below is an arrangement devised by Jimmy Rasmussen at Rasmussen's yard to compete with it. Above: Ted Turner at the helm of American Eagle. Beside it: Weatherly, now fitted with spartan accommodation. Between ?Weatherly? and ?USA? lie nearly 25 years. The rating is still calculated for a maximum of 12 metres. Three factors determining speed have remained almost unchanged over the years: waterline length, sail area and weight. But this comparison drawing makes clear where the designer could make a saving to increase speed: wetted surface area. Se Sail plan of the French 12-Metre ?French Kiss? (1986), now ?Ecosse?. 18 What Connects Me to the A-Class For many years my brother and | actively sailed small and very small model boats off Oevelgénne on the Elbe. Then, in the second half of the 1950s, we first saw the mighty A-Class yachts, some of them restored: ?Onkel Adolf? (SVAOe) and Walter Guth?s ?Delphin? (BMYC). At the first German Championship in Gatow/Berlin in 1959, we witnessed Fritz Jacobsen (SVAOe) win with his newly built ?K6nigin?. In Hamburg in 1960 we saw the first impressive Danish A-boats: Kai lpsen?s ?Revanche? and Jens Brandt?s ?Vito??sheer refinement in rigs, fittings and sails! For the 1961 British Championship at Fleetwood, my brother and | chartered G-101 ?K6nigin? and recognized the enormous challenge ahead: reaching the international standard represented by Dick Priest, the Jones brothers and Roy Gardner. Several hard years followed with inadequately equipped charter boats from Fritz Jacobsen, including ?Jill? at Gosport and Fleetwood in 1962 and 1963. As we could not yet build a boat of our own, we acquired ?Moonshine? from Ken Jones. In the 1964 YM Cup we narrowly lost to Britain?s Roy Gardner, but the following year we won the British Championship convincingly at Fleetwood. We nevertheless lost the YM Cup to Mep Hoorebeke. With John Lewis and Ken Jones we built our first new boat, ?Together? (G-128), but later parted with it. We won another German Championship on the Alster with the chartered G-125 ?Hamburg?, and then took over ?Moby Dick? from Ken Jones. With John Lewis we refined that heavyweight concept into ?Peter Pim?. Among its successes was the Yachting Monthly Cup at Gosport in 1972. At the highly competitive Hamburg regatta held alongside the Olympics, ?Peter Pim? narrowly lost to Roger Stollery in his first success abroad. At the 1975 World Championship in Fleetwood, ?Peter Pim? led until the final day and finished behind Mike Harris; it also won the pairs competition with Dennis Lippett. We last competed at Fleetwood in 2005 for the SVAOe centenary, successfully racing against multiple British champion Alex Austin. But as the wind freshened sharply, we finished far down the fleet while lightweight boats surfed under spinnaker, and the skipper strained a muscle in a sprint. | continue to follow A-Class developments closely, corresponding with members of vintage groups in Britain and the USA and exchanging material. | have written articles about prominent model sailors and international contacts, most recently a book on model yachting in northern Germany for the 125th anniversary of the SVAOe model-yachting section. der SVAOe. v 1888 Ocvelgénne 19 The A-Class: Merely a Test Bed at a Scale of 6:1? It was a brilliantly simple idea: test your ideas for metre-class yachts on sufficiently large model yachts before undertaking the costly construction of a full-sized yacht. That would greatly reduce your risk! Their sailing characteristics could be observed at close range on the model pond. The idea seemed persuasive?but did it catch on? In 1922 Major Malden Heckstall Smith, the capable secretary of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU), expressed the idea in the following formula: L+ys 7 , LS * pap om He derived this from highly successful precedents: the metre classes. They used, for example, the long-established rule shown below, changed only slightly over time. The rating R might be 6 metres or 12 metres. 190# A L+BthG +3d+BVS—-E 1919 L+%G +2d+7sA' -F 2 Ze 20 For comparison, the illustrations show the A-boat “Top Hat,” designed by John Lewis, with a length overall of about 1.85 m, and the Six-Metre yacht “Mellum,” built by Abeking & Rasmussen in 1936, length overall 11.25 m and sail area 44 square metres. One can only imagine the very different investments of time, materials and money required in the hope of success on the racecourse. Heckstall Smith was convinced that the new formula would produce boats as elegant as those of the Six-Metre R-Class, but only 1.5 to 2 metres above deck! He proved right, and the required expenditure remained manageable. After the devastating consequences of the First World War, boatbuilding declined even in the Smallest class, the Six-Metres. Heckstall Smith sought a practical remedy. He wished to offer young and partly unknown designers a demanding yet low-risk testing ground. The magazine “Yachting Monthly” became the English advocate of the idea. Accordingly, the new boats were initially called “Yachting Monthly Six Metres.” Sailors and enthusiasts in southern England soon formed the “Y.M. 6 m Owners Association,” which still exists today. The decisive impetus for the recognition of the new class, whose Sails soon bore an “A,” came from the famous challenge trophy donated by the editor of “Yachting Monthly” for a new international competition. For decades it would become the goal of the finest model yachtsmen on both sides of the Atlantic. 21 The Development of the A-Class in Model Yachting, in the Context of Sailing and Compared with the International R-Classes. What Competitions Shaped the Relationship Between America and Europe? One Perspective: In this essay | examine the development of the A-Class since 1922 and include drawings of closely related racing yachts—mostly the so-called Metre classes—covering more than a century. Their rating formulas served as models for the smaller A-Class of model yachts. Both sought to encourage international exchange: at two levels of our sport, with crewed yachts and with model yachts of a similar type. Soon after 1900 this new, internationally oriented outlook began to develop on both sides of the Atlantic. The foundations for this lasting expansion of sailing had been laid by amateurs—sportsmen who confidently took the tillers of their own boats in regattas. This began a little over a century ago, alongside the rise of the Olympic movement. French Impressionist painters discovered sailing and regattas as subjects in the 1870s, observing the leisure activities of their fellow citizens. The theme continued through the German Expressionists and into the present day. French paintings by Claude Monet from Le Havre and by Camoin from Marseille; the later German pictures by Expressionist Lyonel Feininger recall his experiences on the Baltic Sea in the 1920s. 22 One of these French painters, later also a patron and collector, was the engineer Gustave Caillebotte. As a Sailor, his experiences were hardly less remarkable. He took an old-fashioned dinghy (of the American sandbagger type, with sandbags for ballast) across the English Channel to race on the Solent. He became completely enthusiastic about the sport. Caillebotte began designing very slender keelboats with outside ballast and built his own boatyard for this purpose at Argenteuil on the Seine. The photograph below shows his yard. May 1893: Launch of Caillebotte’s Dahud, 13 metres long, very narrow, with little freeboard. His yard had what most modern was then the Slipway. s wat... - ———_ —_ a 7 7 ————— ee | te = t- "~~ — ——_——_? = ran yi= | . ——— ~ os 0O a %~ S, —« + q ee — - Tr 4 - \ \ . - ll 7 ee eee ee ; oe sated = 08 _— hee - ‘ / - ee “ss sey —_=_——— * ' - <4 ees ae a —— . — = = _ ia rs — ~~ , as ; . -— — —— ‘ oe ee ate ee Oe ene . os The first German yacht to achieve spectacular success in France, with British sailors as its racing crew, at the Coupe de France off Le Havre came from the drawing board of the young engineer Max Oertz, who later established his yard in Hamburg. Felca’s low freeboard and slender lines show that this yacht, built in 1907, anticipated the new international Metre classes. The magnificent silver trophy, later known simply as the Felca Prize, remained an important prize in German regattas for decades, even for the keelboat classes (6-metre and Dragon). 23 Russ Kramer painted these powerful scenes, recalling his countrymen’s early sporting commitment, including the remarkable defence of the America’s Cup by the Americans: in 1886 with the sloop Mayflower, and in 1871 with the schooner Dauntless against Columbia. Yet all these early spectacular events in sailing, including the contest for the America’s Cup or genuine ocean races, were staged for decades by ambitious men seeking personal fame and national honour. The races themselves were almost invariably sailed by paid professionals, often without the initiators or owners being present as skipper or captain aboard. 24 In 1905 the American three-masted schooner Atlantic raced for the German Emperor's Cup, donated by the Kaiser, and set the record for the passage from Sandy Hook to Lizard Point: twelve days, beating the German schooner Hamburg, the second prizewinner. (See Schnaars’s painting, August.) This racing schooner, formerly Rainbow, served the Seefahrt association in training yacht sailors. At 56 metres long, Atlantic had remarkably harmonious lines. The American type combined keel and centreboard in a steel hull. Ed Kastelein in the Netherlands was so fascinated by these lines that a century later he built a replica at his own yard. The sporting path was considerably longer before the first amateur, the Englishman Sir William Burton, a friend of Lipton’s, became a challenger as helmsman in a major race such as the America’s Cup—in 1920. In England he also sailed model yachts as president of the Model Yachting Association. On the Solent he sailed several genuine 12-metres in succession. A new R-yacht ordered according to his specifications from the designer was the next step. In the first windward two and races ahead, against Resolute, his yet Shamrock lost the was to challenge a contest interrupted by the First World War. Resolute also had an amateur at the helm: Charles Francis Adams. The American skipper’s Vanderbilt responsibilities couple three subsequently times for the assumed American the Cup defenders, together with several trusted associates, including the brothers Olin and Rod Stephens. 25 “Va Why could a wave already wash over Ranger’s deck at only a slight heel? Her maximum freeboard of 1.65 metres creates an elegant silhouette, but it was much too low. The difference is unmistakable in this comparison: here |! have superimposed the profiles of Endeavour II and the A-boat Peter Pim. The model yacht has distinctly more freeboard, as well as greater draft. The side profile of Endeavour II, famous as model elegance a of in the j-Class, compared with the here A-boat Peter Pim. The greater potential of the model yacht is evident from its increased draft and freeboard. 26 The paid crew of the Cup defender Rainbow lived and ate in the forecastle. The metal frames of the riveted outer shell are visible, with bunks suspended from them. | { =| FS A ~ ( The paid hands were always hauling on the sheets. The ship’s leadership, however, had been entrusted by the owner Vanderbilt to a group of amateurs who had learned yacht racing from the ground up. These were sailors who had earned the owner’s confidence over many years and supported him in his difficult undertaking. His wife was among them. Zenas Bliss, wearing sunglasses, was the navigator; Joe Mercer (at right) was tactician and adviser. The Stephens brothers were perhaps indispensable at the helm; essentially they solved the problems encountered aboard, both practical and theoretical, In 1938 Ranger was first syndicated and financed and managed exclusively by Vanderbilt. This was not simple, even for a millionaire. The wardrobe of headsails and spinnakers, including the staysails, was enormous. The genoa and jib alone, in two versions for all wind strengths, amounted to a dozen sails. The mainsail had already served in two previous seasons, it had weathered an incredible 87 races and, suitably for Ranger, was merely enlarged by one extra panel. 27 ———— What guided model-yacht construction around 1900? How did designers free themselves from the overwhelming examples of full-size Be yacht construction, especially the Herreshoff | designs? What determined the international picture? In building model yachts there was early agreement on one point: on long courses no rudder area was required for corrections, if any could be made at all. A uniform solution for attaching the rudder did not emerge for a long time. Cutter rigging, with booms at the foot of the foresails, was the norm. “Polka Dot” won against “Endeavour” in 1922; Bill Daniels sailed the first English challenger. Where there was no walkable shoreline, sailors accompanied their yachts in a Skiff, thereby forming a starting line. The example of the great racing cutters remained evident in American model yachts until about 1920. For some time, other parts of the sport had been shaped by sailing amateurs. Around the turn of the century, two concrete developments made successful international regattas easier: the adoption of internationally agreed racing rules on both sides of the English Channel and the Atlantic, and the creation of formulas for building competitive yachts in the so-called “Metre Classes.” These were intended to make comparisons between Sailors of every nation fairer and more meaningful. But how close were the model-yacht designers of 1900 to the designers of the new R-Class yachts, whose pioneering work seems so obvious here? 28 - > eel MH, T +— i — ETEK MODKL VAC |. 