8 meter class
| Notation | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Boat dimensions | |
| Length above : | approx. 14 m |
| Length WL : | 9.50 - 9.75 m |
| Width above sea level : | 2.45 m |
| Draft : | 2.00 m |
| Weight (ready to sail): | 8600-9200 kg |
| Weight (ballast, keel): | 6450-6900 kg |
| Sail area | |
| Sail area close to the wind : | 80 m² |
| Spinnaker : | 130 m² |
| other | |
| Rigging type: | Sloop |
| Class : | international Olympic 1908–1936 |
The international 8-meter class ( 8mR ) is a class of classic racing yachts . It is a construction class , so that the boats are not the same, but are designed by their respective yacht designer in such a way that they correspond to the international meter formula (measurement formula ). Their abbreviation eight goes back to the sailing symbol 8 , which leads the 8-meter class in the sail, just like the smaller 6-meter class six or the larger 12-meter class twelve .
Before the Second World War were eight most prestigious international yacht racing class, but today they are still sailed around the world. Eight meters in the class name does not refer to - maybe a little confusing - on the length of the boat, but on the result of the meter formula , racing value R ( English Rating ), in this class, therefore, R = 8 (8mR). 8-meter yachts are on average 14 meters long. Approximately 500 8mR yachts were built between 1907 and 2008, of which 177 boats have survived to this day. Many have been painstakingly restored.
The ideal sailing conditions for 8mR yachts are calm waters with winds up to force 5. They are sailed with a regatta crew of five, although they can be handled with a smaller crew . Most of the eights sailing today have a Bermuda rig with a mainsail and genoa . They sail on space sheet courses with a large spinnaker of 130 m².
history
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On June 12, 1906, the leading officials of the most influential European sailing associations agreed the International Rule in London . They agreed on the development of the Copenhagen pharmacist and amateur designer Alfred Benzon meters formula . During a second conference in Berlin that same year , the formula was supplemented with precise building regulations. As part of a third conference in Paris in October 1907 , uniform regatta and right-of-way rules for races were agreed and the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) was founded.
First Rule 1907
The First Rule was valid from January 1, 1908, initially for 10 years and described the first measurement formula in the meter class . This formula includes the values of ship length , ship width, water length , draft , freeboard and sail area . After inserting the appropriate values, the result is a fixed number, e.g. B. 8 . This yacht then has the racing value 8mR , or “eight” for short.
A typical 8mR yacht from 1912 displaces around 6,000 kg and has 120 m² of sail area on the wind . The hull is narrow and light and has long overhangs. The meter formula resulted in a waterline of 8 meters for an 8mR yacht. The measurement formula First Rule was exhausted by the yacht designers, because the boat length and boat width were weighted equally. If you reduced the width, you could add the difference to the length. By varying the circumference of the hull, sail area could be gained, factors that made a yacht faster. In the first eight years, over 140 yachts in the 8-meter class were built. In the Norwegian club Kongelig Norsk Seilforening (KNS) in Oslo alone there was a fleet of 120 meter yachts, most of which came from Johan Anker .
The 8-meter class was the mean boat size determined by the meter rule; she was first selected as an Olympic class at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. She retained her status as an Olympic class until the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin .
Second Rule 1919
Positive technical developments came from Norway, where Johan Anker did pioneering work for the Marconirigg . The previously usual steep gaff rigging should quickly disappear, because Anker recognized early on that this new type of high rigging was so efficient that he could replace the usual cutter rigging with a divided headsail area with the slupt rigging with a single headsail. The control of the tall and thinner masts was the next design challenge. The hull shapes had stabilized on narrow, overrated boats, a far cry from the original intention of the First Rule .
Forums were held as early as 1914 to find solutions for the future of the meter formula . Before anything was decided, however, priorities changed in the course of the First World War . Between 1917 and 1919, the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) worked to refine the formula in order to get more balanced yachts. This led to the most radical change in the history of the meter formula, as the ship's width was removed from the formula and replaced by at least one foot per meter. A rather unique combination of the metric and imperial measurement systems as the minimum width for an 8 meter yacht was an 8 foot width, a 12 foot width for a 12 meter yacht, and so on. Also, an increased sail area has now been added to the formula punished much more severely.
Since the rule was still young and only a few boats had been rebuilt afterwards, the participants in the 1920 Olympic Games off Antwerp competed in two groups, the old and the new standard boat (8-meter class type 1907 and type 1919).
