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December 5, 2022

A brief history of the famous “12 metre” class yachts.

The 12 Metre Class is a gorgeous showpiece on the regatta courses, both an ultimate cruising machine and an inshore prestige sled. Like capricious horses, the “12 Metres” have concise, beautifully short names. They are called “Anita”, “Anitra”, “ Cintra “, “Evaine”, “Flica”, “Heti”, “Sphinx”, “Thea”, “ Trivia “, “Vanity” or “Vim”. They are elegant, slender, and about 20 meters long. With their 30 tons of combat weight, they are true regatta warhorses. One should have sailing skills in order to compete with these bolides in fresh winds on the regatta course. Today, as the progressive sailing scene takes to the skies, kiting, surfing, and low-drag hydrofoiling across the water with ultra-light, high-tech bullets, the lead-heavy long keels seem more old-fashioned than ever. About a hundred of the 170 built still exist, see a list here . The most beautiful 12 Metres, the scene agrees, are the classic long-keeled ships of the thirties. But there are also lovers of modern designs, who is enthusiastic about Philippe Briand’s 1985 design “ French Kiss ” and sail it in the Mediterranean.

Historic Yachts

There is even a shipyard specializing in 12 Metres classes. At Robbe & Berking Classics, a completely new 12-Metre will soon be completed according to plans by Johan Anker from 1939, known as No. 434 . The Flensburg shipyard also has the Australian “ Gretel ” from 1962 and the recently restored English “ Jenetta ” from 1939.

Fascination 12mR

There are three reasons for the fascination for a „12 Metre” or “12mR”: a historical one, an aesthetic one and, most importantly, the sailing one. The nimbus derives from its function as a former America’s Cup class. Sailing history was written with the „12 metre” from 1958 off Newport to 1987 off Fremantle, Australia. The best yacht designers, boat and mast builders, hardware manufacturers, sailmakers, savvy sailors and shrewd tacticians competed in the class back then.

Elegant Beauties

The boats, especially the long-keeled examples of the thirties are elegant. You can look at them for a long time, from the massive stem to the stern that is lifted apart from the water.

And they are true thoroughbreds. It is an addictive pleasure to sail them. There is no other type of boat that takes to the wind with comparable frenzy and is similarly unyielding through the water. With nearly 30 tons and about 15 tons of lead under the bottom cheeks, the twelve-footer has a lot of power. Hardly any other class is built closer to the water and offers

But let’s tell the story from the beginning

America’s Cup contenders between 1958 and 1987 – the 12 Metre Class

Following a twenty-one-year hiatus, the America’s Cup resumed in 1958 with a new class of boats, the 12-Metre Class. Smaller in size, easier to crew, and more manageable on a race course, these 60 to 70-foot sloops were an improvement over the previous 135-foot America’s Cup racing class, the “J” boats. Like the “J” boats, the “12 Metre” class was designed according to a formula. In other words, “12 Metre” Class yachts can have a wide range of sail area, length, and speed production aspects. All “12 Metre” yachts are measured using the following mathematical formula:

This formula inputs the speed-producing factors: (length (L), sail area (Sa), freeboard (F), and girth measurement (2D). Yachts that meet this formula must not exceed 12 metres in length. Other restrictions on the design measurements of “12-Metre” racing yachts are in place to prevent one design from being vastly superior to another and to ensure a fair and competitive racing environment. In order to ensure that “12 metre” racing yachts do not differ too much, maximum and minimum mast heights, drafts, beams, and headsails are used.

International Rules

“12 Metre” yachts are probably the most fascinating racing yachts ever built. With their beauty and size, along with their America’s Cup history, they have attracted and intrigued yachtsmen since they were first launched. Powered by their massive sail areas, these 30 tons racing beauties reach speeds as high as twelve knots. They have main sails that are approximately 1200 square feet in size and jibs that range from 500 square feet to over 1200 square feet in size, with a height that cannot exceed 75 percent of the mast. Until 1958, “12 Metre” yachts were not raced in the America’s Cup. Nevertheless, the six, eight, and twelve metre rules date back over five decades. The International Rules for metre class boats were developed in 1906 by William Froude and the Royal Yachting Association in England. The “12 Metre” boats had significant racing success prior to their America’s Cup debut and were used in the 1908, 1912, and 1920 Olympic games.