3 | F 4 : Two drawings show how closely the full-size example was followed. The model yacht “Sphinx” of 1908, a so-called One-Metre yacht, has its forward overhang shortened, its keel depth emphasized, and its rudder area reduced (right). The R-yacht of 1907 (left) is typical of its time. Yet at the latest when sailing, the model builder would have realized that his boat could not reproduce the sailing qualities of the full-size prototype: draft and stability were insufficient. Example: the factors in the original 1907 formula L # 2d —f é VS 2,37 =12 In 1907, the newly formed sailing association IYRU formulated the rules and construction requirements for the new so-called Metre Classes, including the 6-Metre R-boats and the 8-Metre R-Class. The best-known were the “Twelves,” the 12-Metre R-Class. These Metre yachts made international competition between countries possible for the first time. In addition, sailing had become an Olympic discipline in 1900, and there was a virtually insatiable demand for standardized requirements and competitive rules. The resulting rating formulas brought the important parameters — length, hull volume, and sail area — into relationship with one another. Designers were given considerable freedom. Fixed scantlings in the building regulations safeguarded seaworthiness and, indirectly, the long-term value of the boats. Some still exist after a hundred years: see the 12-Metre yacht “Heti” below. 29 The lines drawing shows the 12-Metre yacht “Heti,” designed and built by Max Oertz in Hamburg. This yacht has a long and eventful history. Today, after extensive restoration, she sails again in her original condition and under her old name. The sloping keel sole is striking. This shape may have been a design error: the yacht’s draft is measured at only one point, namely the main frame. Many designers used this to place ballast even lower without paying a rating penalty. Dimensions: LOA 18.63 m; LWL 11.50 m; sail area 263 m?. Heckstall Smith, formerly active in the English association, became secretary of the newly established international sailing federation, the lYRU. He accompanied the positive development of this basic idea for many years as an administrator. Encouraged by its success, in 1922 he added the following formula — virtually as an inexpensive experimental field for yacht designers — in miniature. He selected a rating of R = 1,000 millimetres for this new class of large model yachts (a six-metre rating divided by six). The result was a boat slightly under two metres long. The English initially called it the “Yachting Monthly Six Metre.” ‘ +7 + . IS 72-YD 24, Heckstall Smith persuaded the publisher of the sailing magazine “Yachting Monthly” to give the new class an international start by establishing an important trophy, which could be challenged for by other nations in England. Bill Daniels particularly hoped to challenge the Americans. He had visited them in 1922 and knew their strength following his defeat on the open waters of Little Neck Bay near Flushing Meadows, east of New York City. American A-boats at a display sail in the park by the Capitol. The fourth boat from the left is “Bostonia,” sailed by John Black, with a sunshade in the stern. 30 These prestigious races in England for the “Yachting Monthly Cup” brought attention to the A-Class and helped it flourish greatly over the following decades. American model yachtsmen responded promptly: they built and sailed their boats, but allowed themselves rather more time for the logistically difficult journey to Europe. They did not take the cup at once. Nevertheless, despite their efforts, they failed only narrowly on many of these overseas missions during the 1920s and 1930s. In nine appearances, the Americans finished “only” second twice. That stung, and it shaped the preparations for each new attempt. Bostonia IL fF John Bak “Bostonia II,” 1927. About five years after introduction of the A-boat rating formula, John Black designed this boat. Even today its lines appear mature and modern. The confident design language recalls (consistently applied) ideas from the office and yard of Herreshoff. | believe the keel-to-rudder arrangement is deliberate and based on ample regatta experience with sheet control coupled to the rudder, as tried only on model yachts. There is no consistent orientation toward the keel profile of contemporary R-yachts. On the contrary, the separated keel and rudder arrangement, without a full-size yacht precedent, is entirely convincing. This shape anticipated the principle of racing yachts and sea cruisers by about forty years (Tina in the 1966 One Ton Cup). In 1932 “Bostonia” also started at Gosport; in 1933 John Black won at Chicago against forty international competitors with “Bostonia III.” Racing pennants of Harry Atkinson and Arthur Levison 31 ore ae” Bo: * 4 ite ie Faw fh Be SC et 2 = Sweat The contrasting example from 1927 is an R-Class yacht from North America. The half-model depicts the Canadian “Acadia”; its profile is characteristic of the “second rule” in keel design. Only a few drawings of the earliest A-boats have survived. But we know which prominent competitors repeatedly faced one another in the first international races in England. Bill Daniels emerged from the hard-fought contests for the “Yachting Monthly Cup” as a multiple winner, if Sometimes only by a narrow margin. At first he defended the trophy twice with his boats “Invader” and “Crusader.” Typical profile of a successful A-boat, designed, built, and sailed by Bill Daniels: light at 16 kg, with about 1.50 metres of freeboard above deck. The first foreign challenger was the Dane A ee te Charles Tottrup, who worked as a carpenter in the United Kingdom. He must have been an outstanding boatbuilder. Kai lpsen from =>} Copenhagen described how he learned from Tottrup to plank a boat carefully. One distinctive feature of Tottrup’s work was his innovative use of | aluminium, inserted in flat strips as frames. 32 He also joined the mahogany planks with rivets. Danish boatbuilders and riggers were still using aluminum in the 1930s, for example to reinforce their sailing rigs. Despite his acknowledged abilities as a boatbuilder, Tottrup was outmatched by the versatile Englishman Bill Daniels. Daniels began with the drawings, but supervised every stage of building, rigging, equipment and sail trim through to victory on the water. When he designed and built boats for other clients, as he frequently did, he often remained their skipper in the first regattas. This ideal form of feedback confirmed his reputation as both designer and sailor. The American Weaver, making his first start in England in 1925 with Slipper, also lost to Daniels, another English defender. After Daniels had won three consecutive times, the Yachting Monthly Cup passed early to its owner, Scott Freeman. The next trophy foundation was therefore a challenge trophy. Both A-boats were built in the 1920s: the one on the left in the United States, the one on the right in England. Bill Daniels was a versatile talent, both as a designer and asa ves sailor. 33 . oO Petew comer ter Quarq Ge 6 [re ecooarg erry «8 These two men, Bill Daniels and Bill Bithell, embodied the long-standing A-Class rivalry between England and the United States for the Yachting Monthly Cup. They met again in Hamburg in 1936. In 1924 at Gosport, Bill Daniels, skipper of Crusader, sail number 8, meets the American Weaver (the gentleman with the pipe), who sailed Slipper. Weaver, the owner of the boat, is here giving moral support to Daniels as skipper of his boat. Scott Freeman stands behind them in a dark suit. He had the task of receiving the Yachting Monthly Cup they had won. At the left is the rudder assembly on Daniels’s mast, with a balanced vane-steering sail wound around its boom. He could also have hoisted a pennant. Another English A-boat of the early period, Dayspring K-11, drawn by Turner in 1923. 34 The marine engineer Turner was another English designer involved with A-boats from the earliest days; he later served as an admiral. His drawing shows Dayspring of 1923, registered sail number K-11. He designed a small, light boat with a large sail area: waterline length 44% in. (111.7 cm); weight 36.5 Ib (16.5 kg); sail area 1,850 sq. in. (1.193 mz?). John Gale named his replica of Sonata, a Turner design of 1925, Son. It too has a short waterline (117 | cm) and generous sail eu area. Turner achieved his first success with Charis, the boat with which he won the English championship in 1927. John Gale, builder of Son, sails this boat in classic regattas of the Vintage Group, alongside modern yachts. He dispenses with wind-vane steering and instead uses the cable steering to the rudder quadrant that was effective only when sailing on a reach; he thus promises himself a small advantage. In the photograph alongside, note the crossed mainsheets leading to the rudder, as well as the attempt to limit rudder travel by means of rubber stops and pegs on the deck above the tiller. 35 For about forty years, English A-boats imitated the traditional deck layout of a large racing yacht. The raised flush decks, with centerline hatch and railings, sometimes even imitated mahogany margin planking. The necessary opening in the deck was painted to resemble a skylight over the cabin. By the middle of the 1930s, a recognizable type of A-boat had emerged, a kind of European compromise largely independent of nationality and also quite independent of the sailing rules. Only later did the tyoe of water become more important. The boat represents a compromise between the factors then tried and tested: length approximately 127 cm (+/- 3 cm), moderate overhangs fore and aft (approximately 30 cm), the maximum permitted draft, a generous sail area of 1,850 square inches (a little over one Square meter), and a weight of no more than 20 kilograms. Yet considerable differences could already be seen in the lateral-plane arrangements. Should the aim be maximum area for good directional stability, or greater maneuverability with a sensitive course correction from the small rudder, using the sheet tackle? 36 What did the successful Englishmen sail? How widely did their experiments range, and those of the successful English leading sailors? Above: In 1935 W. C. Holden entrusted the construction of Naiad, K-357, to a design by Admiral Turner. He built this pointed-stern boat to Turner’s plans and brought it to Hamburg for the international regatta. As leader of the English team he finished second, behind Bill Daniels with Fuselier. 1. Center: Bill Daniels refined his type cautiously, improving it continuously from 1922 onward. Because the lateral area was somewhat smaller, he made the area ahead of the rudder considerably larger than Turner had, for example. Bill Daniels became the most successful designer and sailor: he knew precisely what an A-boat could achieve in the various conditions. 2. Bottom: Bill Daniels knew that designers in the R-classes proceeded differently. In both 1929 and 1930 he conducted an experiment with Albion for the championship at Fleetwood, using a continuous keel. Despite the success, Daniels moved away from it again: the lateral area was visibly greater, a disadvantage in light winds. The hoped-for improvement in windward performance apparently did not quite materialize. 3. Was this therefore still a subject of discussion for Daniels? It is presumed that he raised the matter with Olin Stephens during a demonstration of model yachts at the pond in Gosport in 1935, when Stephens had just finished the Atlantic regatta to England successfully aboard Stormy Weather. A deep-sea yacht by S&S now differed much more clearly from an R-yacht, although less in its profile and continuous keel. The previous year, with Dorade, the resemblance to R-yachts was still evident. An immediate borrowing was made in Dora by Watson. Only at the end of his life did Olin openly acknowledge this. 4, Following a complete restoration, Dorade now sails with this rig. 5. It was also to become clear that the Scandinavians had no doubts about the long keel and found ways to be very successful with their model yachts. At the Sparkman & Stevens office, the model-yachting knowledge concerning the short keel with separate rudder skeg was not then applied to ocean-going cruisers. Strength problems were apparent, and the S&S office therefore rejected a commission from Brunzeel for the ocean-going yacht Stormvogel with this keel revision. What remained was the prospect of… 37 Brunynzeel still chose this keel arrangement for the ocean racer Stormvogel. So what remained for him to do? The hull lines came from Laurent Giles and the rig from John Illingworth. When no yacht yard would accept his commission, he built the boat himself. Recovery: By the middle of the 1930s, the long economic recovery after the recession could finally begin. Sporting exchanges across the Atlantic gradually became more active again, both in model yachting and in full-size yacht racing. Johan Anker of Norway and Henry Rasmussen of Bremen both designed elegant Six-Metres and built them in their own yards. On their way to Genoa is Hamburg, G-1, designed by E. Lajesz. A revision of the R-Class rules (the ‘third rule’ of 1934), especially the provisions governing draft, changed the profiles of racing yachts permanently. The use of an overlapping headsail—now called a genoa—also changed their appearance considerably. Additional sail area, which was not measured, encouraged designers to optimize length at the waterline and displacement, allowing both to increase. | f T | y f A —\\ ff 6 MR-YACHT H- »Sleipnir II” Konstrukteur Ersteigner Lange Henry Rasmussen Marine-Reg. ‘ 1,83 m Tietgang 1,75m Segeiflache 46 qm Sail plans of Sleipnir Il (1935) by A&R, and Nirvana, designed by S&S in 1939. 