Henri Copponex

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Henri Copponex (born September 25, 1907 in Geneva , † June 9, 1970 ) was a Swiss naval architect , regatta sailor and bronze medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome .

Life

As a teenager, he was making ship models and testing them in the water. After studying engineering at the ETH Zurich , he became a ship architect and helmsman.

At the request of the Geneva Society for the Promotion of Yachting, Copponex designed the Moucheron in 1934 , then the Lacustre in 1938 . He also worked on plans for the Swedish ships 30 m2, 15 m2 SNS (Swiss National Series), and around thirty ships in the 5.5 m class (International Rule, IR), including the famous Ylliam X , Tam-Tam and Ballerina IV and V .

After the success of the Lacustre , he designed the Espadon , which in his eyes was a more successful version of the Lacustre . In 1951 he caused a stir again with the design of a catamaran . But Copponex wasn't just interested in racing boats. He also designed lifeboats (dinghies) for lifesaving societies, including Nyon , Saint-Prex , Morges and Le Bouveret . In 1969, Copponex designed his last boat, the Paladin .

Athletic career

During his sporting career, he won twelve national titles in the 6m class (IR), in the 15 m2 SNS and with the Lacustre . He also took part in numerous international regattas: 1928 in Cannes on a 6 m IR; in Genoa , where he won three times with the 5.5 m IR (1952, 1958, 1960) and he took part for Switzerland at the 1948 Summer Olympics in Torquay (7th place in 6 m IR); then at the 1952 Summer Olympics (Helsinki, 10th place in 5.5 m IR); at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome ( Naples ) he finally won a bronze medal in the 5.5 m IR Ballerina IV together with Manfred Metzger (yacht owner) and Pierre Girard . It was unusual that five of the participating boats had been designed by Copponex.

With this record, the “Prince of the Lake”, as a sports magazine used to call him, became a legend during his lifetime. With his talent and personality, Copponex influenced yachting in Geneva from the 1930s to the 1970s. He was also valued for his human qualities, simplicity, and restraint.

His untimely death in 1970 was a great loss. Every year the Société Nautique de Genève organizes the Copponex Memorial Regatta in his memory.

Association of Archives Henri Copponex

The Association of Archives Henri Copponex was founded in 2006. It is led by Françoise Copponex , the daughter of Henri Copponex, and has as members of the committee: Pierre Girard, a former team member (Vice-President), and Carinne Bertola , the curator of the Musée du Léman . The association strives to preserve Henri Copponex's legacy and organizes events to preserve his memory. To make his work accessible, the Association has started a project to digitize all existing plans (approx. 700).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Henri Copponex . Sports-reference.com. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  2. ^ SUI-037 in the 5.5mIC World Fleet Online Database, 5.5inventory.org.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Copponex, Henri
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss engineer and sailing enthusiast
DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Geneva , Switzerland
DATE OF DEATH June 9, 1970