The America’s Cup, the oldest Trophy

American yachtsmen first took up the 12 Metre Class in 1928 when they ordered six nearly identical boats from Starling Burgess, the renowned boat designer. It was in 1939 that American 12 Metre racing was elevated to a new level when Harold Vanderbilt, an accomplished America’s Cup sailor, “J” boat skipper, and the winner of the 1930, 1934, and 1937 America’s Cup, brought his new 12 Metre, the “Vim” (12 Metre US-15), to England for a race against the Royal Yacht Squadron. The Royal Yacht Squadron was in awe of “Vim” after she won 21 of 27 races against British 12 Metres while in England. From 1958 until 1958, “Vim” remained the standard by which all other 12 Metre yachts were measured until “Columbia” (12 Metre US-16) defeated her in the tie-breaking race of the America’s Cup defense trials by only 12 seconds. It would be the design standard for America’s Cup racing yachts until 1987, when it was retired.

The Auld Mug

“12 metres” were designed with one thing in mind – to win America’s Cup races. The design of their products reflects this in every aspect. America’s Cup twelves didn’t have room for an engine, anything below decks, or even a toilet when they were campaigning. The deck layouts of America’s Cup twelves are set up for optimal sail performance as well as for speed. When racing, the sails are the engine of the boat, so trimming them correctly and quickly was crucial to winning. America’s Cup “12 Metre” crews were also trained for efficiency. When it was their turn to compete in the famous America’s Cup, they had intensive training and practice to be flawless at sail handling and the best yacht racers in the world.

Despite their demise, America’s Cup “12 Metre” boats remain one of the most prestigious racing classes in the America’s Cup history. Many twelves have gone on to have successful ocean racing careers after their America’s Cup adventures. The largest fleet of “12 metre” boats in the world resides in Newport, Rhode Island, where over 50 years of America’s Cup racing have taken place.

During the summer months of August and October, many of these classic racers attend numerous sailing events on the French Riviera . Noblesse Yachts is the only company that offers sailing opportunities as well as yacht charters.

Come sail with us on a piece of America’s Cup racing history on these sleek racing beauties!

Available Dates are: 07.09. – 10.09.23: Vele d’Epoca di Imperia ( See Video here ) 13.09. – 16.09.23: Monaco Classic Week ( See Video here ) 19.09. – 25.09.23: Les Regates Royales de Cannes ( See Video here ) 24.09. – 08.10.23: Les Voiles de Saint Tropez ( See Video here )

Note about copyright: This text is copyrighted by us and you may copy and use it only with a link to our website along with a clear indication of our authorship. Thank you!

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The 12m Class and the America’s Cup By Halsey C. Herreshoff

Credit: www.herreshoff.org

The 150-year history of the America’s Cup, the oldest and most distinguished prize in world sport, is summarized from the author’s vantage point of belonging to a family of boat designers and builders who contributed to the dominance of American yachts from the beginning into the 1980s. Particulars and performances of the most important designs are described from AMERICA to the current International America’s Cup Class.

Introduction

The America’s Cup is the Holy Grail of yacht racing. It is much more. This Cup, in competition for a period of 150 years, is the oldest and most distinguished trophy in all sport, outdating the World Cup, Davis Cup, Stanley Cup, Walker Cup, and all others of significance. Excepting the lavish excesses of big time modern professional sport, more talent, effort, and money have been devoted to the America’s Cup than for any other sport competitions. From the standpoint of naval architecture, America’s Cup intensity has inspired countless design breakthroughs, fallout from which benefit all yachts today to an extent generally unrealized by those who sail. Here, a highly focused pursuit of excellence has provided quality, boldness, and dedication to be the best. The most elegant hull lines, most efficient construction, best sails, and most skillful sailing techniques have evolved from America’s Cup competition.

For 132 years (1851 to 1983), the United States enjoyed the longest winning streak in all sport. There were close calls but always the U.S. won the series and most of the individual races. Through that time, American yachts were generally, though not always, the fastest; thus, it may be fairly stated that victories followed very much from technical prowess.

As with any ship design, a sailing yacht embodies many necessary elements, which must dovetail to accomplish its mission. What is nice about America’s Cup design is that the only mission is speed, maneuverability and reliability to best a single match race rival around a closed course. Size, weight, wetted surface, hull form, light but strong construction, efficient rigs with good sails, sea kindliness and maneuverability are necessary. In general the successful boats embody acceptable or superior selections in the above categories. Bold innovation has been rewarded, but nearly always, extremes have failed. In a series of yacht races encompassing generally a variety of wind and sea conditions, an overall good boat wins.

It is appropriate to divide America’s Cup history into seven logical chronological divisions. The outstanding or most interesting yacht of each period will be addressed herewith. Listed below are the America’s Cup competitions by era with the names of the winning and defeated yachts respectively. In each case the focus yacht is in boldface type.