38 Fy | 11,40m Breite Fa ff A /f jf / / i } jaf FAT; ie FA ; In 1936 the American Six-Metre Indian Scout, sailed by its owner Herman F. Whiton, attracted considerable attention in Europe. The successful designer was an amateur. At the Scandinavian Gold Cup and subsequently at Kiel Week in 1936, the boat won every well-known trophy: the Felca Prize, the Reich Chancellor’s Prize, and the Hermann Goring Prize. Because Whiton had refused to sit at the same table as Hitler during the prize ceremony and had spoken critically about Nazi foreign policy, he was refused credit and sent out of the country. Germany thereby eliminated a favorite for an Olympic medal in the Six-Metre R-Class through an unsporting political maneuver. Whiton returned, however. With Llanoria, an S&S Six-Metre, he won the gold medal in London in 1948 and again in Helsinki in 1952. The most successful yacht in the R-Classes at Kiel Week in 1936 was Indian Scout. The press also called this outstanding boat ‘the Blue Devil’. 39 The Six-Metres competing at the 1936 Olympics were still sailing on the Inner Fjord. England raced against Norway and Sweden. In 1948 and 1952, Herman Whiton sailed Llanoria, designed by S&S, to two gold medals. US-82 was a development in small steps from Djinn (US-80) and Goose (US-81), typical of Sparkman & Stephens. A surprise from Norway in 1935 Two Norwegians, Anker and Berge, both successive students of Herreshoff in the United States, shaped the Scandinavian approach as designers and successful sailors. What united them? Anker and Berge learned not merely to draw fast and successful yachts, but to value beauty as well. Their designs had to be convincing both on paper and on the water. While the English were still defending their position in model yachting against the Americans at home, the great surprise at the 1935 Yachting Monthly Cup came from Norway. Sam Berge’s successful type was an elegant long-keeler, thought to have long gone out of fashion, now refined and fitted with a new, simple vane steering gear. Berge of Grimstad discovered that his boat could be steered closer to the wind and with greater precision on a beat… 40 _ .. without a keel or sail losing height, and with a streamlined steering arm. Sam Berge also used an English cloth whose finish was stabilized and impregnated, so that it no longer distorted when wet. He had gained relevant experience in the United States at Herreshoff’s yard. He passed these lessons to his fellow countryman Johan Anker. Berge had also become acquainted with vane steering, which the yard used when testing model boats in open water. On an open fjord he tried his A-Class Prince Charming II, as was customary in Scandinavia, from a kayak. Where he acquired the necessary experience of this quite different kind of model sailing is unclear. Berge was an energetic and skillful sailor. Among his successful crews in England were Walter Jones and the French sailor Horace Boussey. “PRINCE CHARMING Sagat Ge, II” eed at Bile bepce, THE NORWEGIAN ENTRY FOR 1105 INTERNATIONAL RACES Seale) Onecnth of Fell Sire. With his drawings, Sam Berge came closer to the most elegant R-Class yachts of his era than perhaps any other model builder. That is remarkable, because he had no professional design training: he was self-taught and had taken over his father’s mill at the age of 15 with his brother. One drawing of Prince Charming even appeared in an English magazine. Berge kept nothing back from his competitors; he even gave them models of his vane steering gear. The distinctive Scandinavian approach then led from Tottrup’s early defeats in England, via Sam Berge of Norway, to the multiple Danish champion Kai lpsen, who adopted the name Revanche. It was no accident that his two A-boats were named Revanche, D-22 and D-44. The big step… 41 ..ffom open water on the @resund to English model-yachting ponds was not attempted by Kai until 1948, when he designed a boat which Sam Berge in Oslo already owned. He preserved Berge’s legacy. Kai closely followed developments and advances among Scandinavian designers in the R-Classes compared with the Americans, drawing his own conclusions for Revanche. | shall place these boats side by side. The Scandinavian view of sailing, and particularly of the R-Classes, was rather different. Scandinavian designers were closer to international competitive development. Crowned yet approachable figures served as role models in regatta sailing; they took part in intensely contested international classes as crewmen and even as Olympic medalists. Their successful yachts were designed by local constructors and became widely known through the press, including designs by Johan Anker, Laurin, Estlander, Reimers and Norlin. This elegant Eight-Metre Aun (8-JPN 1) is characteristic of Johan Anker. It was one of his last designs, from 1940. Because of the war, the plans remained in a drawer for sixty years before the Japanese Toyabashi family finally had the boat built in Europe around 2002, practically posthumously, so that they and their families could take part in the classic yacht regattas each year. 42 The profiles of the A-Class yacht Prince Charming II, designed by Sam Berge in 1935, and the Eight-Metre yacht Aun, drawn by Johan Anker in 1940, showa Striking similarity that can be traced to studies at the Herreshoff yard in the USA. The model yacht’s keel profile (red) is more pleasing to the eye; the heavier yacht (green), however, must be able to stand securely on its launching trolley or on shores ashore. Demonstration of Model Yachting by Foreign Guests in Hamburg, 1936 a we ~ International model-yacht regatta at Hamburg, 1936. The original photograph identifies several visiting competitors and their yachts. The extensive course laid out in the Billwerder Bucht consisted of a rectangle of walkable wooden pontoons. It was a much-discussed emergency solution for this one-off regatta in 1936. Bundles and rafts of floating wooden piles were kept there and transported across the Elbe; the pile-driving barges used for them stood half in Hamburg and were needed because the entire harbour installations had to be built on the sandy riverbed. 43 Prominent yachtsmen from the USA, England and Denmark accepted the German invitation. At the Starting line of this first international A-Class competition there were five newly introduced Marblehead-class A-boats. The extremely difficult transport arrangements by ship and railway—without private cars—are worth remembering. That so many participants nevertheless came was certainly due to the relaxed sailing spirit of the host club, Segler-Vereinigung Altona-Oevelgoénne. Bill Bithell is 26 years old as he competes in Hamburg with his A-boat Blue Chip (US-203), with which he had previously raced against the English |} elite at Gosport. At the left, beside his mate for this regatta, is the experienced John Black, long established in the A-Class and also outstanding in the rapidly developing, much smaller Marblehead class. The two German A-boats G-4 Niederelbe and Germania used a vane-steering arrangement following Sam Berge’s example. It is likely that the downwash from the mainsail made accurate adjustment considerably more difficult. In Hamburg, besides the successful English professionals Daniels and Holden with Fuselier and Naiad, there was also the 44 ee set ae tage American leading pair John Black and Bill Bithell, who as skipper and mate of the M-Class formed an unbeaten team. With the A-boat Blue Chip US-203, however, they clearly fell behind the superior English competitors. The many years of A-Class experience of Black and Bithell were most evident; the American Blue Chip was perhaps somewhat too wide, while in the Marblehead class Cherio was clearly ahead of the competition and in a class of its own under sail. The crews of the two Hamburg A-boats, Niederelbe and Germania, had far too little sailing experience with their boats compared with their guests. The new wind-vane steering, adopted from Sam Berge, may have raised false hopes: it did not make the task in light winds any easier. Profile drawings of two Turner designs: Naiad (1935) and Moonraker (1950s). A phenomenon: the preference for pointed sterns. How did the pointed stern develop further among A-Class model yachts? Why did it end after some 30 years? é 1. Admiral Turner continued developing his type (for example, Naiad of the 1930s) after the war in the 1950s. Peter West became an enthusiastic follower of his designs, building four long and heavy pointed-stern boats under the name Moonraker and sailing them very successfully. West won the Nationals with Moonraker| in 1955 » and with Moonraker If in 1959. Its characteristic . rm . feature was a long sharp bow contrasting with a shorter stern. This only became a disadvantage at hull speed, when the stern was more readily held by the wave. 2. A similar, also black-painted yacht was Aragon of Birkenhead, with which Walter Jones surprisingly won the 1967 championship at Fleetwood. It was an older design by Nash, completely reworked by Priest; moderate wind conditions and a large 45 sail area gave this perhaps most experienced sailor in the field a splendid opportunity, which he used. In these conditions the straight waterline and shorter stern were even an advantage. 3. For along time we admired on paper an American design from the Pacific wind-sailing district of southern California. We had bought a drawing of Victor Ward’s Osi there, whose design impressed us with its 58-inch waterline and elegant underwater form. The construction drawings were masterly, but in the line of European success the boat built and sailed was not a winner. The results pointed us in another direction regarding displacement—an evolution which designer John Lewis pushed still further after our success with Moonshine in 1965. We encouraged him, and later followed his sailing results. First German ventures in England. Beginning in 1927, independent German efforts to participate in the Yachting Monthly Cup took place occasionally, but under unfavourable conditions. There were already a few A-boats in Berlin, but experience from domestic racing was lacking even in trimming the sails. Nobody knew a sufficiently remote pond where a crew could prepare a boat, sails and teamwork well enough for international comparison. The danger was that they would return thoroughly discouraged and initially deter their fellow sailors from undertaking similar attempts. Graduate engineer Martens drew this (the only German A-boat design known to me), which closely resembled the English models. The German crews from Berlin or Hamburg in the 1930s still lacked the sailing experience of Gosport or Fleetwood; many years of preliminary experience had to be gained. 46 They thus gave every English representative—carefully selected after intense competition and successful at the end of the British championship—a considerable advantage over the visiting foreigners in the subsequent Yachting Monthly Cup. K-406 is Actis by V. A. Turner. Fleetwood, 1935, during the British championships. A closer look shows that this may still be the familiarization period before the YM Cup starts. No boat here has free wind, so the result tells us little, if anything. At Fleetwood, during the redesign of the shore zone and improvement of recreational facilities—as in many English seaside resorts at the time—an artificial basin about 75 cm deep, lined at the sides with concrete, was built immediately behind the promenade. 47 filled with seawater. Its unique setting and its length of 250 meters made this model-yacht pond the best known in England. The summery light-wind conditions shown here are by no means typical of this location on the Irish Sea. One must nevertheless be prepared for such weather to persist for a week or so, as it did in 1965. EARL BEATTY OPENS FLEETWOOD MODEL YACHT LAKE Admiral Earl Beatty starting a race for A-Class Models. Left to right: J. Alexander (owner of “White Heather”), Earl Beatty. J. Marsden (Commodore Fleetwood M.Y.C.), and Chairman of Fleetwood ULD.C. At the opening in 1932 48 Sailing at Fleetwood in summer conditions calls for a certain flexibility when the sea breeze changes direction and strength during the day, perhaps also because the mudflats outside the promenade dry out for miles and bake in the sun. The tactical situation between competitors changes with each new leg. The example photographed at Fleetwood in 1939 illustrates this. Both boats have completed only about one third of the windward leg, yet they are already heading toward the lee shore. Their crews must make a clean change of course and trim through at least 30 degrees to reach the finish. If both boats used wind vanes, a further correction would be needed, in addition to adjusting the mainsail and spinnaker sheets. Perhaps the spinnaker pole’s afterguy must also be led differently. All this calls for a cool head after rounding the mark. The leeward boat has an opportunity to start and finish the maneuver first. A judge will watch both competitors closely, for a foul is not out of the question. If one boat touches the other unlawfully while sailing away from shore, disqualification could follow, signaled by a black flag. Carl Alberg, a Swede in the United States, helps the Americans bring the Cup back from Europe. After the Second World War, the balance of power in the sport had evidently shifted. The United States rose to the leading position. Model sailing had developed further there, as could be seen from the wind vanes. The result appeared at the first postwar international meeting, the 1948 All Nations Cup in Gosport: Pidgeon and Bithell won ahead of Kai lpsen of Denmark, sailing Revanche. The rudder controlled by a tall, sensitive wind vane made a decisive difference, even against well-trimmed boats. Kai Ipsen : }§ still had no experience with keel-rudder steering on a model-yacht pond accessible from the shore. 