Sparkman & Stephens

The firm Sparkman & Stephens, Inc. ( S & S ) was 1929 in New York City by two brothers, Olin Stephens and Roderick Stephens , together with Drake Sparkman founded. The object of the company was and is the construction of yachts , the trade in yachts and their insurance.

founder

Olin Stephens was responsible for the drafts and the design , Rod Stephens worked as an engineer and sailing tester and Drake Sparkman brought his expertise as a yacht and insurance broker to the company. S&S has been based at 79 Madison Avenue in New York since it was founded .

Rod Stephens died in 1995. Olin Stephens died in September 2008. He has not been active in the company in recent years. He has been replaced by Bill Langan, who had worked for the company as chief engineer and designer for years.

Company development

The company was founded under a bad star, because it coincided with the beginning of the global economic crisis . Angry about this bad start, Olin and Rod Stephens' father defiantly ordered a new yacht called the Dorade . This risk paid off, because the new yacht immediately won the highly regarded transatlantic race in 1931. This regatta victory was the business breakthrough for the young company Sparkman & Stephens.

Olin and Rod Stephans knew how to create a congenial connection between racing yacht and cruising yacht and thus make sailing more popular and accessible to a broader class.

Since its inception, S&S has designed more than 2,600 boats, not only for recreational use, but also for commercial and, during the war, military use. The international fame of the company brought her the internationally extremely successful regatta yachts.

A special focus was the development of the 12 class (12mR) which dominated the America's Cup for years , as well as various designs for the Admiral's Cup and large maxi yachts that were used for long-distance regattas around the world.

From the very beginning, the Finnish yacht builder Nautor's Swan has relied on the Sparkman & Stephens design office, as their uncompromising lines and perfect interior design promised lasting success. The Swan yachts embodied this concept from the start, even if the yacht designer German Frers (a former S&S employee) has been responsible for the design since 1980 .

Today the company Sparkman & Stephens is divided into two departments (divisions): yacht construction and design and on the other hand yacht trading, yacht charter and yacht insurance.

Selection of well-known yachts

Dorade , designed in 1930, ( length 15.85 meters)
Anitra
Circe
Santana
Stormy Weather, 1934, (Lüa 16.40 meters)
New York 32, 1935, (Lüa 14.72 meters)
Lightning class, 1938, (length 5.80 meters)
Onaire III, 1940 (Lüa 18.60 meters, 61.10 feet), shipyard: Herreshoff
Bolero, 1946, (Lüa 22.48 meters)
Blue Jay Class, 1947, (4.12 meters long)
Encore
Sariyah
Yankee girl
Finisterre, 1954, (Lüa 11.73 meters)
Impala, 1954, (length 17.31 meters), shipyard: Abeking & Rasmussen (A&R)
Palawan, 1958, (Lüa 16.61 meters), shipyard: Abeking & Rasmussen
Clarion of Wight, (loa 43 feet ), overall winner of the Fastnet Race 1963
Capricia, (Lüa 73 feet), First Ship Home Fastnet Race 1963
Germania VI , 1963, (Lüa 22.19 meters)
Tiziana, 1963, (Lüa 35,29), shipyard: Abeking & Rasmussen
Tenacious, 1971, (Lüa 18.73 meters), owner: Ted Turner , overall winner of the Fastnet Race 1979
Flyer, (Lüa 65 feet), winner of the second Whitbread Round the World Race 1977/78
Brilliant, (Lüa 61 feet)
Queen Nefertiti (motor yacht)
Christine, (Lüa 109 feet)
Rubin IV, (Lüa 14.94 m), shipyard Burmester-Bremen, was part of the victorious Admirals Cup team in 1973, then owner HO Schümann