Tripp, Carter, S&S: three outstanding cult names that have shaped the history of sailing

Looking back to ‘classic’ boating, to the sailing culture of the last century, leads us today to observe a revival and celebration that, in reality, does not only embrace the historical period itself, but goes beyond it, moving toward the present. Acknowledging the value of a design, a hull, and a history, in fact, does not amount to mere nostalgia, but is a fundamental step to better understand the entire cultural evolution of sailing and, with it, the present. We are not, therefore, faced with a mere ‘dusting off,’ but with a broader trend that is going to restore value and dignity to the tradition itself, giving us, in addition, a whole ‘Classic’ panorama to enjoy. Well demonstrated, in this sense, are some of the latest new-entries of the Classic Boat Club; not just hulls, but milestones, keystones without which today’s sailing edifice would not otherwise know how to be such.

Tripp, Carter, S&S: three outstanding cult names that have shaped the history of sailing

Over all, inimitable, the Register offers us an icon, Rabbit, Dick Carter’s debut design, the hull that, having won the 1965 Fastnet, would proceed inexorably to transform-literally-ship design. Exactly the concrete example of the above: not just a boat, but an agglomeration of insights, innovations and technologies without which sailing would have gone in different directions; a hull without memory of which it would be impossible to understand the enormous transition of the late 1960s… But Rabbit is not the only gem, and we will not deal only with One-Off, indeed…

Classic Boat | Origins Cult

However, let us start with the basics and then return to Carter.
American, industrial engineer and self-taught sailor, Carter approached ship design almost by accident, after becoming interested in offshore racing and gaining experience on boats renamed “Rabbit.” In 1965, he designed one himself for the first time, Rabbit, a hull of just ten meters (10.2 x 3.15 m), built by Maas Shipyard in Breskens.

Radical in volume and water lines, with Rabbit Carter introduces an abundant center beam, “champagne goblet” sections, separate appendages, and an innovative, trim tab drift fin optimized for rating without sacrificing upwind performance. By antepending pure speed to gyre ability, opting for a separate, rearmost rudder that improves prowess in load-bearing gaits, Rabbit subverted tradition in a sensational debut: a small Class III RORC, she would win the 1965 Fastnet Race, ushering in a new season for offshore yachting. Today, in the hands of the current owner since 2017, Rabbit is still in splendid condition, thanks to an exceptional refit desired by the owner, an operation of excellence that was able to restore the hull to the exact condition that saw her victorious in 1965.

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Classic Boat | The ‘Great’ Series

Rabbit peer, another new-entry, Knuddel, outstanding spokesperson for the Columbia 50, an American embodiment of the other great 1960s revolution: serial construction.
Designed by Bill Tripp in 1966 for the Columbia Yachts shipyard, this elegant 15.2-meter hull was born as a pure racer according to the CCA Rule (Cruising Club of America), but quickly won over even cruisers with its modular quality interior, anticipating the performance-cruiser concept.

At launch, the Columbia 50 was the largest fiberglass boat ever mass-produced in the United States and would immediately win the Newport-Ensenada in ’66 and the Transpac Race in ’67, attesting to the soundness of innovative choices adopted by Tripp. Produced in 62 examples until 1972, this boat would mark the definitive abandonment of wood among American racers of this size, becoming a timeless icon and reference classic for an entire generation of owners.

Fast-forward to the mid-1970s.
Between Finnish Nautor and New York-based Sparkman & Stephens, the happy partnership from which the shipyard arose and which had already seen the previous dozen or so models born continues. However, it is now time for a new 14-meter and, in 1975, a pearl was born, the Swan 47. Represented in the archive by Grampus two and produced in 70 examples, the Swan 47 is the quintessential large cruiser-racer, characterized by elegant lines and a profound balance between exceptional performance and cruising comfort. Elegance, class and seaworthiness, combined with above-average maneuverability and performance for the time, would establish it among the most successful and long-lived S&S signature hulls, so much so that, the New York Yacht Club itself, would choose the Swan 47 as the technical basis for the development of the NYYC 48, making only minor changes to the original design.

Altogether, just three boats, the last three of the many now joining the vast complex of Classic Boat Club members. Yet, three boats that, each in their own way, fit neatly into a larger picture, becoming essential hulls to the construction of a larger atlas with which to navigate the sailing world, giving us the tools to understand its evolutions, and the drifts of the present.

If you would like to find out more about each of the individual boats seen, simply click on the link associated with their name. Alternatively, visit the Official Register of the Classic Boat Club., where so many boats are surveyed to share the broader history of which they are a part.

• What is the Classic Boat Club? It is the community by GdV dedicated to all fans of the ‘vintage’ world, a platform to enhance and share the design culture and spirit of sailing of the last century. Anyone can be a member: it’s super easy and offers a lot of benefits. Here is all the information about it!

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