49 The profiles of Ranger (US-464) and Revanche (D-22) show the greatest possible difference in their lateral areas. “| It seems the English were not quite so sure of their role as hosts in 1948. The Yachting Monthly Cup was not advertised again at Fleetwood until 1949. Even under those conditions, Ranger won, and the Americans finally achieved what they had long wanted: they carried the coveted trophy across the great pond for the first time. But how could it be brought home from there? Ronnie Jurd and Walter Jones tried with Shalimar, K-600, but in Boston stood no chance against Ainslie, a slightly modified version of Ranger. C. Alberg’s only design for a racing model yacht is the US One Design (shown in blue). Just below the dimensions of a six-meter R-boat, a series of about 30 boats was built on the East Coast. The red profile shows Ranger. The commission to design a successful A-boat for Pidgeon must have been the most unusual assignment of Carl Alberg’s career. He had scarcely any experience with racing boats (he told John Alden’s office that he had “learned” there), and none at all with model yachts having an exceptionally small lateral area. Alberg’s other clients in the emerging fiberglass era wanted small, roomy cruising yachts that could be built in series. In the end, however, as Ranger sailed on, this shortcoming even proved an advantage: when the boat’s balance was not right, its keel was radically reduced to the minimum—a fin keel without any deadwood. 50 For a long time this remained an exception among A-boats, and there were no imitators in Europe. At the crew’s insistence, Alberg’s keel was also modified, but those involved still keep the details secret. On a replica of the boat some 50 years later, Bithell used a brass hollow mold into which the lead was poured. A clever solution that prevents damage. With Dick Priest, model sailing took a distinctly intellectual turn in the 1950s, in my view. As a designer he was already reaching out to the public, explaining the principles behind his boats. He was a Sailor in whom many talents came together. In this sense only one Englishman, Bill Daniels, was comparable. As a trained naval architect, he was a brilliant analyst, designer, and author. Priest learned the tactics of model sailing from his skipper Jimmy Edwards. Priest designed a whole series of yachts in the Marblehead, Ten-Rater, and A classes. These reflected the experience he had gathered while racing against first-rate English competitors. His first A-Class success came in 1952 with Yeoman (K-637), with which he won the Nationals at Gosport. That year, however, Whiff from the USA took the YM Cup from Priest and the other Europeans. ed Yeoman’s victory belongs to the period of Priest’s partnership with his mentor and adviser, Jimmy Edwards. Priest’s celebrated breakthrough to championship honors in the A-Class came through fruitful collaboration with designer John Lewis. He adapted the radical frame plan of the successful Ten-Rater Sirocco, designed by Lewis, and then drew an A-boat with the same waterline length of 54 inches (137 cm), then common in the class. The boat was built for Arthur Levison, a picture framer, from upright layers of mahogany. Thanks to excellent equipment and preparation, Priest outclassed his competitors in two windy British championships, in 1957 and 1961. After that he had an easier time against the European challengers in the YM Cup. A third British championship was already within reach in 1963 when Bob Burton, sailing his sister ship Highlander, called Reward, deprived Priest of the necessary points just before the finish and thus of the hoped-for third victory. Sl The idea for Highlander, as Priest himself wrote, came “out of the blue.” This leap did not fit so neatly into his otherwise systematic sequence of designs from Yeoman and its variants, named after tribes from Saxon to Clansman. Highlander was a somewhat larger step—almost a quantum leap. The main frame was attractively round, with the frames drawn inward like a handsome wineglass. The separation of hull and keel was more pronounced. No other A-boat of the period went so far along the path taken by the R-class yachts. But the unusual precedent cited by Priest was the Ten-Rater Sirocco by John Lewis, which had the same waterline and frame shape. Priest was entirely justified in transferring this approach to the A-Class. Its performance to windward, including in heavy weather, was very good, and the boat also ran almost as though on rails downwind under spinnaker. This criterion would receive considerably more attention from other designers in the future, because balance became much more important. A fresh start: German attempts to make headway on a difficult course eventually pay off. While the Second World War set almost every region and the sport back, model sailing in the United States continued as a leisure activity. When international regattas resumed, the result was clear: American dominance. The Americans had perfected and popularized self-steering wind vanes. The first postwar German attempts in the late 1950s to reconnect with model sailing’s home country brought the Hamburg M-boat sailors Carl Burghardt and Emil Lohmann much respect in their club, but also skepticism about whether they could compete at such a high level. Fritz Jacobsen assessed things differently in 1960. With an English Priest design of the Saxon type, he had won the first German championship in Berlin in 1959 and felt both equipped and mentally ready. Yet his boat, G-101, with its sails, rig, and fittings, was nowhere near competitive at Gosport. As a first step, Jacobsen acquired the well-known English top boat Jill, K-716, a Daniels design built in 1954 by Arthur Levison, the picture framer and model-boat carver. The boat opened German eyes to details of construction. Its fittings and Corby wind vane became standard in the A-Class, made from V2A stainless steel with the precision of a watchmaker. 52 K-716, built in 1954, weighs 62 Ib, carries 1,579 sq. in. of sail, has a 55-inch waterline and a length overall of 77.9 inches. The illustration above shows “Jill,” now an icon of A-Class model-yachting history. The boat and its rather heavy sister ships were built by Arthur Levison in England and became characteristic of their class. They paved the way for A-boats of even greater displacement. This was perhaps contrary to Bill Daniels’s intention; he had reluctantly accepted such a course only because success proved him right. One key to later progress, which he did not live to see, was faster sails made from new synthetic fabrics such as Terylene and Linapol. Danish and German sailors subsequently used Dacron sailcloth. Oddly enough, my first impression of “Jill” was disappointing. Later, however, its excellent windward performance convinced me. | instinctively compared “Jill” with English offshore yachts, particularly the elegant “Ortac,” a cutter by Laurent Giles that the Hamburg Seefahrt club used to win the RORC championship in 1950. For that yacht John Illingworth designed a modern aluminum rig, considerably shortened the main boom (saving measured sail area), and provided overlapping headsails for an optimized cutter rig. What a beautiful sight under sail! Had | known the lines of the underwater hull, my judgment would have been different. Comparing the profiles of “Ortac” and “Jill” (below), it becomes evident how effectively Daniels optimized ballast placement in the underwater body. The boat excelled to windward, both in waves and on smooth water. Seaworthiness, essential for work on deck, and comfortable accommodation below decks naturally go together in “Ortac.” The yacht sailed fast but wet. That is a drawback which hardly matters in model yachting. Nevertheless, “Jill” represented a step beyond “Dorade.” 53 Both the offshore cruiser and the model yacht, perhaps more than most vessels, embody the characteristic » design style of their time. After “Jill? (A-K 716) was sold, Arthur Levison sought help from designer Alan Hill to continue developing the ideas of the late Bill Daniels. Hill was familiar with contemporary developments in yacht design for offshore cruisers—that was his specialty. The result, however, was a Sturdier rather than more elegant version of “Jill.” The bow and forebody appeared fuller overall. The boat might therefore have been better suited to open water. Fritz Jacobsen subsequently bought it to strengthen the Hamburg fleet, where it sailed as A-G 105, “Hamburg.” 54 Arthur L. decided, however, to reverse Hill’s direction. Drawing on his experience with Daniels’s lines, he built a somewhat lighter boat with more elegant overhangs: “Philippa” (A K-789). The boat performed well; under Arthur Levison it even won the English championship in 1968. “Philippa” promptly acquired a sister ship for Fritz Jacobsen, named “Hamburg” (A G-125). Within his Hamburg club, Jacobsen intensified competition with each new boat. In time, that would bear fruit: the boat won the German championship with R. Pollahn. Thus A-G 125 is also a sister of “Jill III,” which Arthur called “Philippa.” “Philippa” now sails again with vane steering, after Graham Reeves completely restored her; she had been retired under the new radio-control rules. 55 For comparison: how much did Bill Daniels’s thinking as a designer change over his lifetime? | place the profiles of “Crusader” (about 1922) and “Jill” (1954) side by side—a span of roughly thirty years. Bill remained faithful to his guiding idea, and the change was slight: the additional displacement was distributed very skillfully throughout the hull. Contrary to what one might expect, the accompanying reduction in sail area did not harm performance. New sailcloth (Terylene) helped. The Vikings arrive. Even during the continuing A-boat duel between England and the United States, surprise winners appeared from Scandinavia, more than once: Sam Berge in 1935 and 1937, second in 1936. Norway was followed in the 1950s by Denmark, with two victories by Kai Ipsen. —— As? A _— What motivated the Dane Kai lpsen, and where did he find his teacher? The Norwegian challenger Sam Berge had spectacularly mastered the challenge in England in 1935, to everyone’s surprise. By contrast, Kai’s compatriot Tdttrup had failed with “Dana” in the early years of the Yachting Monthly Cup, beginning in 1922. Kai wanted to make use of this opportunity. He admired Laurin’s and the radical Swedish 5-Metre “Gullmar’” and 6-Metre “Sinkadus,” which could even beat the American “Goose.” In 1947 Kai designed an A-boat, “Revanche.” The name says it all. At first sight it resembles Sam Berge’s designs, but the resemblance is not simply due to the continuous keel. Berge had already set fins on his boats. Kai’s model yacht had greater beam than any 6-Metre, and certainly greater beam than the 8- and 12-Metres. Their crews needed plenty of room on deck to move between one racing mark and the next. The model yacht’s greater beam gave it better stability, so the hull and keel could be more effective. That was useful for the hoped-for windward performance—the principal objective. 56 Where is Sam Berge’s legacy to be found? The body plan of “Revanche” (green), alongside “Prince Charming” (red), reveals Kai’s effort to design a boat with better windward ability, yet one that would guarantee a noticeably flatter run aft. His model was Laurin’s 5-Metre yacht “Gullmar’—not particularly pretty to Scandinavian eyes, but successful. Kai Ipsen also studied the Swedish 6-Metre project “Sinkadus” (S-52, “cinque deux”), another of Laurin’s ingenious designs. From the name to the chosen sail number, such details appealed to the perfectionist Kai Ipsen. Ipsen was evidently sure of his project’s success when “Revanche” proved equal to Sam Berge’s “Prince Charming II” in light weather at the 1947 regatta in Oslo and superior in stronger wind. “Revanche I!” (D-22) and “Revanche II” (D-44) differ only slightly. Their hulls, wooden masts, rigs, fittings, and vane-steering gear are masterpieces of craftsmanship. D-44 Is to be included in the model collection of the renowned maritime museum at Troense on Svendborg. When Kai Ipsen passed his “Revanche’” designs to his competitors, one could see both the perfection with which he had made the boat a delight to the eye and the way he had optimized its windward qualities. This was an era when scarcely any other model-yacht designer could imagine such a development being brought to an even higher degree of refinement. 