The development in the first four years was again hectic with ideas that were partly taken to extremes. The 1924 Olympic Games off Le Havre showed the first balanced 8mR yachts Bera by Johan Anker (gold medal), Emily by William Fife (silver medal) and BlueRed by Charles Nicholson (5th place). Boat shapes continued to evolve, with an emphasis more on boat length and less on sail area, and the trend was towards the shapes of the famous L'Aile VI and Hollandia , which performed as the best boats in the 1928 Olympics .
Yacht designers now sought their advantage at the extremities of the hulls when boats were stretched to gain sail area. In 1927 the overlapping genoa was introduced, whereby the unmeasured, i.e. free foresail area behind the mast was fully utilized. The rule was good and produced extraordinarily beautiful boats and enjoyed great popularity. Johan Ankers Silja and William Fifes Saskia are the best examples of how this has been done by designing boats with more width to give more dimensional stability .
In 1928, North America finally accepted the Second Rule for the small classes; H. 6mR, 8mR and 12mR, while Europe adopted the universal J-class rule for the largest of all classes. Despite the great success of the Second Rule , it was felt that improvements to the formula were possible that would be realized after the formula expired in 1933.
Third Rule 1933
The IYRU simplified the measurement formula in 1933 and changed the rule that still applies today. As a result, Third Rule boats became more seaworthy, while the good Second Rule boats remained competitive in light to moderate conditions. The Second Rule boats have less righting moment; that is, they lay on their side faster when there is more wind, but they also generally have less wetted surface. In light to moderate conditions, they can keep up well with the other yachts. The top second rule yachts like Silja and Vision remained fully competitive under almost all conditions. The only thing that never really changed over the years was the cost. 8mR yachts remained inaccessible for most sailors and at the top performance level it was often the game of the rich and famous. Today (as of 2021) a new 8mR yacht costs around 300,000 euros plus 30,000 GBP for the sailing wardrobe.
The post-war years
After World War II, the money available was spent on rebuilding Europe and the heavy 8mR yachts became an incredibly expensive boat. A new generation of boats emerged, much lighter and with proportionally less sail area. Somehow the "eights" survived, no new boats were built, but the old ones turned out to be great for club racing. In Scotland , a large fleet was actively sailed on the River Clyde , and the Scandinavian, French, and North American and Canadian fleets of the Great Lakes also continued to operate, although most of them did not have adequate budgets for boat upkeep and racing had. Discontinued regatta ships were often given a cabin and turned into cruising yachts. The larger meter classes such as the 8mR class are particularly suitable for this.
Eugene van Voorhis was the first to build a new 8mR yacht Iroquois in 1967 , designed by Olin Stephens . She was supposed to start at Canada's Cup , but it didn't happen due to a change in the rules. Van Voorhis decided to sell his other 8mR yacht, the Iskareen , and to send her to Scotland. That became one of the most important turning points in the history of the 8-meter class. One night, Eugene van Voorhis challenged the Scots to a race at the Royal Northern Yacht Club (RNYC) , supported by a generous flow of whiskey . It wasn't meant to be a normal regatta, but a battle between the old and the new world. The race of the 8mR World Cup was born .
International class
Meanwhile, Joni Hertell, Eugene van Voorhis and Robin Clark took over the project for the 8mR class to regain their international status within the IYRU. The class rules have been updated, an inventory of the fleets carried out and a strong lobby established in London.
New 8mR constructions
The victories of Eugene van Voorhis and his Iroquois enlivened the 8mR class and new modern "eights" were commissioned. Per Wermelin from Sweden ordered a new “eight” named Mr. E. , supported by the telecommunications company Ericsson (design: Pelle Petterson ). Wermelin soon sold it to Ron Palm and immediately commissioned the next "eight" called Dolphin (now Yquem ), also designed by Pelle Petterson. Claes Henningson had the "eight" Golden Feather designed by Peter Norlin , he was more experimental, accepted a freeboard penalty and proved to be a real light flyer. In Canada , Elwin Catheart commissioned the “eight” Octavia (design: Bruce Kirby), while Gaston Schmaltz had Gaulois built in France , designed by Jacques Fauroux .