The l2-Metre era: 1958-1987

Following World War II, the conventional wisdom on both sides of the Atlantic was that the America’s Cup was done. The world was rebuilding and there seemed little prospect of funding further J boats given their assumed greatly accelerated cost. The Cup itself remained the pride of the New York Yacht Club, continually on display in the trophy room of the 44th Street Club House. Most of us expected it to just remain there for a long time, perhaps never to be raced for again.

Enter Commodores Henry Sears and Henry Morgan of the New York Yacht Club. By petitioning the Supreme Court of the State of New York, they modified the Deed of Gift to allow smaller yachts without the previous demand that challengers must cross the ocean on their own bottoms. It was agreed to compete in the International 12-Metre Class, which had provided excellent racing for several years before the war. Designed to the rather tight specifications of the International Rule, these boats did not really fit the grand traditions of the Cup but nevertheless provided nearly three decades of some of the finest match racing ever.

1958-1987: The 12-Metres 1958 COLUMBIA vs. SCEPTRE 1962 WEATHERLY vs. GRETEL 1964 CONSTELLATION vs. SOVEREIGN 1967 INTREPID vs. DAME PATTIE 1970 INTREPID vs. GRETEL II 1974 COURAGEOUS vs. SOUTHERN CROSS 1977 COURAGEOUS vs. AUSTRALIA 1980 FREEDOM vs. AUSTRALIA 1983 AUSTRALIA II vs. LIBERTY 1987 STARS & STRIPES vs. KOOKABURRA III

I can write more knowledgeably about the 12-Metre era than any other, as I was an active participant for 25 years and an observer for the full 29 years. Through acquaintance with Harry Sears, I was excused from other duties as a naval officer to sail aboard COLUMBIA, the 1958 Cup Defender, as bowman. Sailing aboard the 12’s in most of their seasons, I participated in four America’s Cup series, a total of 20 races; it was all about the greatest fun I’ve ever had.

The International Rule is an inelegant arbitrary formula that controls and restricts the design of these boats within narrow limits. There is a minimum length, maximum draft, maximum rig heights, and a set relation between length and displacement. Scantlings first in wood and later in aluminum are tightly controlled by specifics of the rule, Nevertheless, innovation in design particularly by Olin Stephens brought about nearly continual improvement of the boats, and the design edge of the United States long seemed to assure retention of the Cup as it did over many matches through 1980.

Curiously, some of the finest racing of all was in the finals of the first selection trials between COLUMBIA, sailed by Briggs Cunningham and designed by Sparkman & Stephens against Stephens prewar 12-Metre VIM. These were great tactical battles with racing margins of a few seconds in many races. The Cup race itself that year was a walk; SCEPTRE was a quite inferior design that had never faced competition before the match. As had happened a few times before, WEATHERLY, a weak American boat, won in 1962 by the brilliance of Bus Mobacher, her skipper. That was the first year of an Australian challenger and GRETEL won a race demonstrating the aggressive posture of Australian sailors.

Another S&S yacht, CONSTELLATION won in 1964. She was a quite elegant all-round boat, which was selected as Cup Defender over the large and powerful AMERICAN EAGLE, which was only superior in heavy weather. This should have been a tip off to the future but the true significance of having to design the smallest possible 12-Metre for Newport conditions was not generally appreciated until Australia II lifted the Cup in 1983. The reason 12-Metres form an exception to the axiom “design big” is the idiosyncrasy of the rule, particularly the prescription of increased displacement with length.

Olin Stephens’ INTREPID of 1967 was a breakthrough yacht. Wetted surface was drastically reduced with a shorter keel and separate rudder and the boat had numerous refinements. With outstanding management and the skill of Mosbacher again as skipper, INTREPID was unbeatable. The quest for further breakthroughs led to some peculiar and unsuccessful designs over the next two seasons.

The 1970 match was saved by repeat defense of INTREPID. In 1974, Olin Stephens designed another very fine boat, COURAGEOUS. Built of aluminum under new scantling rules, COURAGEOUS was powerful and superior in a breeze but did not easily defeat INTREPID, striving for a third defense. The selection trials reduced to a memorable sudden-death race in a 30-knot northeast breeze that COURAGEOUS won through both superior speed and better sailing. While I personally believe that Stephens’s 1977 boat, ENTERPRISE, was a further improvement in the same direction, Ted Turner sailing COURAGEOUS beat her out for the defense. Though not of demonstrably different dimensions, FREEDOM of 1980 seemed very superior. One difference was lower freeboard – providing a lower center of gravity and less hull windage. The new ingredient was a brilliant program of development of sails, gear and crew established by skipper Dennis Conner over a two-year program. The success of the program altered America’s Cup procedures from then on. Even with that, FREEDOM did lose one of the races of the match principally owing to a light-air advantage of Australia employing a rule-beating mainsail that gave her superior windward speed in light air.

