Classic Cult: the IORs of the golden age are still sailing

The history of sailing today is a complex web of brilliant insights, technical innovations, ambitious characters, excellent boats and legendary events. An accumulation of elements that, in adding up and intersecting with each other, as with everything, gave rise to what we can witness today. There are, however, elements that undoubtedly are keystones of it, unforgettable landmarks. One of these, undoubtedly, was theAdmiral’s Cup, the legendary regatta organized by the RORC on a biennial basis, the largest national team event of its time (we tell you the story HERE). Admiral’s was, however, and first and foremost, in the view of this story, an unparalleled engine. It was for her that some of the most incredible hulls in sailing history were built. And this is one of those cases.

Classic IOR: Tramp of Airlie, an S&S classic.

The Admiral’s Cup was a complex affair, a national team regatta that changed several times in time and form, going through different regulations and different solutions. One constant, however, was always the hunger for victory that surrounded it and, consequently, the design thrusts intended for it. The crucial step was one: to develop a hull that was fast and suitable for the different conditions presented by the different trials (inshore and offshore), but above all, a hull that was better than the others, a hull that, first and foremost, was able to select in the team. This is the story of a hull that didn’t make it, but that has nothing to envy those who did. Here is Tramp of Airlie, a Sparkman & Stephens among the most elegant on the water.

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Tramp of Airlie: a Sparkman & Stephens classic.

It is 1976 and three sister hulls are born, Prospect of Whitby IV, Dorothea and Tramp of Airlie, the latter commissioned by Torquato Gennari, design No. 2222C2 by the most famous New York firm at the time, Sparkman & Stephens. These are three identical boats; they will be contenders to enter the Italian team for the 1977 Admiral’s Cup.

The design, in hindsight, is reminiscent of classic IOR designs from the S&S studio of the mid-1970s, with still very pronounced forward momentum, a narrow, cantilevered stern, a wide maximum beam and flush deck-a line that is almost unmistakable when compared to other designs of the time (think a Carter rather than a fledgling Vallicelli). Specifically, made of aluminum at the Officina Meccanica Navale in Pesaro, Tramp features a particularly abundant maximum beam, especially in relation to the length f.t. (13.5 x 3.7 meters), with, indeed, abundant overhangs, and a stern that is still classic, a design that among other things recalls that of the just previous (1975) Swan 47, barely larger but still signed S&S.

Shifting our attention to the sail plan, however, the layout is still classic, a masthead rig with large overlapping genoa, a typical early IOR standard that, in that very decade, would begin to fade. Instead, the deck is typically flush, with only whinch and pastecks anchors emerging from an otherwise pristine deck. All maneuvering is in fact deferred toward the two cockpits, with the mainsail traveller carriage dividing the two areas, the wheelhouse area from the forward area.

Admiral’s and the contemporary

Despite good marine skills and good pace, Tramp of Airlie, like the twins, will not be selected for the Italian team, which will instead consist of Moby Dick, Mandrake and Vanina. Victory, however, will go to the British team. After a lapse of time in which she nonetheless participated in several regattas, with the end of the 1990s Tramp became a hull increasingly destined for cruise use, retaining her original bow lines and deck plans, but seeing major internal transformations more in keeping with her new use. Today, relocated to the east coast of the UK, coming out of a major refit, she is back to new, sailing with her owner who told her story) along the English coast and in the Channel, still racing in offshore RORC and/or dedicated classic events.

Tramp of Airlie is not the only one-off to survive, however; there are so many (fortunately) and we wish we could tell you more and more about them. If you have a sailing classic, share it with us and we will make sure it is properly celebrated, as we have already announced HERE!

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!