57 Note: Roger Stollery’s unconventional, individual approach to model-yacht design and construction is hard to explain without the Danish influence on his career. As a young man he crewed for Kai lpsen and Emil Johnson at English championships. In particular, Kai’s minimalism—the reduction of fittings and lines on a smooth deck and in the rig—left a lasting impression. *REVANCHE 11” versus “HIGHLANDERTM “Gee SSS Young Roger Stollery serving as crew. “Masters”: Emil Johnson with Dan. Roger too later sought the perfect minimalist solution for every detail. With glass-reinforced plastic, that sometimes required a new, carefully thought-out way of joining the hull and deck shells. Roger even gratefully adopted the Danish handhold on the deck of his A-Class boats. Thank you, Kai: The photographs above are convincing evidence against the widely held belief that Highlander could not be beaten in strong winds at Fleetwood. Revanche I! did just that. 58 What different conditions apply when sailing an R-Class yacht compared with an A-Class model yacht? The Six-Metre has a deep, narrow, but open cockpit, where its crew is exposed to the spray that at times has to be bailed out. On the model yacht, water runs across the deck and hatches much sooner, but usually without difficulty. The five-person crew of a Six-Metre must work together in every maneuver. Muscle power and constant attention are needed: sail trim and course must be adjusted at any moment. A model yacht follows a carefully observed course, but its trim cannot be changed unless the boat touches the shore before crossing the finish line. Only then may the skipper or mate adjust the sail or rudder. The Six-Metre, at almost 1.89 metres in beam and 11 metres in length, is relatively narrow. Its side deck should keep the water out, but makes work in the cockpit more difficult. Hiking out is prohibited: only the helmsman may steer while seated on deck, giving him the best view. Peter Pim in a second suit of sails, Fleetwood. 59 At first glance, sailing conditions seem quite similar. Yet the crews of full-size yachts and model yachts face very different tasks in a triangular-course regatta and in match racing on the same course. Even the choice of starting position is regulated differently. 60 Measuring an A-Class Boat: Revanche as an Example £ LGA -179,5cm : tpn) – OBL 180cer SO Fs | T (29,9 om LWL rs a 1 XQ LWL | | | l 1 | ”a LWL 134cm LUA 1795 cm Tiefgang _ ; LWL 134 cm . Breite iH pleiballast | 14,7 kg 29.9cm. Freibord 127 cm ; | 41cm ,Breite WL YOem Segel 10353 ur’, Gewicht 226 kg English key to the original diagram: LOA 179.5 cm; waterline length 134 cm; beam 41 cm; waterline beam 40 cm; draft 29.9 cm; freeboard 12.7 cm; sail area 1,035 cm?; total weight 22.6 kg; lead ballast 14.7 kg. Rating calculation: 59.3 + 40.6 = 99.9. In Fleetwood the measuring tank was filled with seawater, in Birkenhead it contained freshwater. This difference had to be taken into account when calculating displacement. 61 \—__ 4 B hitere WL. ¢ L — — See WL ees TM ge fo ere = sapien Viertel breiten ldnge “/.” der Formetnth – A _ ZW | English key to the original diagram: LWL = load waterline; quarter-beam length “L” for the rating formula; quarter-beam measurement; centerline. The drawing also contrasts the waterline of a Six-Metre and an A-Class boat. The measurements required for the rating formula are determined and measured on the actual boat, rather than taken from its drawing. For this a tank is needed in which the boat can float. In Hamburg, the SVAOe Becomes a Leader in the Growing A-Class Fritz Jacobsen’s approach after his defeat at Gosport in 1960 became a model for the A-Class in Germany. He bought new boats in England, had others built to order in Hamburg and England, and commissioned entirely new designs, including some byJohn Lewis. These newly acquired boats set standards; a change of thinking also followed in other clubs in northern Germany. Jacobsen’s enthusiasm inevitably inspired others in the SVAOe, especially experienced sailors whom he enlisted for charter-boat sailing. Young men who had proved themselves as crew could perhaps be trusted to skipper a boat at the next regatta. Their next opportunity might then take them to England. During their student years, the Pollahn brothers tried the charter A-boat G-101 K6nigin at Fleetwood, with mixed results. At the same time they competed with the Kretschmann brothers from Berlin (1961). This rivalry enlivened the class and rapidly raised the German standard. Danish model sailors—Brandt, Ipsen and Johnson—had been competing in Hamburg since 1960, bringing their distinctive, elegant A-boats and a different Scandinavian approach. They became convincing new examples for the younger generation. 62 After three hard years of apprenticeship with various charter boats, the Pollahn brothers dreamed of having their own ‘ideal A-boat.’ They had accumulated plenty of ideas and plans, and already had an American set of drawings. But the window seat in their bedroom—the only available building space—could never accommodate such a project. At that time Ken Jones of Birkenhead advised us against taking over construction of ‘Osi’—as we see it today, fortunately for us! Instead he wanted to lay down John Lewis’s new design, ‘Vital Spark,’ and therefore offered us his successful A-boat ‘Moonshine’ for sale. This gave our dream a new, tangible form: a proven boat, not merely a design on paper. : eee 4 3A, rth eich Osi” was never built Hen J6u29 ofrwe Moo ine!. ‘Osi’ remained Ward’s American dream boat. Although apparently intended for open water, it was never built in Europe. Below is a racing pennant in SVAOe colors; it flew on all the Pollahn brothers’ own Hamburg A-boats. Mt” rocl ugjaf er Hea ES 63 Nooeive’‘meets,dren’Satins Optimizing the sails and rig, and testing the individual components, took much time and patience before we could be sure we had improved the boat’s potential. Nevertheless we seemed to be inferior in experience and routine to the English racing greats. At the 1964 Yachting Monthly Cup in Gosport we faced Roy Gardner, the English champion, for the first time and demonstrated that we could match him, although the regatta had to be abandoned for lack of time. We carried this new momentum into our preparations for the 1965 British Championship at Fleetwood. Moonshine’s German victory brought designer * John Lewis into the spotlight for the first time. With further commissions from Hamburg for his elegant A-boats he made a name for himself. In close exchange with us Hamburg Sailors, he initially pursued longer hulls with greater displacement and less sail area. hee 7 wy Ge BH ato ‘emeeaet 64 3 Lows desig6 hale ct Birrtiehecd were LOG compErwNs (i out Hunbuog . ULNI ‘ 171 x i 3 Wy = AA ja 0 Hd A —— 1 ; aL } L HHA 4/1 ri . , = ——|— SoU 5 7 / Own a Deweces) = a a | = “Deere ter. | anhn = == = = : , jt. py { jaa \ Ay AN i ISPS | ee ae Ree fier aes A ye ae st Through constant exchanges of ideas with John Lewis, Fritz Jacobsen developed a series of A-boats, which Ken Jones laid down and built at Birkenhead. These additions quickly strengthened the Hamburg fleet. As a result, at some British championships the Hamburg SVAOe model sailors frequently selected the German representative for the Yachting Monthly Cup among themselves. 1. Top: ‘Hamburg V.’ The boat was joined by a sister design, which Ken Jones built at Birkenhead and sailed under the name ‘Norwest.’ Later, in Hamburg, it was sailed by the Kullick family. The free-standing rudder was Jacobsen’s idea. It could be knocked easily and therefore sometimes caused practical problems. 2. Middle: John Lewis’s favorite project was a lead-ballasted keel yacht called ‘Phaedra.’ It was being built by Ken Jones when its designer had to move to the United States for three years after a business merger. The boat was completed without its client, taken over by Fritz Jacobsen, and chartered to Werner Meyer and his wife of SVAOe Hamburg. In 1969 they sailed it at Fleetwood, liked it so much that they bought it outright. 65 (SVAOe, Hamburg) at Fleetwood in 1969. They were so delighted with ‘Phaedra’ that they took ownership of the boat. 3. ‘Westwind.’ Designed and built for its owner, Fritz Jacobsen, this boat showed excellent upwind qualities, although a slight weakness on reaches and runs under spinnaker. That may have been due to its somewhat short overhangs. — As one Fritz Jacobsen project after another took shape, the Pollahn brothers repeatedly faced the steadily growing competition in their own club. With John Lewis’s new design ‘Together’ (dimensions similar to ‘Moonshine’), the brothers enjoyed markedly improved windward performance, but the boat could scarcely keep pace downwind. They therefore paused to reconsider. Lewis’s other new design, ‘Vital Spark’ (similar to ‘Highlander’), also failed to bring the hoped-for success against two Birkenhead boats at the next championship. Peter Mustill’s NN ‘Classic’ came in only second; disappointed, he did not attempt another campaign with it. ‘Moby Dick’ was the first A-boat for which a designer increased the waterline length to 60 inches. This meant a reduction in sail area, and it remained to be seen whether the boat could do sufficiently well in light winds. The high, strongly tapered displacement promised advantages in open water. The entire lead ballast (26 kg) was concentrated in the fin. Handling such a long boat required practice, especially turning with the boom. No part of the hull was allowed to touch the edge of the tank: otherwise a disqualification threatened! At Fleetwood Ken Jones and Bill Poole found that the boat was manageable, even in the eyes of critical judges. It proved itself there and sailed under the pennant shown below as long as it was registered at Birkenhead. Ken Jones continued to put his faith in John Lewis. He was interested in the direction taken by the new lead-ballasted keel boat ‘Moby Dick.’ The concept seemed to prove particularly successful at Fleetwood. Meanwhile we saw the 60-inch waterline—previously untried, now tested—as a promising means of keeping pace with Fritz Jacobsen. Left: ‘Moby Dick’ sailing in 1971 under the Hamburg pennant of the SVAQOe. Above: Ken Jones built these three A-boats, which formed the Hamburg club team at Gosport in 1972. In the British Championships they competed for the ‘Neptune Trophy’: ‘Westwind’ (Fritz Jacobsen), ‘Peter Pim’ (Pollahn brothers), and ‘‘Bumblebee’ (Jacobsen juniors). 67 . . \ 1 iL it ——- aero ee Anes Sone Ot ee ee. . + “— a ee PETER PIM 6 — Design »John A.Lewis ,Burmingham LuA: G5 20 ee Gebout 1971 von Ken Jones ih Birkenhead Gewionte (232m Li9g regal 2549 /P% 5 kg (14% Rum last 245hkg (79% LWL: 6020 / 753m B: 52 / 0m Seaelfi. 7453020 / 0 933 m* Gesomt il t ca. 250m i Stanlngs Gexey. WindahnenLersung = 35 kg. / 78,2108. John Lewis photographed his design Peter Pim on the Alster in 1972 during the international model-yacht regatta. The Olympic sailing events that year were being held in Kiel-Schilksee at the same time, and this highly competitive regatta took place in Hamburg. Drawing notes: designed by John A. Lewis, Birmingham; built by Ken Jones in Birkenhead in 1971. Length overall 2.32 m; waterline length 1.53 m; beam 40 cm; sail area 0.93 m?; draft about 50 cm; total weight 35 kg. The original handwritten dimensions and weights are retained on the drawing. 68 How did Scandinavian designers of R-class yachts develop further? — ~J2> “2 ~ & Monae “May Be by fore Hele 58 lest Loa Dap. 121 noes Sal wea Pg Tore Holm later modernized the boat. Originally it had a full-length keel. The most successful American Six-Metre, Goose, was likewise modified along the lines of newer Sparkman & Stephens Twelve-Metres, though without a decisive improvement in performance. ee) 6uR May BEIV Fascination: A New Beginning Kai losen never told me where the idea came from for this unusual A-boat, so radically different from his earlier designs. His discerning eye, however, had surely been influenced by the successful, handsome Scandinavian lines of the Metre classes. Years of reflection led toward this new approach. 