8 Metre

Class symbol
Finnish 8mR-yacht Sagitta (FIN–2) designed by Charles Nicholson in 1929 and owned by Timo Saalasti.
Development
Year	1907 (rule design)
[edit on Wikidata]

The International Eight Metre class are class of racing yachts. Eight Metre boats (often called "Eights" or 8mR) 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. Before WW II, Eights were the most prestigious international yacht racing class and they are still raced around the world. "Eight metre" in class name does not, somewhat confusingly, refer to length of the boat, but product of the formula. 8mR boats are on average some 15 metres long. Between 1907 and 2008 approximately 500 8mR boats were built, 177 of them have survived until today.

History

The Swedish silver medalist Sans Atout at 1912 Summer Olympics.

The Finnish eights Sphinx (FIN–4) and Sagitta (FIN–2) competing in 2012.

The International Rule was set up in 1907 to replace earlier, simpler handicap system 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 Eight Metre class was the medium size rating established under the rule and they were chosen as an Olympic class in 1908 Summer Olympics. The Eights remained in the Olympics until 1936.

Up till 1914 the 8 metre yachts were traditionally Gaff rig. This changed with the launch of Ierne by the Fife yard becoming the first yacht of the class using Bermuda rig. Over time Bermuda rigs became more popular thanks to much more convenient cruising.^[1]

New, modern eights are still built utilising newest contemporary technologies, at the rate of 1–3 boats per year. During the 1980s, many old sailboat classes experienced a revival of interest. The class has undergone a renaissance which has continued to the day, with many old yachts restored or rebuilt to racing condition, and 8mr competition is once again thriving with 25–35 boats participating annually at the 8mR Worlds. "The International Eight Register" includes 177 identified existing boats of a total of approximately 500 boats built from 1907 until today.

Events

|-

| style="align:center;" | 1908 London
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| Great Britain (GBR)
Blair Cochrane
Charles Campbell
John Rhodes
Henry Sutton
Arthur Wood
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| Sweden (SWE)
Carl Hellström
Edmund Thormählen
Eric Sandberg
Erik Wallerius
Harald Wallin
The Duchess of Westminster
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| Great Britain (GBR)
Philip Hunloke
Alfred Hughes
Frederick Hughes
George Ratsey
William Ward

 |-

| style="align:center;" | 1912 Stockholm
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| Norway (NOR)
Thoralf Glad
Thomas Aas
Andreas Brecke
Torleiv Corneliussen
Christian Jebe
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| Sweden (SWE)
Bengt Heyman
Emil Henriques
Alvar Thiel
Herbert Westermark
Nils Westermark
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| Finland (FIN)
Bertil Tallberg
Arthur Ahnger
Emil Lindh
Gunnar Tallberg
Georg Westling

 |-

| style="align:center;" | 1920 Antwerp
1907 rule
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| Norway (NOR)
Carl Ringvold
Thorleif Holbye
Alf Jacobsen
Kristoffer Olsen
Tellef Wagle
                                                  |style="vertical-align:top;"|No further competitors
                                                  |style="vertical-align:top;"|No further competitors

 |-

| style="align:center;" | 1920 Antwerp
1919 rule
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| Norway (NOR)
Magnus Konow
Thorleif Christoffersen
Reidar Marthiniussen
Ragnar Vik
                                                  |style="vertical-align:top;"| Norway (NOR)
Jens Salvesen
Finn Schiander
Lauritz Schmidt
Nils Thomas
Ralph Tschudi 
                                                  |style="vertical-align:top;"| Belgium (BEL)
Albert Grisar
Willy de l'Arbre
Georges Hellebuyck
Léopold Standaert
Henri Weewauters

 |-

| style="align:center;" | 1924 Paris
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| Norway (NOR)
Carl Ringvold
Rick Bockelie
Harald Hagen
Ingar Nielsen
Carl Ringvold, Jr.
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| Great Britain (GBR)
Ernest Roney
Harold Fowler
Edwin Jacob
Thomas Riggs
Walter Riggs
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| France (FRA)
Louis Breguet
Pierre Gauthier
Robert Girardet
André Guerrier
Georges Mollard

 |-

| style="align:center;" | 1928 Amsterdam
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| France (FRA)
Donatien Bouché
André Derrien
Virginie Hériot
André Lesauvage
Jean Lesieur
Carl de la Sablière
                               |style="vertical-align:top;"| Netherlands (NED)
Johannes van Hoolwerff
Lambertus Doedes
Hendrik Kersken
Cornelis van Staveren
Gerard de Vries Lentsch
Maarten de Wit
                               |style="vertical-align:top;"| Sweden (SWE)
Clarence Hammar
Tore Holm
Carl Sandblom
John Sandblom
Philip Sandblom
Wilhelm Törsleff

 |-

| style="align:center;" | 1932 Los Angeles
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| United States (USA)
Owen Churchill
John Biby
Alphonse Burnand
Kenneth Carey
William Cooper
Pierpont Davis
Carl Dorsey
John Huettner
Richard Moore
Alan Morgan
Robert Sutton
Thomas Webster
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| Canada (CAN)
Ronald Maitland
Ernest Cribb
Peter Gordon
George Gyles
Harry Jones
Hubert Wallace
                             |style="vertical-align:top;"| No further competitors

 |-

| style="align:center;" | 1936 Berlin
details

 |style="vertical-align:top;"| Italy (ITA)
Giovanni Reggio
Bruno Bianchi
Luigi De Manincor
Domenico Mordini
Enrico Poggi
Luigi Poggi
                            |style="vertical-align:top;"| Norway (NOR)
Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen
John Ditlev-Simonsen
Hans Struksnæs
Lauritz Schmidt
Jacob Thams
Nordahl Wallem
                            |style="vertical-align:top;"| Germany (GER)
Hans Howaldt
Fritz Bischoff
Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach
Eduard Mohr
Felix Scheder-Bieschin
Otto Wachs

|}

World Championships

After a long break, the Worlds have been organized for the eight metres in four classes:

1. The World Cup.^[2]
2. The Sira Cup – All Classic eights built prior to 1968^[3]
3. The Neptune Trophy – All Classics with original deck plan build prior to 1970, wooden spars and Dacron sails^[4]
4. Vintage eights – Gaffs build before 1920.

References

• The International Rule – The Eight Metre Class – John Lammerts van Bueren, 2007

External links

• International Eight Metre Association
• Metre Boat Index
• North American Eight Metre Association
• British Eight Metre Association
• Finnish Eight Metre Association (in Finnish)
• Russian Eight Metre Association (Russian)

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