6 Metre

Class symbol
Class symbol
French Mac Miche – gold medalist at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm
Development
Year1907 (rule design)
DesignDevelopment class

The International Six Metre class is a class of classic racing yachts. Sixes are a construction class, meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in this case International rule. At their heyday, Sixes were the most important international yacht racing class, and they are still raced around the world. "Six metre" in class name does not, somewhat confusingly, refer to length of the boat, but product of the formula; 6mR boats are, on average, 10–11 metres long.

History

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Danish Nurdug II. Silver medalist at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.

The International rule was set up in 1907 to replace numerous handicap systems which were often local, or at best national, and often also fairly simple, producing extreme boats which were fast but lightly constructed and impractical. The Six Metre class was not the smallest rating established under the rule, but was nonetheless the most popular, and they were chosen as an Olympic class in 1908. However, it was not until revision of the Rule in 1920 when the Sixes really became a popular international racing class. The 1920s and '30s were 'golden age' of the International Rule boats and Sixes were still the most popular class, attracting top sailors and designers to compete for prestigious trophies such as Scandinavian Gold Cup and Olympic medals.

Alexander Robertson & Sons produced a total of five Six Metre yachts between 1921 and 1953. In 1937 their young naval architect David Boyd designed the sleek Six Metre racing yacht Circe, which was described by many as the most successful racing yacht produced at the yard. Mr J. Herbert Thom, one of the Clyde's best helmsmen sailed the yacht with tremendous success in America in 1938 and brought back the Seawanhaka Cup, which was successfully defended in home waters the following year. In later years Circe represented Russia in the 1952 Summer Olympics.

However, Six Metres were criticized as having become too expensive and towards the end of the 1930s they became more so, making the class too exclusive. Under what is known as the Second International rule (1920–33) the yachts had gone from being less than 9.1 metres (30 ft) in overall length to being almost 12 metres (40 ft). By 1929, the 5 Metre class was becoming more popular as a cheaper and smaller alternative for Sixes, but the final blow was creation of the International 5.5 Metre class in 1949. The 5.5 Metres soon replaced the Six Metres as the premier international racing class, and after the 1952 Helsinki Olympics Sixes were dropped from Olympic regattas. The Gold Cup was also transferred to the 5.5 m class from 1953 onwards.

Despite this, the class continued to exist, and new boats were made utilising the newest contemporary technologies, although sparingly. During the 1980s, many old sailboat classes experienced revival of interest and Sixes were at the forefront of this development. The Class has undergone a renaissance which has continued to this day, with many old yachts restored or rebuilt to racing condition. Six Metre competition is thriving once again with active fleets in Europe, North America and Scandinavia. Performance differences between classic and modern era Sixes are usually small and they can be raced together.

In 2019 the International Six Metre Association launched an online archive website, allowing researchers around the world to access historical information about the class.

