The Yarmouth One Design

Dimensions & Construction
History
Boats & Owners
Photo Gallery
Limited Edition Print
Contacts
Royal Solent Yacht Club

The Yarmouth One Design Class is one of the oldest fleets of racing keelboats in the Solent. They are based at the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, where the nine surviving boats race regularly throughout the season. This year sees the class start its Centenary celebrations

Principal Dimensions

LOA	20 ft 10 ½ in
LWL	17 ft 3 in
Beam	6 ft
Draught	2 ft 7 in
Sail Area	200 square feet

Construction

The YODs are constructed of carvel Canadian red pine planking copper fastened to steam bent rock elm frames, with a keel of English elm and grown oak floors. The 13 cwt (662 kg) cast iron ballast keel is fastened through the keel and floors with eight ¾ inch (19mm) diameter iron bolts. The rudder blade, transom aft deadwood and sternpost are English elm.

The decks are pine tongue-and-grooved planking covered with painted canvas, and the cockpit coamings are varnished rock elm.

History

The Class was originally established at the Solent Yacht Club in 1910, on the instigation of Sir Arthur Cope, RA, a famous portrait painter of the Royal Family, who was class captain from its foundation until 1935 and commodore of the Solent Yacht Club from 1926 to 1934. (Royal status was awarded in 1947.)

The boats were designed by Henry Longmore, and of the total of 13 launched, 11 were built by Theo Smith in Yarmouth just before and after the First World War and two in the 1920s by Woodnutts at St. Helens. They were originally gaff rigged, but adopted Bermudian rig in 1936. The rig was modified again in 1959 when Roger de Quincy, who lived in Yarmouth at the time, drew up a new sail plan with a shorter boom and fixed backstay instead of runners.

The Class held its first season of racing in 1913, but in 1914 racing was curtailed by the outbreak of war in August and not resumed until 1919, when the Class first took part in Cowes Week. The fleet continued to race until 1970, interrupted only by the Second World War. The Class was disbanded in 1970, due to the difficulty in getting enough entries for Cowes Week, and the boats were sold off, but fortunately the majority survived.

Revival

Of the total of 13 YODs built, two left the Class in the early years and two sank while racing, leaving 9 surviving when the Class was disbanded in 1970. Most of them stayed in the Solent area and thanks to the enthusiasm and perseverance of their present owners over a period of several years, they were all returned to the RSYC. The YOD Class was officially re-established in 1995 and races a held regularly on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings from late April to late September

List of Boats & Owners

Number	Name	Owner
Y1	Francesca	The Delphie Lakeman Memorial Trust
Y2	Diatom	Alan Hamilton & Simon Tuke
Y4	Anthea	Chris Temple
Y6	Genista	Hugh Hudleston
Y7	Blandina	The Delphie Lakeman Memorial Trust
Y8	Puffin	John Caulcutt & Graeme Dillon
Y9	Magnolia	Nik & Katie Ramsey
Y10	Katinka	Ollie Gilsenan & Rupert Syme
Y11	Pimpernel	Ray Kershaw & Tony Knaggs

Limited Edition Print For Sale

Signed limited edition prints of the oil painting by Martyn Mackrill - 'The Yarmouth One Design Fleet' - are available from the Class Captain at £50.00 each, (unframed, size 33'' x 23 ¼''.) The painting was commissioned by the YOD Class in memory of Ron Hamilton, Hon Secretary and Treasurer, who died in 1998. The original hangs in the RSYC.

The Yarmouth One Design Fleet by Martyn Mackrill (click on image to download higher quality version)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact

Class Captain, Chris Temple, 8 Alma Place, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, PO41 0QQ.
Telephone: 01983 760947;
Email: chris@christemple.wanadoo.co.uk

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