69 Those deliberations may have gone back to 1961. The first sketches of a revolutionary hard-chined hull surfaced during a discussion at a regatta dinner in Oevelg6nne. Kai knew from experience that his Revanche was by no means an Ld CO inferior to windward, but preferred to bear away and “shoot into the sun.” Was the problem the broad hull above the keel, or the short overhangs? Did he therefore consider abandoning the long keel and reducing lateral area? Two suggestions had been before him for some time. First, his friend Bill Bithell’s American A-boat Ranger, which defeated Revanche in 1948, had the smallest possible keel area designed by Karl Alberg: enough to contain the lead ballast. Second, Dick Priest had drawn a remarkably compact, hard-edged ballast keel for a Ten-Rater. Kai adopted the idea without hesitation, although on an A-boat carrying 45 Ib of ballast it was still untested. Curiously, no long keel appears in any of the surviving sketches. A sister boat of the future Fascination, namely Laila by Preben Petersen of the Copenhagen club, was completed more quickly than Kai’s prototype. Tried out in Copenhagen before the 1969 English championship, she impressed the Fleetwood competitors with her exceptional performance—except in a dead calm. When the Yachting Monthly Cup was sailed in strong winds, Arthur Levison exclaimed: “Nobody can beat her in this wind.” “wT OO Fascination 70 erfrisc t r Tr / és |S S os ea x4 . ” = , — a: a ‘ ae wv. ail Geox Bf mur f Bier / i , / 7 — dt te a — 94° tert yu Lavoe q il “ta ovate Khasta, ais – F sa > “= ~ 4mm ere pee – bee | = / / Le / le kala 15 AM {Some i ge Pow 0 me ra teng neForte P ‘ aa ae re 7 a limes aie wet a andharl lien — a (6 th Ste = ¢ Sart Liat, < i — te i -— “< as lef Pewee “3 biand Fascination was a formidable opponent on any racing course. Here she is beating to windward against Moby Dick at Fleetwood during the Yachting Monthly Cup, in a contest between Denmark and Germany. ay —— ee \ fra Sith, Flmat hom Meanwhile the pendulum among designers swung farther toward greater displacement and longer waterlines. John Lewis’s name was especially associated with this direction, as were the English commissions from Dennis Lippet (Kami Sami, 1969), Roy Gardner (Silhouette, 1971), and Mike Harris. Even apparently untouchable designs such as Highlander were radically modified by Bob Burton and his Belgian friend Hoorebeke. Lewis followed this development, which he had begun in 1965 with Moby Dick and continued with Peter Pim (1970), publishing Kybernetes in 1966 with a 60-inch waterline. Other examples were La Grande Vache, particularly well suited to Fleetwood conditions, and Europa for Gosport—a modification of Westwind with a 58.5-inch waterline for Roy Gardner. How did the development of ballast _ Sepelinss Maby Di weights affect sail +_Feter Pim d Vorsegel drei ak-Hahe b¥2n Pt 5 LOZEU plans and their proportions? 7 ~ VTA, repeagel: VarlickK A 8 , ~/ :20 zal linterligh: 22,6 2d . VANCE © Abilis > if TAT OH Sail areas became smaller. As sailcloth improved—from cotton to Terylene/Linapol, then Dacron and eventually film materials over roughly twenty years—not only did the aerodynamic stability of sail profiles change; the available measured Sail area could also be used more effectively. This applied even as the number of strong-wind Sails increased. Unusually long mainsail booms, or foot lengths, also improved the balance between mainsail and headsail. 72 Thus waterline length became more important relative to sail area, even in light winds. The further the measured sail area decreased, the greater the “free” contribution became—particularly the permitted roach in the foot of the sails. Roger Stollery tried to optimize the extremely small sail area of Clockwork Orange by adding a sail pocket around the mast. However, this too is included in the measurement. The revolution of the lightweights: Revolution and Clockwork Orange. This new step could be tested only after small sail areas (see Moby Dick, Peter Pim, and others) had proved themselves—that Is, well-cut, carefully shaped sails could be just as large and effective in practice. Smaller sail areas (under 1,400 square inches) initially had a disadvantage in changing wind conditions, especially in calm spells when they were helpless. It took a week of steady strong winds, typical only of Fleetwood, for the new lightweight boats to triumph. Heavy-displacement boats had not yet been defeated there at the 1975 World Championship. Nevertheless, Fascination, then Revolution, Dambuster, and Clockwork Orange established a new trend. Chris Dicks’s Revolution was so convincing in 1973 under those extreme conditions that he and his mate scored 99 percent of the possible points. That record will stand for all time. as Revolution py Tre / Langde overalt — Vandlinielengde Vandliniebredde Dybgang Sejlareal Deplacement Fascination een 236 143 ie 31,7 8125 mae cm? 22,13 kg 36 31,1 9721 » , cm? 24,77 kg What is new? The emerging development of radio control had already reached the A-Class, but none of its advocates really foresaw the enormous changes it could bring. For all vane-steered yachts, the object was still maximum speed on a straight course—as the only weapon in a match race against the immediate opponent. Later, with radio control, both the task and the objective would change: a common start for a group, naturally into the wind. Comparison: a Swedish skerry cruiser by Harry Becker and the A-Class yacht Revolution. 74 | cant a S S LE S — — of insepid’s underbody (below) sith her predecesscs A comparson Sateen, Constellation shows the “breakthrough” that igunched 12-Meter cooctehen lintels Soniox srenatinne ithe 8. The reduction in lateral area did not, unlike in R-Class yachts, produce better maneuverability. On Phaedra, John Lewis tried fitting a second rudder to the keel, but without decisive success. The probable reason was excessive friction loss from transmitting the steering motion to two rudder surfaces. aa in the America’s Cup races for 12-Metres, the starting Red phase featured extremely rapid steering maneuvers g designed to dominate the opponent. The Australian challenger tried to seize the initiative by crossing the ky defender’s deck and obstructing its route toward the g Starting line. He thereby dictated the moment of his return to the optimal starting position. Development of the 12-Metre R-Class yachts followed a similar path. The America’s Cup intensified it, and progress became markedly faster in a short time. Designers did everything possible to keep each new advance secret from competitors. As a result, hull lines were generally never published. v5 The steps taken by designers can also be illustrated by developments in the 6-Metre R-Class. J=3,44m | Tore Holm 1935 S&S 1970 Comparison of the profiles of the 6-Metre R-Class yachts Maybe IV (1935), designed by Tore Holm, and Toogie V, designed by Sparkman & Stephens for Australian Bill Barnett in 1970. The model for Revolution could well have been the lightly built skerry cruiser. Developed in Scandinavia, it was an elegant, lighter, and therefore somewhat less expensive alternative to the heavier Metre-class yachts. Revolution: length overall 232 cm; waterline length 143 cm (56.3 in.); weight 22.15 kg; measured sail area 1,260 sq. in. = 0.8125 sq. m. 76 These frame shapes clearly show that the skerry cruiser had a lower water resistance. The greater potential, however, evidently lay | with the model yacht, which had to be | completed with stronger rigging and withstand WS | higher waves—without a crew acting as if \ | movable live ballast. : 7 Looking back on two different approaches taken by American AClass designers—Ranger emphasizing light winds, and Osi emphasizing heavy weather—the Europeans were scarcely aware | that a third approach was being pursued in the United States at the same time. Magic, from California, designed by Frank Stout, is striking for its small sail area. One might therefore assume it was a lightweight boat; built in 1955! At Fleetwood, in the Yachting Monthly Cup, the American guest Stout raced this boat. Dick Priest described it as “orutally effective.” For an early pioneer or a surprise victory, however, the wind did not remain sufficiently steady. My attempt to reconstruct the boat follows here. It draws on ideas and experiments with small keels by Gus Lassel. Consider that this boat was designed in California as early as 1955: it was far ahead of its time. J déscovaed ovay reeitly that the Keel was (eas veveliibanary thon 7 thought -/nyer pk,hotmal NO(yes borrowed fora Lasse. For comparison: the model yacht “Westwind,” designed by John Lewis for Fritz Jacobsen in 1971, and the 6-Metre yacht “Toogie V,” designed by Sparkman & Stephens for Australian Bill Barnett in 1972, One might think the designers knew one another, so similar were their ideas. For a model yacht, the overhangs on “Westwind” are surprisingly short when at sea level. Only comparison shows that the Six-Metre is even more restrained. Its trim rudder was unsuccessful, and S&S omitted it from the next design for the Australian owner. “Westwind,” above all for her excellent windward performance, prompted Roy ’ Gardner and others to ask John Lewis for a series of similar yachts. How radical were the steps Chris Dicks took with this new design? A careful examination of K-939’s measurement certificate tells the story. Dicks retained the customary medium waterline length of 56 inches, but with unusually long overhangs: 46 cm aft and 47 cm forward. This produced an overall length of 2.32 m and a substantially longer effective waterline when heeled. Because the displacement was kept below the usual ratio, he ultimately had to give up a considerable amount of sail area. This, in turn, improved stability. Had the boat weighed 25.4 kg, the rating formula would have imposed a penalty. The hull is not exceptionally narrow at the waterline; “Fascination” is wider but more tucked in above it, saving weight. “Revolution” has a rounder and flatter hull than “Fascination,” harmonious rather than angular. Its lead ballast, however, is a less elegant bulge or lump than the carefully shaped one on “Fascination.” The Sail area is distributed unusually: the base of the foretriangle is longer than the mainsail foot (J = 56 cm; B = 46 cm). The foretriangle measures 0.3868 m? and the mainsail 0.4257 m2, fora total measured area of just 0.8125 m?. 78 Roger Stollery took an entirely different route with his radical A-boat “Clockwork Orange.” His previous experience with glass-fibre construction, using overlapping hull and deck shells on M-Class yachts and on his first Ten-Rater, “Warlord,” had made this approach familiar to him. Unfortunately, Roger also sparked an unfortunate controversy: he was operating in a grey area. Where did the required minimum freeboard end, and where did the deck begin? The measurer nevertheless accepted the boat without bending the rules. The debate within the A-Class could not be ignored. “Clockwork” had a minimal sail area, while its low weight was heavily penalized by the rating formula. Roger also had to accept that the sail pocket around the mast was counted as sail area. “Clockwork” was shorter overall, considerably lighter than the norm, and therefore very easy for the skipper to handle. Roger also adopted the deck grip used by his Danish predecessors Ipsen and Johnson, with whom he had sailed. Its low weight offered a distinct advantage: under spinnaker, the light boat planed earlier than other A-boats and even lifted its bow noticeably. In lighter winds, however, the handicap of its small sail area was too much to overcome. Roger’s new 1977 design, “Lollipop,” continued on the chosen path. In his view it was the most successful boat to come off his drawing board, virtually the ultimate A-boat of the 1980s and 1990s. It owed its strength to the excellent qualities of “Revolution,” particularly its larger overhangs. Did this type have any weakness? Yes: in very ordinary conditions, with winds of force 2-3, “Peter Pim,” sailed by multiple English champion Alex Austin, took every point in “22 4 U” at Fleetwood in 2005. Nevertheless, Austin owed this boat type by far the longest series of British championship victories. The old icons of model sailing were surpassed. It must be added that the number of competitors had roughly halved since the 1970s. Above all, the outstanding foreign sailors who had once brought distinction to Fleetwood and Gosport were largely absent. 79 “Shunt” is Roger’s successful successor. Its lines are based on “Lollipop,” but the bow looks more elegant and the lead ballast has a more refined shape. [leet wood Hopentagen Gosporrt CLApe hatn Dutch yachtsman Provoost commissioned John Lewis to design the largest possible A-boat—an unusual assignment, especially for a radio-controlled A-boat. It was intended for open-water sailing. At 2.54 metres in length, “Swordfish” weighs just under 20 kg (44 Ib). Its sail area is proportionate to the design: a moderate 0.8238 m2, equivalent to 1,277 square inches. For comparison | drew the longest J-Class yacht ever envisaged, “Cheveyo,” 139 feet on deck. Equally unusual, its prospective owner had the yacht built in England at Spirit in laminated wood. The drawing shows the once-discarded design “Ranger 77 B,” thoroughly redesigned and optimized with all modern methods before construction by designer André Hoek in Holland. The situation today After 80 years, has the development come full circle? The move toward lighter A-boats was encouraged by a change in the rules: exceptionally light boats were no longer penalized so severely for sail area when they fell below the minimum weight. At the same time, an important development took place in the radio-controlled A-boat class, which strongly influenced its new direction. One distinction remained: an adequately large sail area proved more important, because these boats must sail without spinnakers or other extra downwind sails. Attempts to optimize sail area—to keep it as large as possible—were in every case limited by the boat’s length. The boats were thus easier for the skipper to handle, even without a crew of helpers. The ban on forward-projecting keels was also lifted, and the modern torpedo keel came into fashion. This allowed a low-drag, deep configuration of the lead ballast. Both innovations revolutionized the A-Class. They were adopted only after an international committee chose this course around 1990, after the IMYRU gave up its independence. Today the ISAF governs the incorporated Radio Sailing Division. 