Events

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Olympics

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1908 London
details
 Great Britain
Gilbert Laws
Thomas McMeekin
Charles Crichton
 Belgium
Léon Huybrechts
Louis Huybrechts
Henri Weewauters
 France
Henri Arthus
Louis Potheau
Pierre Rabot
1912 Stockholm
details
 France
Gaston Thubé
Amédée Thubé
Jacques Thubé
 Denmark
Hans Meulengracht-Madsen
Steen Herschend
Sven Thomsen
 Sweden
Eric Sandberg
Otto Aust
Harald Sandberg
1920 Antwerp
1907 rule
details
 Belgium
Émile Cornellie
Frédéric Bruynseels
Florimond Cornellie
 Norway
Einar Torgersen
Leif Erichsen
Andreas Knudsen
 Norway
Henrik Agersborg
Einar Berntsen
Trygve Pedersen
1920 Antwerp
1919 rule
details
 Norway
Andreas Brecke
Paal Kaasen
Ingolf Rød
 Belgium
Léon Huybrechts
Charles Van Den Bussche
John Klotz
no further competitors
1924 Paris
details
 Norway
Anders Lundgren
Christopher Dahl
Eugen Lunde
 Denmark
Vilhelm Vett
Knud Degn
Christian Nielsen
 Netherlands
Johan Carp
Anthonij Guépin
Jan Vreede
1928 Amsterdam
details
 Norway
Johan Anker
Erik Anker
Håkon Bryhn
Crown Prince Olav
 Denmark
Vilhelm Vett
Aage Høy-Petersen
Niels Otto Møller
Peter Schlütter
 Estonia
Nikolai Vekšin
Andreas Faehlmann
Georg Faehlmann
Eberhard Vogdt
William von Wirén
1932 Los Angeles
details
 Sweden
Tore Holm
Olle Åkerlund
Åke Bergqvist
Martin Hindorff
 United States
Robert Carlson
Temple Ashbrook
Frederic Conant
Emmett Davis
Donald Douglas
Charles Smith
 Canada
Philip Rogers
Gardner Boultbee
Ken Glass
Jerry Wilson
1936 Berlin
details
 Great Britain
Christopher Boardman
Miles Bellville
Russell Harmer
Charles Leaf
Leonard Martin
 Norway
Magnus Konow
Karsten Konow
Fredrik Meyer
Vaadjuv Nyqvist
Alf Tveten
 Sweden
Sven Salén
Lennart Ekdahl
Martin Hindorff
Torsten Lord
Dagmar Salén
1948 London
details
 United States
Herman Whiton
Alfred Loomis
Michael Mooney
James Smith
James Weekes
 Argentina
Enrique Sieburger, Sr.
Emilio Homps
Rodolfo Rivademar
Rufino Rodríguez de la Torre
Enrique Sieburger, Jr.
Julio Sieburger
 Sweden
Tore Holm
Carl Robert Ameln
Martin Hindorff
Torsten Lord
Gösta Salén
1952 Helsinki
details
 United States
Herman Whiton
Everard Endt
John Morgan
Eric Ridder
Julian Roosevelt
Emelyn Whiton
 Norway
Finn Ferner
Tor Arneberg
Johan Ferner
Erik Heiberg
Carl Mortensen
 Finland
Ernst Westerlund
Ragnar Jansson
Jonas Konto
Rolf Turkka
Paul Sjöberg

World Cup

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Gold Silver Bronze Ref.
1973
Seattle USA
20 Boats
US100 - St Francis V
 Tom Blackaller (USA)
KA8 - Pacemaker
 David Forbes (AUS)
US87 - May Be VII
 Sunny Vynne (USA)
1975
Sandhamn
35 Boats
S75 - May Be X
 Patric Fredell (SWE)
KA7 - Toogooloowoo V US101 - Poisson Soluble
1977
Marstrand
19 Boats
S91 - Irene
 Pelle Pettersson (SWE)
S88 - May Be XI
 Patric Fredell (SWE)
US111 - Razzle Dazzle
 Scott Rohrer (USA)
1979
Seattle
25 Boats
S97 - Irene
 Pelle Pettersson (SWE)
US100 - St Francis V
 Tom Blackaller (USA)
US115 - Warhorse
 Brian Wertheimer (USA)
1981
Lake Constance
Boats
no wind
1983
Newport Harbor
15 Boats[1]
S104/US117 - Irene/California I
 Pelle Pettersson (SWE)
US116 - Chinook
 Carl Buchan (USA)
US118 - St Francis VIII
 Paul Cayard (USA)
1985
Cannes FRA
39 Boats
Z77 - Junior
 Philippe Dürr (SUI)
US120 - St Francis IX
 Tom Blackaller (USA)
N85 - Filippa
 Thomas Lundqvist (SWE)
1987
Oyster Bay
23 Boats
K86 - Scoundrel
 Bruce Owen (GBR)
S114 - Notorious
 Jörgen Sundelin (SWE)
S112 - J Cool
 Peter Norlin (SWE)
1989
Marstrand SWE
37 Boats
US120 - St Francis IX US120
 John Kostecki (USA)
S125 - Kratos
Pettersson
S118 - Sexa Nova
Johansson
1991 Torquay SWE
Leif Carlsson
1993
Cannes FRA
24 Boats
ITA 74 - Nivola

 Flavio Favini (ITA)
 Toni Bassani (ITA)

SWE 115 - May Be XIV
 Patric Fredell (SWE)
Woodoo SWE122

 Leif Carlsson (SWE)
 Erntemark Carlsson (SWE)

1995
Sandhamn
25 Boats
S 114 - NOTORIOUS
 Carl-Gustav Piehl (SWE)
S 116 - INDISPENSABLE
 Jacob Wallenberg (SWE)
S 123 - STING
 Thomas Lundqvist (SWE)
1997
Cannes
22 Boats
GBR - Scoundrel