The last Iroquois victory in Norwegian waters brought the 8mR World Cup to North America. In 1984 Octavia won the trophy for the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) and brought it to Canada. History repeated itself, as the new Octavia was built as a scaled-down version based on the shapes of the 12-meter class in the America's Cup . The shape of the hull and keel of Australia II , which won the 25th America's Cup in 1983 , showed the direction in which the 8mR class was developing. And so a new era of the 8mR class emerged and in the following years new modern eights were built, including designs by Jacques Fauroux, Ed Dubois and Pelle Petterson.
The Gaulois eight by Gaston Schmaltz (design: Jacques Fauroux) triggered another series of new, modern aluminum eights . The Rothschild family has a long tradition of sailing 8mR yachts. As early as 1924, this famous family of bankers and winegrowers sailed the “Eights” with great success. Following the tradition of his family, Baron Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild commissioned the second "eighth" Gitana Sixty from Fauroux as a present for his 60th birthday and immediately won the 1986 World Cup in Cannes .
In 1988, Professor Sigfrid Svensson from Sweden had the “Achter” Gefion built, based on the Bruce Farr design of the 12mR yacht Kiwi Magic from the America's Cup. Philip Crebbin, a British America's Cup professional, had persuaded Svensson to hire Ed Dubois to construct a winner for the 1988 World Cup in Sweden. Philip Crebbin was hired as a project engineer and skipper . The Gefion proved unbeatable and won the World Cup. The Gefion continued its victorious tour on both sides of the Atlantic and won another six world championships, a record that still stands today. In 1989 and 1990, Ed Dubois designed two more eights, the Sarissa and The Natural , which won the world championship.
Since the start of the 8mR class in 1907, Lloyd's Register of Shipping in London has been overseeing the rules, regulations and cornerstones for the construction and classification of 8mR yachts. The modern aluminum boats in the 8mR class initially did not meet Lloyd's requirements. The controversy reached a dramatic climax when Jacques Mazet won the 1994 World Cup in Cannes and Lafayette and Sigfrid Svensson filed a successful technical protest for non-compliance with Lloyd's. Lafayette had sailed an excellent series against Gefion on the water, but the outcome of the protest and the subsequent appeal to the IYRU meant that Jacques Mazet was unable to take the trophy home. The result was that the 8mR class not only lost Lafayette but all aluminum boats if the matter could not be resolved. It was not until 1998 that all boats were put back into class through the intermediary of the International Eight Meter Association .
The nineteenth edition of the 8mR World Championship in 1998 in the Société Nautique de Genève was a turning point in the 8mR class. All aluminum “eights” took part again. 28 boats had registered, including the brand new modern Spazzo , which had been designed by the young German yacht designer Juliane Hempel. Your Spazzo was built at Josef Martin's shipyard on the shores of Lake Constance . He used the finest cold-formed mahogany and the best available materials in the tradition of first-class German yacht building. When building a new 8mR yacht, its potential only becomes apparent after its first regatta series. The Spazzo was defeated by some of the older modern "eights" due to insufficient preparation, but the new building inspired the 8mR class and initiated the next generation of modern "eights".
Gaston Schmalz asked his close friend Jacques Fauroux to design the Fleur de Lys yacht . The result was a departure from the typical U-shaped frames. Fleur de Lys had a mild V-shaped frame to the front. The yacht was very fast and beat the 38 strong fleet off Helsinki in every race. The Fleur de Lys repeated their performance at the World Championships in La Trinité-sur-Mer , but by then they had competition again. Yquem owned by Jean Fabre was completely rebuilt with a new keel designed by Van Oosanen in Holland, and Lafayette owned by Jos Fruytier and Aluette owned by Peter Groh had built a new winged keel designed by Ian Howlett under the boats, which had proven to be very quick. Next, Jos Fruytier was accompanied by Ruud van Hilst and together they commissioned Doug Peterson & Ian Howlett to design their new boat to defend the World Cup. The result was Hollandia . She was the first boat that was as fast as Fleur de Lys . In her first season she won the European Championship in Flensburg and the World Championship in Toronto . In Toronto, the regatta was dominated by Fleur and Hollandia and ended in a draw on the water and a protest in the final race that decided the championships in Hollandia's favor .
