Classic IOR: the big boats and the Golden Age of sailing
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If we look at the history of sailing, that recent sailing that we can already identify in forms similar to those of today, we will find that, its real boom, was the legendary near-thirty years of the IOR ( HERE find its history). Between the late 1960s and early 1990s, in fact, the IOR (International Offshore Rule) gave birth to “real sailing,” the sailing of the many and no longer just of the elite. A sailing made of large series production, exceptional hulls, prototypes, one-offs and extraordinary small series, excellent boats that are still exciting today.
That IOR was, in short, a unique period, a proponent of exceptional Classic Boats, today, unfortunately, partly lost or forgotten. To celebrate it at its best, to give it back the credit it deserves, and to bring these hulls back to life, the Journal of Sailing has surveyed many of the greatest mass-produced boats (you can find them HERE) and, now, it wants to survey the great masterpieces of the IOR, the cult boats of racing, that is, those surviving, unique and precious boats that made a golden era great. So here is our appeal to all enthusiasts: point out to us the IOR Classics, where they are and what state they are in. We will be grateful.
Classic IOR: what are the cults of sailing?
The purpose is to include these boats in our “registry” of Your Classic Boats by Journal of Sailing. BEWARE, however, putting them on the registry does not only mean census them, it also means valuing all those boats that have a history and a pedigree that allows us to highlight their real historical value-exactly as happens in the world of cars and real estate-to give them back the status they really deserve, and thus their true value. We will take the opportunity not only to create a large archive of them accessible to all, but also to tell and share them as best we can, so that the IOR, in its own way, can partly survive, regaining the status it deserves and allowing us, and you, to see these boats at sea again, and why not, maybe even in regattas…
- NSERTING A CLASSIC IOR IN THE CLASSIC BOAT ARCHIVE IS SO EASY: CLICK HERE AND ENTER THE BOAT . ALWAYS HERE, ALSO FIND ALL YOUR CLASSIC BOATS ALREADY SURVEYED
The crew of Simon Le Bon’s Drum wait for rescue after the boat lost its keel and capsized off Cornwall
Classic IOR: Let’s not call them old boats
Made between the late 1960s and early 1990s, IOR hulls are increasingly and erroneously regarded, alas by many, as simply old boats. New, certainly, they are no longer, but would you consider a historic car, or a piece of Bauhaus design, to take one example, as simply old? Hardly. Of course, age should not be forgotten, far from it, but it is not to be considered a demerit. Value, in fact, is not based on it. It is the quality, the merit behind the hull itself, the innovation and the history of the hull that instead serve as the foundation of the “value” criterion, then balanced by the state of preservation and the overall quality of the whole, have the boat 30 or 60 years old, it means little.
Are the Ferraris of Lauda and Villeneuve simply old cars?
Or are other parameters that give them value?
Contextualizing, not dissimilar was the world of the IOR cult greats.
Not all boats will be equivalent, but that does not mean they should be forgotten.
Each, in its own way, has made history.
With the great IOR classics one is, in fact, and often, faced with excellent machines, platforms that, with a little care and a good dose of love, can shine again as they did, and as they should.
That IOR was a reality of exceptional projects too often not celebrated properly, and it is time to rectify that. But what would be the benefits of doing this? Nothing could be more trivial. Having already premised on the celebratory criterion, let us now move on to the next, more concrete step. Recognizing the value of a famous IOR hull, acknowledging its history, achievements, and the people who have trod its deck, is not only a recognition of the boat itself and its owner. It is a more concrete recognition, increasing its value. Transferring the example to iconic vehicles of the past, how many Jaguar E-Types are out there? Not a few, but not too many either. And regardless, they are not cheap. However, have you ever wondered how much the one that was Steve McQueen’s cost? The market bar is flying high. Yet it’s the same car–the same is true for so many other things. And the same is true of an outstanding, well-maintained hull, if its merit, its history, were properly recognized, whether it is one-off or not.
Think of the Sayula II, how many other Swan 65s have won a Whitbread? None. Here is already a good example.