Then, in 1983, the unthinkable happened in Newport when AUSTRALIA II beat LIBERTY in “The Race of the Century,” the sudden-death seventh race of that match. AUSTRALIA II was the best 12-Metre yacht to sail in the 25-year history of competition at Newport. Her extraordinary and controversial winged keel was, of course, the conspicuous feature. The ballyhoo about that masked the significant facts that AUSTRALIA II was the first boat to go to minimum 12-Metre length and displacement and that she had significantly less wetted surface than any other Twelve; this latter fact won the Cup! Less wetted surface followed naturally from a smaller boat but also from a keel of radically small planform. Where that had failed 13 years earlier in VALIANT with a conventional keel, it succeeded in spades on AUSTRALIA II because the winged keel provided sufficient hydrodynamic lift (side force) without the conventional large area. Because 12’s have draft limited by a function of length, they crave more draft or the equivalent effect. The lift-enhancing action of the “end plate” wings provided that very effectively.

While the racing ended at Newport in 1983 with the victory by the wonderful AUSTRALIA II, the subsequent events are equally interesting. Dennis Conner took charge again and with a brilliantly conceived and executed plan won back the Cup the first time sailing Twelves in the challenging waters of western Australia. The final STARS & STRIPES was a one-weather boat, big and powerful for the consistent “Doctor” (strong winds) of Freemantle. Others did not have the strength of their convictions to go with such a big and powerful boat. Dennis’s crew and tactics were admirable in this most wonderful challenge at a spectacular sailing locale.

The one-weather quality of STARS & STRIPES was abundantly clear from her total failure to win light-weather 12-Metre races in European waters later in 1987. An AUSTRALIA II type boat was needed there or would have been for continued 12-Metre races in Newport or San Diego.

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Reminiscing “Freedom”: a 12 Metre Classic

• By Herb McCormick
• January 2, 2024

Forty years ago this past September, in the waters of Rhode Island Sound just off the coastal city of Newport, a crew of Aussies shocked the sailing world. The 12 Metre Australia II defeated the American boat Liberty to win the 1983 America’s Cup and bring the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year defense of the Auld Mug to a conclusion. It’s safe to say the Cup, and my hometown of Newport, have never been the same.

I spent a lot of time on the sound that summer taking in the action, so when I signed up to volunteer on a marshal boat for the latest edition of the 12 Metre World Championship regatta in August, I found myself on the very same waters, which turned into a pretty nostalgic voyage down a nautical memory lane. But the graceful Twelve I couldn’t take my eyes off wasn’t the winner of the Modern Division, Challenge XII , or even the victor of the Traditional/Vintage Division, Columbia . Nope, I was more or less transfixed on the runner-up to Challenge XII , a striking-blue yacht called Freedom . Of all the entries in the 10-boat fleet, to me, Freedom was easily the most historic and memorable.

Three years before the Australians absconded with the Cup, in 1980, with the estimable Dennis Conner in command, Freedom won the contest in dominant fashion, and it seemed like the New York Yacht Club’s winning streak would go on forever. It was designed by the legendary naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens, which had drawn the lines of every Cup winner but one since 1936. Conner was back on the helm in the losing effort in ’83, but he would find redemption, winning the Cup back for the United States in Western Australia in 1987. But for S&S, Freedom marked the end of an illustrious era. The firm would never again create a Cup winner.

For the 12 Metre Worlds, ironically enough, the navigator aboard Freedom was a lanky old Aussie mate of mine called Grant Simmer, who’d served in the same capacity aboard Australia II for his country’s winning effort way back when. With the exception of the gray hair, he looked exactly the same.

This time, however, Simmer couldn’t work his magic. Unlike the America’s Cup, where boats compete in one-on-one match racing, the World Championship event is fleet racing, with everyone out on the track at the same time. It’s a different game. And Challenge XII had a ringer of its own: the president of North Sails, Ken Read, also a longtime America’s Cup veteran. As far as I was concerned, Freedom was easily the prettiest of all the Modern yachts. When push came to shove, though, it was no longer the fastest.

Today’s America’s Cup competition, conducted on closed-course race tracks in skittish foiling catamarans—about as far removed as possible from a stately 12 Metre racing in the open ocean—bears little resemblance to what the event looked like in the early 1980s. And Newport has undergone a radical makeover as well. The shipyards where the Cup boats used to reside between races have been replaced by condos and hotels, and the only real remaining trace of the America’s Cup is the boulevard of the same name. It’s a reminder that the only true constant in life is change.