81 Sailing Division—unfortunately with very little participation by the owners. The move to radio control, particularly through the efforts of Steinberger and others on the committees of the MYA and IMYRU, initially created uncertainty in the A-Class, but also forced individual sailors to take a clear position. Where was the class heading? The financial burden would inevitably increase. Dick Priest, working in Fleetwood, cautiously reshaped the keel on Levison’s elegant “Philippa” with a saw. This was out of the question for us with “Peter Pim.” The Pollahn brothers rejected the change: they declared that they preferred to pull strings to operate the remote control and, above all, to keep hold of their successors’ tillers. The 12-Metre yacht “USA,” sail number US 61, designed by Gary Mull, served as a sparring partner in the final challenger series, but was not selected as the defender. Because the keel area was small, an additional forward foil—a “canard,” to use the French term—was chosen. Why did development stagnate in the R-Classes? When a series of modern designs from the 1970s and 1980s failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough, pressure remained even on well-known, successful designers who had benefited from their America’s Cup experience. Olin Stephens, too, commented thoughtfully: thirty years after the creation of “Goose,” he had hoped to see more obvious progress. But since fresh impetus was lacking, 82 new construction activity declined sharply, even in the smallest class, the Six-Metres. Gary Mull designed US 122, “Capriccio,” in 1986 with a winged keel. The Twelve-Metres fared even worse: when they ceased to be the “think tank,” the class lost its outstanding status in the America’s Cup in 1986. This weakened the class permanently. The Italian challenger “Azzurra,” designed by Vallicelli, also competed in 1986. But no truly decisive innovations emerged. The background profile, for comparison, is that of the model yacht “Peter Pim,” designed by John Lewis in 1970. The A-Class also needed a pause. During its transformation two changes helped it: with the boat’s minimum weight eliminated, the extreme penalty for reducing sail area disappeared. The ban on forward-projecting keels was also lifted. Both changes were intended to revolutionize the class. Compared with the R-classes, this gave a design advantage, but at the expense of continuity. Older, heavier A-boats therefore fell behind more rapidly, weakening the racing fleets. Where did these new ideas come from? After the Twelve-Metre design laboratory had disappeared, fresh impulses came from America’s Cup competitors, who were once again racing for the Cup. Attention also turned to extreme ocean-racing yachts—more precisely, offshore dinghies with fin keels—which had attracted notice for their extraordinary speed over long distances, especially on reaching courses. “Semper fidelis,” John Spencer’s yacht, was launched in 1964 and began a successful career. Her deep, lightweight hull of Superholtz was designed for a long working life. Soencer chose a rig of moderate height and sail area that the crew could handle even in the steady trade-wind squalls. After fifty years, the yacht’s modernization with a carbon rig and torpedo keel was still bringing success, including in the Sydney-Hobart Race. California’s fair-weather sailing grounds, where yachts can run downwind under Spinnaker in the trade winds day and night for extended periods, gave rise to ideas for lightweight construction. Sailors respectfully called these craft “sleds.” Races from Acapulco and Mazatlan in Mexico, and the extreme ocean passages to Hawaii and Tahiti, fired the imaginations of sailors and designers. As early as 1964 the amateur John Spencer designed an 18-metre yacht, a “knickspant” (hard-chine) design in Superholtz. Later known as “Ragtime,” this yacht won all the major races and, more than fifty years later, still competed across the Pacific, modernized with a torpedo keel and carbon rig. After “Ragtime,” Bill Lee’s “Merlin” was the best-known “sled”: an even larger, slimmer vessel, 67 feet long. “Norddeutsche Vermdgen” was a sister ship, also entered in long-distance races elsewhere in the world. Lee called his small 8.2-metre yacht “Santa Cruz”; it could keep up with the big sleds. Its profile resembles that of the J/24 by Johnson. What looks so relaxed here was actually a very wet undertaking: even in tropical temperatures the entire crew preferred to crouch in oilskins. Comparing the two profiles from these two disciplines (the America’s Cup yacht above and the radio-controlled boat below) reminds us how new technical possibilities are adopted in extremely lightweight construction. The loads imposed by the rig and keel support must be absorbed at specific points. Owing to its greater size and sail area, the America’s Cup yacht had almost doubled its soeed compared with a Twelve-Metre. The loads at the shrouds, mast step, and keel attachment increased many times over and sometimes caused major structural problems, including spectacular failures of the hull amidships and even total loss. Different tasks nevertheless call for different solutions: the America’s Cup yacht (red) seeks to minimize hull resistance and provide its rig and crew with a platform that offers every tactical possibility when sailing fast. The designer of the model yacht “Revolution,” by contrast, seeks to optimize an extremely light boat so that it can hold its own even in difficult wind and weather. Its sails should carry as long as possible, enabling it to plane early on reaching courses. 85 s (Zern akc gon Aun“below undel jepanese Ownership raceAz GLB UNE MIT t th ore ash i sh was bot ns we an ot tv So aud thee_teo ahredh —jreult GL CHOKE. The search for new solutions, as here in the Eight-Metre class, has not produced a convincing ’ breakthrough even after more than sixty years of head-scratching. Johan Anker’s design of 1940 still impresses with its simple elegance. “Ganymede” is a modern design by Juliane Hempel of Germany for the English boatbuilder and Eight-Metre owner Peter Wilson, but it did not achieve the hoped-for breakthrough. In races Wilson frequently preferred to sail his old Classic “If,” for example at the Rolex Cup in Flensburg, where he normally competes against “Aun” (1940) and “Germania III” (1936). After the Twelve-Metres were eliminated from the America’s Cup, development in that R-class effectively came to a complete halt, despite “Australia’s” victory. On the American East Coast, several groups and institutions are now trying—decades later—to keep the remaining Twelve-Metres in operation and to arrange races between them, mainly through charter groups. These groups organize teams that race before spectators … … and promote competitive sailing. Thus the history of the Twelve-Metres remains alive in the American public consciousness as part of the nation’s maritime heritage. The two directions described above produced several new ideas for the A-Class. What have prominent designers done with them, and what are they doing today? “Sword,” by Graham Bantock, is a typical radio-controlled A-boat, now weighing about 15 kilograms thanks to carbon construction. A home builder could hardly achieve such a low weight with a planked wooden hull. But that does not seem to be the end of development: the older gentlemen who have to carry their “heavy” boats ten metres from the clubhouse to the water at Gosport would like even less exertion. Remember that “Peter Pim” weighs twice as much. Let us consider our preliminary findings from the development so far: Anyone assessing the success of the A-Class rule today will compare it with its model, the R-class yachts, and conclude that far more than two thousand boats have been built in ninety years. That is a success in itself. By comparison, statistics for the Six-Metre R-class show that 1,550 boats have been built since 1907; about 100 belong to the “Modern” category, and 135 Six-Metres still sail or race. The A-Class is now harder to survey because it has developed in two directions. The group of free-sailing boats, that is, model yachts steered by wind vane, continues to exist and grow. England’s “Vintage Group” has a considerable following … f Rob sailing an A-boat with a VC2-design vane at the Yachting Monthly Cup. Photograph: Malcolm McDonald. 87? Behind this stands a close-knit community which, in the A-Class, regards the British Championship and the Yachting Monthly Cup as the high points of each year. On this basis, the class has enjoyed a fairly continuous development. The Yachting Monthly Cup is now, because of the lack of international entries, a one-day knockout competition held within the British Championships. For Rob Walsh (red spinnaker in the foreground), the tactical question in the semifinal did not arise: he was eliminated. Why? Boat 88 had the choice of starting position and left his opponent the windward starting place on the beat. Boat 11 therefore had the choice of starting position on the next, downwind leg, and Rob’s decision was logical and correct. But the rival staked everything on one card: in the end he could lose only two points. The beat would decide the three important points. It pleased me that the spinnaker, set on the run, decided things in favour of the faster trim here. Despite today’s differing requirements, the RC and the successful older types of boat seem to be moving further apart rather than converging. The number of successful designers may, objectively, have diminished. At any rate, the commercial suppliers now make themselves heard much more strongly. In the past ninety years, the class has, in my view, undergone a development that modern methods of building have brought weight down into ranges surprisingly close to the class’s beginnings. Today’s weights have fallen even further. Such innovations keep the class young. Sailing as a whole has a positive public image; as an important leisure activity in society, financial obstacles to entry, in every category, are becoming less of a hindrance. Further surprises are possible, just as in the R-classes, to which we have for a time allowed our attention to drift. Consider the 5.5-metre R-class: it shows how a committed group of owners can guide healthy development along its own course. Innovations, measured in terms of measurement rules, have neither alarmed nor divided the class. The classics were not driven out; all three categories – classic, evolution and modern – start together but are scored separately. So where are the new designs tn our class today? The meticulous approach of designer Alain Marchand catches the eye. He recently drew a boat approximately 300 kilograms lighter than usual (1,700 rather than 2,000 kilograms), yet with a square metre more sail on the mast! 88 4 ; LOA 4 Bean 0 104 35m Dm Ceo ieeer 225.260ks Dep! ad Aves —\ – | | | | rs Who would have thought that new ideas in the other R-classes might come, especially, from the smallest class (also represented itn the Paralympics), the 2.4-metre R-class? Some call it the Mini-Twelve. There, sailing amateurs and boatbuilders, with their many experiments, set the tone – above all in \ Scandinavia. \ | \ \ \ | L FS Computer programs now assist the design process and shorten development time. For the amateur, building one of these small boats already takes more work than building an A-Class yacht, though still far less than professional yacht construction. The class has consequently become an ideal experimental field for sailors and technicians, many of whom work in garages. 89 Here we compare the sail areas of a modern Twelve-Metre yacht and an A-Class model yacht built at the same time. French Kiss, 12 FRA-7, was defeated by the American defender in the 1986 challenger trials. Designed by Marc Pajot and drawn by Marcel Briand, this 24-ton yacht carried a sail area of almost 200 square metres. The radio-controlled A-boat Catswhisker was designed by John Lewis in 1987 and proved itself in competition. Its sail area of 0.9925 square metres (1,536 square inches) seems small beside that of the Twelve-Metre yacht, but the boat was also a good 17 kilograms lighter. The future course was thus already apparent: weight would continue to fall. Savings would come not only by reducing overhangs but much more drastically through carbon-fibre construction, including all corners, ends and fittings. Every gram is now contested in the A-Class, just as it had been in the Marblehead class. i. Let us take a moment to consider the further course of this development. First, a parallel look at the present state of the R-classes may help. 90 Assessment of development so far. Over a Surprisingly long period – now more than a hundred years – the R-classes have contributed to successful international exchanges In racing. Within Europe and between the Old World and America, important international trophies have enlarged this competition; the Olympics did so too. First the Twelve-Metres, then the Eights, and later, after the Second World War, the Sixes and 5.5-Metres were the respected classes. More than 3,000 R-class yachts have been built in total, and about half still exist. Some, thanks to good care, are still racing after a century. Of the 170 Twelve-Metres built, approximately one hundred survive. The A-Class formula has likewise been an international success in model sailing, even after more than ninety years. Approximately 2,700 boats have been designed, built and sailed to this measurement rule. Some are over fifty years old, including such icons as Jill and Highlander. The biblical age of a hundred years is not beyond reach, at least for a display in a museum or a clubhouse. Clubs which have existed for a hundred years are themselves rare. Professional designers have paid remarkably little attention to the A-Class. It drew inspiration from the wider development of sailing. Innovations, such as the Bermudan rig, were adopted rapidly. In Scandinavia, by contrast, development in the R-classes was followed especially closely. In the course of time an independent approach emerged there, as designers recognized that ideas need not be copied blindly but might have to be adapted. Admiration for the sophisticated boats of our largest model-yacht class continues. Most model sailors today use smaller boats for many reasons (Ten Rater, Marblehead and IOM classes), but | do not fear for the A-Class’s future. Professional designers may still avoid this field, while commercial suppliers help its dissemination and further progress. Personally motivated contributions by designers such as Norlin and Howlett, who earn their living by designing yachts, reflect their own experience in model building and experiments with yacht models. 