It is not only the uniqueness, but it is the history behind the boat that also gives it value.
And the IOR is nothing less than the history, the foundational basis, of sailing today.
The IOR was a climbed peak, a period that remained in the hearts of many, but not only. The IOR was a period of constant evolution, an experimental factory of exceptional boats. Boats that remain. And this is the key to it. IOR hulls still exist, can be fixed, and can still give so much. And the more they return to circulation, the better their chances, and ours, of getting back to dreaming. The world of “vintage” regattas exists, and it is increasingly opening up to newer hulls as well, the IORs in fact. An opening that opens up new circuits, new passions and equally new (and probably less expensive) “markets.” An opportunity for all to, at the same time, celebrate sailing, enjoy it, and restore life and value to a phenomenon that, perhaps, will never really die. At this rate, an old IOR will no longer be just a “tired, old” hull, but will be a celebration of nautical culture, and no small investment.
And so many are finally realizing this, just take the example of Vallicelli’s first BRAVA
(here is the wonderful story of how it returned to glory).
Classic IOR – ELLESSEDI | Galetti
Galetti; 1980; 11.43 x 3.71 m; Andrea Vallicelli A stupendous example is immediately offered by Lino D’Onofrio who, coincidentally, also rescued a great little masterpiece by Vallicelli, LSD, One Tonner of exception.
Ellessedi is a One Tonner IOR built in 1980 for the Naples World Cup, a design by the great Andrea Vallicelli made of mahogany by Galetti. The top of the era. It is a boat that sails well, fast and with excellent sea behavior. She just needed some care, says the owner himself, and with good reason.
Refit completed and an excellent hull is born, spartan, sure, but the satisfactions don’t come from the sofas… The full story, D’Onofrio told us, analyzing his reasons and “tricks” for the refit.
You can find it HERE
Classic IOR – MASQUERADE | Ranger Yachts
Ranger Yachts; 1972; 11.28 x 3.65 m; Gary Mull It is not only one-offs that have made the IOR great.
Sure, maybe Admiral’s and Sardinia Cup saw purpose-built, highly experimental hulls, but the various Ton Cups and World Championships less so.
Right here, great One-Offs and production hulls competed in spinnaker blasts and colorful hulls, creating legends for posterity.
It was in 1973, for example, that a Ranger 37, Munequita, won it all in the category.
A series boat.
Masquerade is its other lustrous sister, also a production boat, but pulled like few others.
A grand design by Gary Mull, born in San Diego in San Diego she has remained, racing and winning to this day ever since she was born.
A fine sign for the IOR, which endures everywhere.
BLUE MOON | San Vitale
Cantiere San Vitale; 1983; Scott Kauffman Returning this side of the ocean, to the Adriatic to be precise, another One Off that made her name.
An important design by Scott Kaufman, built by Piro Onoranti and the San Vitale shipyard in Ravenna for the 1983 IOR 3⁄4 Ton Cup World Championship in Trieste, we find Blue Moon.
At the top of the technology of the time, she was a milestone of the latest classic IOR design, both on the fronts of technique and construction craftsmanship. The construction is light, yet extremely rigid and strong: epoxi-glued mahogany with Kevlar and carbon reinforcements, for a boat with high weight stability, with 50% fin ballast (lead). Highly sailed and with an easy sail plan, she is rigged at the masthead with non-structural flyers (check stay). And it still sails, kept at its best.
- ENTERING A CLASSIC IOR INTO THE CLASSIC BOAT ARCHIVE IS SUPER EASY: CLICK HERE AND ENTER THE BOAT . ALWAYS HERE, ALSO FIND ALL YOUR CLASSIC BOATS ALREADY SURVEYED
Three “tidbits” about Classic Boats
- Want to learn more about the world of Classic Boats (1967-1998), the iconic boats of the period, the legendary designers, the stories and races of the “golden age” of sailing? Check out our section dedicated to Classic Boats!
- Do you have a Classic Boat to sell? Put it (for free) on our classifieds market!
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