But for a few afternoons last August, I could shut my eyes for a moment of reminiscence and open them up to see what I can only describe as a fleeting image of a bygone time. Freedom may be a footnote in the history of yacht racing, but the big, beautiful blue boat still looks powerful and fantastic all the same.

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Enterprise: Is this restored 12 Metre the best yacht to never contest the America’s Cup?

• November 19, 2019

Enterprise is a 1977 S&S-designed 12 Metre, originally built to defend the America’s Cup, and fully restored in time for this year’s 12 Metre World Championships in Rhode Island. Dave Powlison reports

Among the 21 elegant Twelves lining the docks at Rhode Island’s Fort Adams for this summer’s 12 Metre World Championship, sat a yacht that for many was a huge disappointment. Enterprise , built for the 1977 America’s Cup , had everything going for her, but never got the invitation to the Cup she seemed destined to receive. Today, she’s arguably the best set-up 12 Metre in the world.

Designed by Olin Stephens and David Pedrick at Sparkman & Stephens, and built of aluminium at the Minneford Yacht Yard, Enterprise boasted a number of firsts. She was the first design to be tank-tested on a large scale, with a handful of models measuring roughly 7m each, in tanks designed for the aerospace and military industries.

Results from those tests suggested that over a typical 24-mile America’s Cup course in an average 10-knot wind, Enterprise would be a minute faster than her rivals.  Enterprise was also the first yacht to pioneer laminate sails, using plastic films to stabilise the more conventional Dacron. Her sails included the ‘garbage bag’, a light airs genoa that (in colour, at least) suggested its moniker.

Enterprise posted two race wins in the 2019 12 Metre World Championships. Photo: Ian Roman

The 1977 Challenger matches were a rematch of the 1974 Courageous v Intrepid rivalry between upstart west coaster Lowell North and eastern establishment sailor Ted Hood.

At North’s right hand was sailmaking wunderkind John Marshall, who would be a dominant presence in Cup competitions for years to come. Many of Enterprise ’s crew had cut their 12 Metre teeth on Intrepid ’s successful 1970 Cup defence. In fact, Intrepid was brought out of retirement and trucked to San Diego to spar with the new design.

Yet it was Courageous , a 1974 design, that secured the spot to defend the Cup ( Courageous successfully saw off Alan Bond’s Australia in the Cup match). So what went wrong for Enterprise ? Anyone who knows the boat well won’t hesitate to respond. “ Enterprise had a foretriangle dimension that was about three feet shorter than what was conventional,” Marshall explained to me recently.

Enterprise hull is now painted battleship grey – the original colour was white

Most 12s have a 24ft foretriangle, give or take a bit. Enterprise ’s was 21ft. “Computer predictions that evaluated flow over surfaces suggested this would give us an edge,” Marshall recalled. But when it came to tacking, getting the stiff headsails quickly across was a challenge, as there was now 3ft more sail that had to pass around the front of the mast.

“The jib didn’t fill quite as quickly, and we didn’t accelerate quite as quickly coming out of tacks,” Marshall adds. In the early challenger races, Enterprise performed well. But as the summer progressed, Courageous got distinctly better. “Once the difference got down to being pretty small, and the boats were always close together, tacking performance became much more important.”

Consider that it wasn’t unheard of for 12 Metres to do over 50 tacks on a four-mile beat, and it’s clear why the writing was on the wall.

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Back to her best

Fast-forward to 2019 and Enterprise is back in fighting form. After stints in the Med she had been donated to the US Merchant Marine Academy Sailing Foundation.

With the impetus of the forthcoming 2019 Worlds in Newport, a major refit was begun in earnest. Tommy Rich, from New England Boatworks, which carried out the refit, recalls: “The boat had been bastardised. They had put a flush deck on it and a bogus interior, and it was basically in a state of disrepair.”

The refit was done over roughly two years, and in that time virtually everything on the boat was upgraded or replaced, except the hull and framework.

The hull structure is one of the few parts of the boat that remains original

Rich explains: “S&S, along with David Pedrick, designed a new keel. The boat got a more modern spade rudder to replace the old, barn-door type, and a more modern deck. That included new cockpits and a spinnaker pole trough – basically all the working deck – as well as a new chainplate structure.”

The boat received a new rig: an aluminium mast, as per the class rules, but with carbon used everywhere else, as well as all-new Harken hydraulics. And, of course, the ‘J’ foretriangle dimension is at 24ft once again.