Aun came into the class for the 2005 European Championships . She is a brand new classic 8mR yacht built to the original design by Johan Anker in 1940. Owner Yutaka Kobayashi from Japan couldn't find a good classic 8mR yacht on the market and decided to build from scratch. The Absolut Restorations shipyard in Portugal built its Aun from classic mahogany on steam-bent oak frames. In order to avoid controversy, the use of epoxy resin was banned from the project and adhered to the Lloyd's rules from 1924-1949 in all respects. With Tokiko Kobayashi at the tiller , the "Neptune Trophy" could be won in Flensburg.
For the 2005 World Cup in Toronto, Pleione , a brand new kind of “eight”, was released. Bruce and Leanne Dyson had the vision and the courage to build this new modern classic. Above the waterline it is a classic, underwater it is modern in every way with a keel, spade rudder , trim tab and wing keel . Pleione was designed by Jim Taylor and starts in the modern boat class.
8mR fleet in 2020
| Nations with the most boats in this class | Number of active boats |
|---|---|
| Germany | 24 |
| France | 14th |
| Canada | 17th |
| Finland | 10 |
| Norway | 7th |
Today's 8mR class division
There are four different classes for the "aft":
- Class Vintage (First Rule): yachts with gaff rig, built before 1920
- Class Neptune (First Rule): all yachts and all rig parts are in their original condition and were built before 1970 (wooden masts, classic, white Dacron sails, no aids such as self-locking winches etc. are allowed)
- Class SIRA (designed and built before 1960): modern carbon sails, aluminum masts etc. are allowed
- Class modern: new buildings after 1960, some with wing keel
In the eight regattas, all historical classes are always started together. The starting fields for large regattas are between 30 and 40 boats.
International regatta events of the 8mR class
8mR World Cup
The "8mR World Cup" ( German World Cup ), donated by Eugene van Voorhis at the Royal Northern Yacht Club (RNYC), should be a challenge trophy and will possibly once held in at least three participating nations. In 1970, six 8mR yachts competed on the River Clyde to win the trophy. It was attended by Silja , Christina (ex and now again Ilderim ) Iskareen , Severn , Turid (ex Froya ) and If , with the Johan Anker designed Silja , the Scotsman Dr. Weir belonged, won the first World Cup and Eugene van Voorhis took a close second place. Both yachts were sold to Scandinavia and at later world championships one always had to expect these yachts to be among the front runners.
1975 was the next world championship in Sandhamn and again it was Silja who took first place. In 1978 Iskareen won the World Cup at Nyländska Jaktklubben (NJK) in Helsinki. She was the last classic 8mR champion to ever win the world championship.
In 1982 van Voorhis started his 14-year-old yacht Iroquois at the World Championships in Sweden . He drove Iroquois himself and won the world championship for his Rochester Yacht Club (RYC). The following year the World Championship was hosted by Kongelig Norsk Seilforening (KNS) and Iroquois successfully defended the World Cup again.
Once a year the International Eight Meter Association (IEMA) organizes the international World Cup of the "eighth". Four years of sailing in Europe, every fifth year in America, where the class is also well represented.
Neptune Trophy
The "Neptune Trophy" was on June 21, 1890 by James Coats jun. donated and presented to the Royal Northern Yacht Club (RNYC) as a winner's trophy for the large handicap yachts during Clyde Week. The sterling silver trophy engraved in the "Royal Northern Yacht Club Corinthian Regatta June 21, 1890" was first won by the Yacht May owned by WJ Chrystal. After the Second World War, the trophy was known as the "8-Meter Points Trophy" which was sailed out during Clyde Week at the Royal Northern Regatta .
The last international 8mR yacht to win the Neptune Trophy on the Clyde was Iskareen , owned by Eric Maxwell, and sailed by Gilmour Manuel during Clyde Week 1974. In January 2005 the Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club donated the Neptune Trophy new as a permanent challenge cup for the vintage yachts of the International 8mR class. With the trophy, the Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club had secured the future of 8mR yachts that sail in the style of bygone days.
Sira Cup
Of great importance for the 8mR class was the participation of King Olav V (Norway) with his 8mR yacht Sira in the world championship off Hankø in Norway . As honorary president of the IEMA, King Olav V realized that the new eights in the regatta field no longer matched the old boats. In 1983 he founded the Sira Cup , which was advertised for 8mR yachts that were designed and built before 1960. The cup is to be played at the same time as the World Cup. This trophy secured the interest of the classic "eighth" to take part in the world championship. The Sira Cup is still very much alive and today has greatly contributed to the strength of the class.