 Bruce Owen (GBR)
 Jonathan Howe (GBR)
 Rob Lipsett (GBR)
 Jonny Smallridge (GBR)
 Guy Barron (GBR)

SWE - Sophie Too

 Mats Johansson (SWE)

SWE - May Be XIV

 Patric Fredell (SWE)

1999 Modern
Hanko
13 Boats
SUI 77 - Fleau

 Bernard Haissly (SUI)
 Nicolas Berthoud (SUI)
 Christophe Megavand (SUI)
 Jean Michel Pachoud (SUI)
Gerald Bechard

SWE / FIN 115 - May Be XIV

 Tom Jungell (FIN)
 Henrik Lundberg (FIN)
 Jari Bremer (FIN)
Mikael Blom
Abe Kaakinen

GER 104 - Courage VII

 Dietrich Grünau (GER)
Albert Batzill
Eddy Eich
Hannes Brochier
Albert Diesch

1999 Classic
Hanko
32 Boats
FIN 50 - Alibaba II

 Henrik TENSTRÖM (FIN)
 Nappe MOLANDER (FIN)
 John BLÄSSAR (FIN)
 Timo LAURILA (FIN)
 Kristian RÄME (FIN)

FIN 38 - Mariana

 Antero KAIRAMO (FIN)
 Rabbe KIHLMAN (FIN)
 Eero KAIRAMO (FIN)
 Jaakko KAIRAMO (FIN)

FIN 44 - Toy

 Eero LEHTINEN (FIN)
 Magnus BÄCKSTRÖM (FIN)
 Kenneth PERÄNEN (FIN)
 Jari JÄRVI (FIN)
 Jarmo HALONEN (FIN)

2003 Modern
St.-Tropez FRA
20 Boats
SWE114 - NOTORIOUS
 Carl-Gustav Piehl (SWE)
GER104 - COURAGE VII
 Dietrich Grünau (GER)
 Albert Batzill (GER)
SWE125 - DELPHINA
 John Michael Larsson (SWE)
2003 Classic
St.-Tropez FRA
14 Boats
FIN44 - TOY

 Eero LEHTINEN (FIN)
 Kenneth PERÄNEN (FIN)

FRA111 - DIX AOUT

 Bernard Divorne (FRA)
 Pierre-Paul Heckly (FRA)

GBR48 - CAPRICE

 Tim Street (GBR)
 Richard Bond (GBR)

2005 Modern
Sandhamn
24 Boats
GER - Courage IX
Dietrich Grünau
Albert Batzill
Eddy Eich
GBR - Battlecry
Ben Clothier
SUI - Fleau
Bernard Haissly
2005 Classic
Sandhamn
27 Boats
DEN 64 - Sun Ray (1939/2005)

 Hans J. Oen (USA)
 Jørgen Jensen (DEN)
 Frank Stolpe (FIN)
 Joakim Rechnitzer (DEN)
 Troels Bækholm (DEN)

FIN 44 - TOY (1938)

 Eero LEHTINEN (FIN)

FIN 12 - FRIDOLIN (1930)

 Timo Koljonen (FIN)

2007 Modern
Cowes
23 Boats
Fleau - SUI
Bernard Haissly
Battlecry - GBR
Ben Clothier
John Prentice
Courage IX - GER
Dietrich Grünau
2007 classic
Cowes
25 Boats
SWE 6 - Fagel Bla (1937)

 Fredrich Dahlman (SWE)

DEN 64 - Sun Ray (1939/2005)

 Erik Tingleff Larsen (DEN)
 Hans J. Oen (USA)

GBR 48 - Caprice (1946)

 Paul Smith (GBR)

2009 Modern
Newport USA
9 Boats
Sophie II
 Hugo Stenbeck (SWE)
Scoundrel
 Rob Gray (GBR)
Arunga
 Bob Cadranell (USA)
2009 Classic
Newport USA
24 Boats
KC10 - Gallant

 Eric Jespersen (CAN)

FIN12 - Fridolin

 Johan Garkman (FIN)
 Peter Arstrand (FIN)

DEN65 - Great Dane

 Erik Tingleff Larsen (DEN)