For this level of investment in time and money, there was just one goal: to win the World Championship. Enterprise was chartered by Clay Deutsch for the summer, but the race started even before she had hit the water. “The challenge for us has been the calendar,” says Deutsch. “We didn’t have the boat in a position to go sailing until the end of May. And it’s pretty humbling how long it takes to get these boats dialed in.”

Double wheels: outer one for steering; inner one for trim tab control

Nevertheless, her pedigree showed quickly. In her first competition in Newport this summer, Enterprise posted a pair of 1sts in the two final races. In the 2019 World Championship in Newport she finished a solid 2nd overall in the Modern Division to the more seasoned Challenge XII .

For Deutsch, the 12 Metre seed was planted long ago. “When I was a kid, while other kids had baseball and football cards, I had an Intrepid scrapbook, and I have always fantasised about 12 Metres. Then, out of the blue this past winter, North Sails’ Mike Toppa came to me with, ‘What about Enterprise ?’ It was the furthest thing from my mind, and I just figured we wouldn’t be there.”

But Deutsch was persuaded, and work shifted into a frenzied pitch at New England Boatworks. “I remember when I first looked at it, and it was in a million pieces, and I said: ‘I’m not a professional, but my amateur opinion is that this boat has no chance of being ready.’

Asymmetric foredeck hatches – the port hatch has a roller on the aft side for spinnaker take downs

“But Ben Quatromoni, the project manager, and his team jumped on it, working around the clock, and we made it to the starting line.” Today Enterprise ’s decks today are remarkably spartan for a 12 Metre: it’s 1977 meets 2019 technology, with lots of carbon. “The boat setup is complicated,” says Quatromoni, “but it’s very user-friendly.”

The port foredeck hatch has a roller on the aft side, TP52 -style, for the string take down spinnaker system. Once around the roller, the chute is pulled through a Dacron tube that runs to the stern. With the grinders working in unison, the sail disappears in five seconds.

Control lines run through custom-made carbon ‘trumpets’, allowing them move effortlessly out of sight. Carbon reels take up the halyards. These are ratchet system reels, where one control line spins the reel, bringing the halyard in, and another control line releases it. Unlike those reels, the spinnaker take-down reel is powered off the pedestals.

The spinnaker take down bag; the spinnaker comes down through the forward deck hatch and is pulled through this long Dacron bag

The aluminium cockpit has been lowered to get the grinders down and allow the boom to just avoid grazing the deck when fully sheeted in. But the boom is low. “Man, is it crowded,” says Deutsch. “I can barely fit under the boom – when we’re tacking, I’m literally down on all fours.”

The port and starboard jib trimmer pits have hydraulic controls for the jib tack and jib leads, which is standard for the Twelves. As on most 12 Metres, below decks is anything but simple.

The 150ft of mainsheet runs from the traveller car up into the boom, forward to the gooseneck, below deck, then aft to a turning block where it goes up into the mainsheet pod. Rather than using a winch for the traveller, the car is controlled by a Harken magic wheel below decks, with a 17:1 purchase.

With so many hydraulic systems, continual pumping is required to keep them pressurised, and the aft cockpit pedestal is set up to run a rotary pump, mounted below, for that purpose. For trimmers, there’s no downtime. Once they’ve finished trimming, it’s back to pumping to keep the hydraulics powered up.

The workmanship on many of the systems is truly extraordinary. The turning blocks for the spinnaker sheet and guy are so inconspicuous as to be barely noticeable. The traveller control line looks as if it has been simply laid on deck.  Enterprise ’s original white hull is now battleship grey. Coupled with black spars, the effect is stunning.

Specification

LOA: 20.15m (66ft 1in) LWL : 13.41m (44ft 0in) Beam: 3.78m   ( 12ft 5in) Draught: 3.78m   ( 12ft 5in) Displacement: 25.7 tonnes Sail area: 168m 2  (1,808ft 2 ) Design: Sparkman & Stephens Year: 1977 Builder: Minneford Yacht Yard, Inc.

About the author

Dave Powlison has been writing about sailing since the late 1970s and is currently an editor-at-large for Sailing World magazine. When not writing, he races Etchells and an RS Aeros in Vermont, USA.

First published in the November 2019 edition of Yachting World.

Sailing into History with 12 Metre Worlds

A sailor perches on the foredeck of a 12 Metre–class yacht, ignoring the deafening din of flapping sails and fluttering rigging that engulfs him. The bowman wedges himself onto the forwardmost portion of the deck, craning his neck over the bow as his eyes sweep left to right and back again. He calls out the distance to the start line, the information conveyed to the cockpit by the rest of the crew, who dangle their legs over the rail as they angle for speed.

The tactician and bowman, wristwatches synchronized, look for the best lane amid the other boats, who are all searching for the same advantage. Too early, and there will be a penalty to pay. Too late, and the rest of the fleet will leave them in their wake.