Canada's Cup
The " Canada's Cup " is a silver trophy that was donated in the winter of 1895/96 and first held in 1896 for the winner of a match race series between a yacht representing a Canadian yacht club and one representing a US American club , both located on the Great Lakes .
From 1930 to 1954 the races were held with 8mR yachts. Until 2001, the Cup races were a test of the ability of the challenger ( English challenger ) and the defense ( English defender to design), a yacht according to the applicable measurement standards and to build and sail this yacht to victory. Since 2001 Cup challenges in yachts are one-design Farr 40 sailed so far in the competition today focuses on sailing skill and tactics. In 2016 the 8mR yachts returned.
In 2018, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) committed to a schedule of three competitions in 2020, 2022 and 2024 to be sailed in Melges IC37 class yachts.
Generations Cup
The Generations Cup was donated by 8mR Frøya and handed over to the Yacht Club Langenargen on Lake Constance . The winner of the 8mR class receives the trophy according to the highest point system in the four classes Modern, Sira, Neptune or First Rule according to the IEMA class rules. The cup should take place at the same time as the World Cup if possible.
Coppa d'Italia
The "Coppa d'Italia" ( German Cup of Italy ) is a prize for the most powerful European 8mR yacht. The cup is Italian national treasure and was made in 1898. The "Coppa d 'Italia" belongs to the Italiano Yacht Club and was donated in 1908 by King Umberto of Italy for the 8mR class. All yachts with a valid measurement certificate are eligible for this trophy.
8mR yachts
- Germania II , 1934, owner: Gustav Krupp von Bohlen and Halbach
- Germania III , 1935, owner: Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, bronze medal Olympic Games 1936 off Kiel
- Germania IV , 1939, owner: Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
8mR yacht designers
-
Bjarne Aas , Norway
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Johan Anker , Norway
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Starling Burgess , United States
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Francois Camatte , France
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Clinton Crane , United States
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Ed Dubois , United Kingdom
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Gustaf Estlander , Finland
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Jacques Fauroux , France
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William Fife III. , Scotland
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Tore Holm , Sweden
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Ian Howlett , United States
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Alfred Mylne , Scotland
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Charles E. Nicholson , United Kingdom
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Peter Norlin , Sweden
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Max Oertz , Germany
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Frank Paine , United States
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Doug Peterson , United States
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Pelle Petterson , Sweden
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Juliane Hempel , Germany
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Henry Rasmussen , Germany
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Birger Slotte , Finland
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Olin Stephens , United States
See also
Web links
- International Eight Meter Association (IEMA )
- World Sailing: INTERNATIONAL 8 METER CLASS ASSOCIATION (English)
- top magazin Bodensee: Portrait of the 8mR class
- Yacht Sport Museum : International mR classes with links to ship registers, photos and yacht portraits
Individual evidence
- ^ Klaus Kramer: International mR classes. In: yachtsportmuseum.de. Retrieved March 13, 2021 .
- ↑ John Lammerts van Bueren: THE INTERNATIONAL RULE - 100 YEARS OF 8-METRES. International Eight Meter Association (IEMA), 2007, accessed March 3, 2021 .
- ↑ 2020 Annual Report, International 8 Meter Class Association. In: World Sailing. March 1, 2021, accessed March 9, 2021 .
- ↑ see: Canada's Cup
- ↑ 2020 Annual Report, International 8 Meter Class Association. In: World Sailing. March 1, 2021, accessed March 9, 2021 .
- ↑ 8mR World Cup. International Eight Meter Association (IEMA), accessed March 3, 2021 .
- ^ The Neptune Trophy. International Eight Meter Association (IEMA), accessed March 3, 2021 .
- ^ The Sira Cup. International Eight Meter Association (IEMA), accessed March 3, 2021 .
- ↑ Annals of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Vol. 3, No. III, 1955-2000, ISBN 1-895244-01-3 (v.3), pp. 379-416 (English)
- ↑ RCYC launches new Canada's Cup program. In: Canadian Yachting. December 14, 2017, accessed March 9, 2021 .
- ↑ Generations Cup. International Eight Meter Association (IEMA), accessed March 3, 2021 .
- ↑ Coppa d'Italia. International Eight Meter Association (IEMA), accessed March 3, 2021 .