2011 Modern
Helsinki
9 Boats
FRA 177 - Junior

 Yann Marilley (FRA)

SWE 115 - May Be XIV

 Patric Fredell (SWE)

SWE 132 - Sophie II

 Hugo Stenbeck (SWE)

2011 Classic
Helsinki
45 Boats
FIN 49 - Sara af Hangö
 Henrik Tenström (FIN)
KC 10 - Gallant
 Eric Jespersen (CAN)
US 83 - Llanoria
 Erik BentzanENTZEN (USA)en
2013 Modern
Flensburg
11 Boats
 CAN 135 - St. Francis IX

 Ross MacDonald (CAN)
 Andrew Costa (CAN)
 Steve Kinsey (CAN)
 Timothy Vogel (CAN)
 Tony Griffin (CAN)

 GBR 107 - Valhalla

Robert Smith
John Pollard
Nick Pearson
Paul Smith
Stephen Procter

GER 118 - Courage IX

Albert Batzill
Dietrich Grünau
Albert Diensch
Eddy Eich
Hannes Brochier

2013 Classics
Flensburg
23 Boats
FIN 12
 Henrik Lundberg (FIN)

 Johan Garkman (FIN)
 Peter Arstrand (FIN)
 Peter Tevstroem (FIN)
 Tom Boremus (FIN)

NOR 71
 Lars Guck (NOR)
USA 83
 Eric Jespersen (USA)
2015 Modern
La Trinité-sur-Mer
19 Boats
FRA 177 - Junior No Limit Yacht

 Yann Marilley (FRA)
 Nicolas Berthoud (SUI)
 Kaspar Schadegg (SUI)
 Philippe Dürr (SUI)
 Alexandre Nicole (FRA)

SUI 132 - Sophie
 Hugo Stenbeck (USA)
CAN 111 - Blade
Steve Kinsey
2015 Classics
La Trinité-sur-Mer
23 Boats
US 83 - LLANORIA
 Eric Jespersen (CAN)
 Herb Cole (USA)
 Pete Watkins (USA)
 Kris Bundy (USA)
 Peter Hoffman (USA)
 Matthew Henley (CAN)
K 22 - TITIA
 Andy Postle (GBR)
KC 10 - GALLANT
 Ben Mumford (CAN)
2017 Vancouver[2] SUI 77 - Junior
 Philippe Durr (SUI)
CAN 129 - New Sweden
 Ben Mumford (CAN)
K 12 - St. Francis IX
 Andy Beadsworth (GBR)
2019 Modern
Hanko FIN
Boats[3][4]
SUI 77 - Junior

 Philippe Durr (SUI)
Nicolas Berthoud
Kaspar Schadegg
Yann Marillet
Alexandre Nicole

2019 Classics
Hanko FIN
16 Boats
E 16
 King of Spain Juan Carlos (ESP)

 Inaqui Castaner (ESP)
 Alberto Viejo (ESP)
 Roi Alvarez (ESP)
 Ross MacDonald (CAN)

2022 Modern
Sanxenxo ESP
22 Boats
SUI 142 - MOMO

 Dieter Schoen (SUI)
 Markus Wieser (GER)
 Dirk de Ridder (NED)
 Ross Halcrow (NZL)
Victor Manuel Mariño Prieto

JUNIOR  SUI 77 SELJM  POR 4 [5][6]
2022 Classics
Sanxenxo ESP
18 Boats
FRA 111 - DIX AOÛT

Louis Heckly
Loïc Le Garrec
Bill Hugues Leclerc
Frédéric Baratay
Jonas Lambelet
Bernard Divorne

ESP 16 - BRIBON 500 ESP 59 - AIDA

Scandinavian Gold Cup

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Trimble, Nancy (October 1984). "One-Design Racing". Yachting. 156 (4). Ziff Davis: 70.
  2. ^ "Sailwave results for 6mR World Championships at Royal Vancouver Yacht ClubSeptember 17–21, 2017English Bay, Vancouver Canada 2017". www.rvan.ca.
  3. ^ https://www.manage2sail.com/en-US/Home/ResultsFragment/event/6mrworlds2019/regatta/#!/?classId=open
  4. ^ https://www.6mrworlds2019.com/regatta/
  5. ^ https://6mrworlds2022.com/en/results
  6. ^ https://escora.6mrworlds2022.com/results/
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