The bow smacks into a wave, drenching the bowman, but he doesn’t flinch. The yacht picks up speed, crossing the starting line right as the gun goes off. It’s a clean start.

Now the real work of the race can begin.

Racing 12 Metre yachts is not necessarily new — the class of boats was first introduced in 1907 and has since been regarded in the sailing community as one of the most beautiful, tactically-challenging classic racing fleets in the world. But their return to Newport for the 12 Metre World Championship July 8–13 will be the largest gathering of 12 Metre yachts in U.S. history, and the second largest in the world, ever.

“I think it will be a spectacular experience of classic, famous boats all on the water at the same time,” says Jack Curtin, owner of Intrepid, one of the 12 Metres racing in Newport this summer.

12 Metre yachts are a class (or species) of boat designed by some of the sailing world’s most prestigious naval designers, including Olin Stephens, Clinton Crane, William Fife III, Philip Rhodes, Johan Anker and Ben Lexcen. The vessels range from 65 to 75 feet in length, and exactly 180 “12s” have been built worldwide — 120 from wood, 57 from aluminum and three from fiberglass.

The 12 Metre class has always been internationally renowned, and the yachts raced in the Olympic Games in 1908, 1912 and 1920, in the America’s Cup in Newport from 1958 to 1983, and in the America’s Cup in Australia in 1987. They have a continued history in Newport, where many are available for private charter, and a number of local residents and New York Yacht Club members own the boats privately. The 12s have enjoyed revivals since the 1990s, Curtin says, but now, thanks to the efforts of many class members and organizers, it’s seeing one of the largest resurgences in recent history.

In most of their regattas, 12s are divided into different racing divisions, based on a number of factors including age, building materials, and a rating that determines a yacht’s maximum speed capabilities. The 12 Metre Worlds in Newport will feature five divisions with at least 23 yachts. They will sail against each other in smaller races, and will participate in a number of events on and off the water as a full class.

Over time, many of the older yachts have needed massive restoration, including Curtin’s Intrepid, which he bought and rescued after she ran aground off of Nantucket in 1994. Following the initial two-year project, which Curtin calls “a labor of love or insanity, I’m not sure which,” Intrepid was back on the water. Subsequent restorations were required — including a massive amount of repairs after she was hit by the Oliver Hazard Perry in 2017. Today, the crew of Intrepid includes Curtin and a number of friends who can count their years on the water in decades, as well as sons and daughters of friends and famous sailors from Curtin’s long career. Notably, Intrepid is one of only a handful of yachts in the upcoming 12-Metre Worlds sailed entirely by amateurs. “No hired guns aboard,” says Curtin. “It’s a family experience we wouldn’t trade for anything.”

The crew of Intrepid includes trimmer Reggie Pierce – who sailed in the America’s Cup twice on two different 12 Metres, winning in 1974 aboard Courageous — and his son, Travis, who will be on the bow. Tom O’Brien (who sailed with the elder Pierce in both Cups) will trim, while his son, Ian, will man the cockpit. Each vessel sails with about 15 sailors; they’re complex and tactical yachts that require all hands on deck (literally) to sail to their best potential.

Gary Jobson, who will serve in the Worlds as tactician aboard Courageous, has an America’s Cup and Olympic pedigree almost too extensive to list. Most notably for the 12s, Jobson has been integral in keeping the class and regattas alive, and applied particular effort in bringing the 12s to Newport along with Peter Gerard, the vice president of the American fleet, and other primary organizers.

Jobson’s resume includes three appearances in the America’s Cup, but he is also known worldwide for his commentary on ESPN and other networks for subsequent America’s Cup races, as well as the Olympics. Jobson is one of the most iconic voices in sailing, both on and off the water, and his role as tactician on Courageous will have him guiding a 12 Metre crew once more.

“The intellectual challenge of being out there is amazing,” Jobson explains. “You have large, heavy boats and they’re very tactical — they take a ton of planning and thinking on the race course. You have to work hard to outwit your competition. Sometimes it’s random — you can never really know what the wind is going to do, but you do the best you can.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of the spectacle —seeing them come off the start line, all in a line going downwind, very close in speed,” Jobson continues. “It’s cool to see all sorts of boats racing — even the J-22s that race on weeknights in the harbor — but to get so many boats in a 65–70-foot range racing together is simply spectacular.”