91 In my opinion the A-Class may yet reach its centenary. Perhaps it will fare as well as its larger brothers in the R-classes, which have fortunately passed that threshold. | should not conceal John Lewis’s view of present-day development. The number of his designs, including A-boats, by no means fell to zero towards the end of his drawing career, though he himself was surprised by how many more were produced. He published them in his Manual 1992-2002. Yet he noted that today’s ways of building such boats are quite different, as are the demands of those who want to sail them. For these reasons alone the A-Class may eventually be superseded. He also presented alternative possibilities in various drawings that might lead to this result. Only the future will show whether the model-sailing community moves in a direction in which John Lewis played a pioneering part. | hold the designer in high regard: for six decades, out of enjoyment of the creative process, he developed his own ideas, set them down on paper and brought them to people. The response only encouraged him further. It should not surprise us if perspectives in other countries are quite different. For that reason, let us finally look at Australia. Frank Russell has published a number of his designs on the internet. He pushes waterline length to just over 50 inches and combines it with weights of 13.1 to 13.6 kilograms. The lines remain harmonious. Above: Sidewinder. Below: Ufo. 92 Who Knows Both Sides of the Coin? Where Do Yachtsmen and Model Yachtsmen Meet? There are a few people worth mentioning who know both forms of sailing from firsthand experience. One is Sir William Burton, an English amateur who did not hesitate to take the helm of his friend Sir Thomas Lipton’s America’s Cup challenger in order to experience Waterloo in the United States. Burton was also elected president of the English model-yachting association, the MYA. Curiously, no A-boat heard of or measured in England can be found in the English register under his name. Coincidence? Did he sail only with his friends’ boats? In fact, it made little difference to him: every two years he had a new Twelve-Metre built by the designer who was especially fashionable at the time, because his boats were successful. “Jenetta” was Burton’s last Twelve before the outbreak of war. A replica of “Jenetta” was built in Flensburg and is sailing again in Germany and Denmark. 93 On an Equal Footing in R-Class Sailing The French yachtswoman Virginie Heriot likewise raced on equal terms with Burton, both at the helm and as an owner. Her schooner “Meteore”, formerly the German Kaiser’s yacht, served as accommodation and escort vessel at regattas. She successfully sailed her Eight-Metre “Aile” to an Olympic medal in 1928, and also loved the miles at sea. Model sailing was not popular in the circle in which she grew up; it simply did not suit her style. It was quite different in the Norwegian royal family: the princesses learned sailing in model yachts. They knew the national hero Sam Berge personally and valued him highly. As crowned heads, they naturally also made a name for themselves at the tiller or as crew aboard metre-class yachts, including at the Olympics. That was part of their way of life and entirely natural to a royal family close to its people. King Olav carries on the family tradition to this day. Here he sails the Eight-Metre “Sira”, a classic designed by Johan Anker in 1938, on Flensburg Fjord. Dennis Conner, my title-page hero, knows the heights and depths as few others do. He lost the America’s Cup in the United States and nevertheless brought it back from Australia. He has also loved and restored his Johan Anker classic “Cotton Blossom”, brought it to Europe, and enjoyed sailing with his family on the Mediterranean regatta circuit from Nice to St. Tropez. 94 Dennis Conner at the helm of his classic “Cotton Blossom”. fe ey 7. ~ctreuit CU the Loe tye oie Ne. Among English friends there are several protagonists who know both sides of the coin well as racing sailors. The best known is Dick Priest, who entrusted the dinghy and keelboat sailing, including Dragon-class sailing, to the next generation. Roger Stollery also learned to sail in his father’s Dragon. Among today’s model sailors are several more such people, including those from SVAOe Hamburg: Wilhelm Siemsen, Fritz Jacobsen, the Pollahn brothers, and the next folkboat sailor, Klaus Schroder. Looking Back — A View in the Rear-View Mirror What distinguishes the pioneers of model yachting from the R-class community? One might also ask: why were model-yacht designers so often closer to the newest ideas, and sometimes even knew much more about ongoing developments? Why do some still consider themselves at the forefront today, convinced of the future significance of ideas that are perhaps only their own lightly commercialized opinions? As a rule, they were also successful sailors and first-rate competitors. They observed their own boats and those of their rivals not only afloat. Their advantage was that outside the races they could examine boats closely. There were hardly any secrets that designers could keep to themselves. Competitors, spectators and sailors could scrutinize, draw or photograph each successful boat in detail. They argued over which craft looked good and worked well, or was merely successful, while more objective observers spoke up too. It was far harder to obtain exact information about successful R-class rivals. Owners’ underwater hulls could rarely be studied closely on land, so one generally depended on the press. Drawings appeared, but seldom in sufficient detail. Some designers, including Sparkman & Stephens, published only general lines as a matter of principle. Much remains concealed even in the Internet age, although photographs can reveal quite a lot to an informed observer. 95 Appendix 1 With the A-boat “Ibis” in 1992, John Lewis revisited the fundamental idea of “Revolution” two decades later. He gave the underwater hull a bulbous bow, intended to raise the bow wave slightly ahead of the hull. Overall the boat was longer and also lighter. Both qualities were demonstrated, but not where Lewis had hoped: in windy weather, not on the smooth water he preferred, as at Gosport. Sadly, success on Fleetwood’s choppy water did not follow. Chris Dicks’s acclaimed breakthrough with “Revolution” some twenty years before had also been achieved against a completely different fleet. The design was extreme, innovative, and successful in the conditions of the time, when the prevailing strong winds substantially favored it. — The crew of “Revolution” tries a smaller set of sails for strong winds. With “Ibis”, John Lewis brought together and refined his later ideas. At 3.5 Ib (1.6 kg) lighter than “Revolution”, “Ibis” nevertheless carried 60 square inches more sail. But this did not create a second revolution within the class, even without the competition’s constraints. It was also an expression of “Ibis” and her sister boats were built by John Gale, considhea By PBFRPPAEH Msc ORB Gilder of his era in England. Gale shared Lewis’s respect for the painstaking workmanship required to plank the complex shape of a hull of this kind. 96 Appendix 2: Sail Plans and Their Changes 1422 Preece F Late Lun tés 44608 fag? Ve Kove 97 Changing sail plans: As displacement increased, measured sail area decreased. Shaped sails and synthetic sailcloth entered the market, and in model yachts the area decreased even more rapidly. Figure 1. In 1922 the successful Six-Metre carried the rig shown. Johan Anker designed and built /rene Vfor Eugen Lund. The boat won that year’s Gold Cup, established by Finland in 1921. Anker also won the cup eight times. It became a major attraction for Americans as well. Today the boat races in the 5.5-Metre R-Class. The Marconi mast, then adopted universally, later became standard in the one-design class after the Second World War. The jib takes the place of a staysail. The proportions of jib to mainsail were much the same in model yachts of the period; see Figure 2. Figures 3 and 4. They show the next important change, introduced in 1933 by the use of a strongly overlapping genoa headsail. This gave the designer additional, unmeasured sail area. Figures 5 and 6. Stiffer cloth with hardened or smooth surfaces permitted better sail shapes. Linapol and Terylene were developed as coated insulating materials, not initially as sailcloth. Dacron cloth for sails was woven much more tightly and treated with heat and resin. On A-boats, sail area became less decisive in & W lighter winds. Moby Dick carried substantially less area than Jill. Figures 7 and 8. Radio control reversed the trend toward ever smaller sail areas on increasingly long waterlines. Sail area grew again, becoming comparable with that of A-boats of the early 1920s. The measured area of Sword (95), about 1.5 square metres, was actually larger still. Jibs with rounded leeches, unavailable in the early years, contributed to that area. Compare the impressive 90 centimetre foot of Crusader (No. 8) with the 58 centimetres of Sword. Nearly 90 years of A-Class development separate them. 98 Appendix 3 Arthur Levison Carries Forward Bill Daniels’s Legacy in Variations K-716 “Jill” — Daniels; 62 lb; 1,577 sq in sail; length 77.9 in; waterline 55 in; built 1954. K-780 “Jill 11’ — Daniels/Hill; 63 Ib; 1,570 sq in sail; length 80 in; waterline 55.5 in; built 1961. K-789 “Philippa” — Daniels/Levison; 58 Ib; 1,580 sq in sail; length 79.4 in; waterline 55 in; built 1962. G-125 “Hamburg” is a sister boat to Philippa, built in 1963 for Fritz Jacobsen. Joe Meir developed A-boat designs that not only preserved Bill Daniels’s legacy but advanced it and did credit to his work. The Saint, designed in 1963 for Dennis Lippett of Birmingham, was an exceptionally elegant variation of fill. 99 From this concept, Meir gradually moved toward greater displacement and length, retaining the trusted wing-like form of the frames. The colour scheme shown was transferred here from The Saint to Meir’s design Geronimo. Dennis Lippett built the boat for Eric Carter in 1972. It represents the final variation of the displacement designs in this series following Bill Daniels. How successful was the “Jill” family? Only late in his career did Arthur Levison, with David Parkinson as his crewman, win the British Championship at Gosport with Philippa. The sister boat Hamburg won the German Championship in Hamburg, sailed by the Pollahn brothers, because its owner Fritz Jacobsen, who organized and directed the regatta, could not sail it himself. Jill was denied a truly great triumph in England, although Arthur Levison raced it with particular success in the south. At Fleetwood there was a talented younger model yachtsman named David Wilkinson. Arthur had him build a sister ship ofJill, also using “bread-and-butter” laminated construction. Named Ayala, this boat was runner-up in two British Championships, losing to local rival Roy Gardner by just one point at Gosport in 1964. At Fleetwood in 1965, Ayala lost more decisively—by nine points—to the Pollahn brothers’ Moonshine. David incidentally signed our dinner menu at the awards ceremony. He omitted his name, but added the words “National Champion”! eer esey ame . 2 Ue The Wershiptal the Mayer of Fleetwoed’s Dimmer FLEETWOOD = fe et MODEL YACHT AND POWER CLUB BOAT Sail Plans of Crusader and Revolution 101 Identification: Which yachts and owners belong to these sail numbers? a e \} N-8 Prince Charming, Sam Berge, NOR B-35 Bingo Cat, Mep Hoorebeke, BEL D-22 Revanche, Kai lpsen, DEN D-55 Fascination, Kai losen, DEN F-31 Patricia, Horace Boussey, FRA G-118 Moonshine, Klaus and Rolf Pollahn, GER G-125 Hamburg IV, Fritz Jacobsen, GER G-138 Peter Pim, K. and R. Pollahn, GER U-203 Blue Chip, Bill Bithell, USA U-464 Ranger, Fred Pidgeon, Bithell, USA U-522 Magic, Frank and Jeannie Stout, USA K-11 Dayspring, William Arberry, GBR K-261 Anglian, Bill Daniels, GBR K-600 Shalimar, Walter Jones, GBR K-716 jill, Arthur Levison, GBR K-751 Highlander, Dick Priest, GBR K-789 Philippa, Arthur Levison, GBR K-939 Revolution, Chris Dicks, GBR K-921 Clockwork Orange, Roger P. Stollery, GBR K-1000 Sereia, Norman Hatfield, GBR GBR 95 — Personal sail number of Graham Bantock GBR 99 — Personal sail number of Derek Priestley 102 oo — er ow cache a ] { Tt __— ——— wre When, — — SF, Ss Cae seeesedepindases N . . . EGA TE eee. Oe 1. Bob Burton Jones 2. David Wilkinson 3. Pollaehn Brothers. 4. Harry Atkinson 6. Dennis Lippett 7. Arthur Levison 8.Ted Porter 9.Fritz Jacobsen 11. Ken Jones 103 5. Ken 10. Dick Priest