The 12 Metre class participates in a number of “waypoint” events in Newport during the summer, although the Worlds will be the largest gathering by far. The New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta in mid-June, the Ida Lewis Yacht Club 12 Metre Trophy Regatta at the end of June, and the Newport Regatta the first week of July all offer an excellent opportunity for Jobson, Curtin and the rest of the fleet’s sailors to get up to speed, strategize amongst the competition, and practice their maneuvers in hopes of taking home the top prize at the World Championship in mid-July.

“In addition to being as beautiful and significant as ever, the fleet is the fastest it has ever been,” says Curtin. “Every boat that’s racing is in better shape than when it first sailed decades ago.

“These boats really have stood the test of time,” he adds. “There’s no such thing as a bad-looking 12 Metre … and they’re a heck of a lot of fun to sail.

How to Watch Newport’s 12 Metre Worlds will be a sight to behold for fans of classic yachts and for those who are new to the sport. From July 8 to 13 , most of the fleet will dock at Fort Adams when not racing — at the same docks where the Volvo Ocean Race fleet berths when it’s in town — so that the public can observe the ships up close. Racing ends around 4 p.m. each day. On Saturday, July 13, fans can cheer on their favorite teams during the 12 Metre Parade, when each of the participating yachts will pass by each of the downtown wharves on the eastern side of the harbor (including Bannister’s Wharf and Bowen’s Wharf) before heading out for their final races. Fort Adams, Castle Hill and Beavertail are excellent vantage points to watch the 12 Metres head out to the race course. With binoculars, spectators can also expect to see some of the racing from Brenton Point.

The NYHSF 12 Meter Program

Click here for the 2022 12 Meter Heritage Regatta

The New York Harbor Sailing Foundation’s  12 Meter Program  is an invitation to a select group of sailing enthusiasts to help support and preserve two America’s Cup 12 Meters. These yachts are important pieces of American yachting history.

The 12 Meter class has inspired many generations of sailors. They are iconic and majestic yachts which personify the beauty of sailing.  12 Meters are the pinnacle of American yachting tradition.

12 Meters & the America’s Cup

In 1907, the International Rule (also known as the Meter Rule) was established by the new International Yacht Racing Union to coordinate international racing. This rule led to the development of the many classes and the most popular were the 15 Meter, 12 Meter, 8 Meter and 6 Meter. 12 Meters were used in the Olympics from 1908 to 1920 and over the years, more than 300 yachts have been built under the 12 Meter rule.

In 1958, the 12 Meter class was selected to revive the America’s Cup Races. This catapulted the 12 Meter class into the limelight and they became the most iconic and famous yachts in American history.

12 Meters raced for the America’s Cup from 1958 to 1987. The names of yachts like Intrepid, Courageous, Australia II and Stars & Stripes helped define these generations.

12 Meters in the America’s Cup Finals, 1958 to 1983

When Australia won the America’s Cup in 1983, many tears were shed. But in fact, this loss would lead to the greatest America’s Cup in history, and the peak of the 12 Meter class. Here comes 1987 and one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

1987 & the Greatest Year of the America’s Cup

America II (US 46) Comes to NY Harbor

On the 20 th Anniversary of the Manhattan Yacht Club in 2007, a group of visionary Members responded to the Commodore’s suggestion to commemorate the occasion by doing something special – acquiring a 12 Meter. This is how US 46 came to New York harbor. Read more about this story .

Acquisition of the Second 12 Meter

Frequently in life, the most interesting opportunities arrive at the most inopportune times. In 2015, the opportunity arrived to acquire a second 12 Meter, US 46’s sistership. The Foundation decided to “Go For It.”  Read more about this story. 

What our program is trying to accomplish:

The main goal of the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation’s 12 Meter Program is: to be a good caretaker of these important pieces of American yachting history.

This means raising enough money to properly restore, maintain and preserve these 12 Meters. This also means building an endowment so the 12 Meters continue to inspire after we are gone. And finally, this means sailing these iconic 12 Meters so they inspire and engage more people.

We accomplish these goals by inviting people who care about sailing and historic preservation to join our 12 Meter Syndicate  “ Syndicate Member ” and make annual donations to support this program. In addition to donations made by Syndicate Members, the Foundation generates revenue by selling tickets to paying passengers and offering private charters. Our main annual fundraiser is the 12 Meter Dinner before the Sailors Ball in April.

How You Can Get Involved

If you are a sailing enthusiast and would like to help with the restoration and preservation of these iconic 12 Meters, please consider this an invitation to join the effort. This is a rare opportunity to be part of something historically significant and special.

CLICK HERE to Join the NYHSF 12 Meter Syndicate

You do not have to be an experienced sailor to support this mission of historic preservation. If you are a novice sailor or just a sailing enthusiast, this is an opportunity to get more involved in the world of sailing.

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