ONBOARD Classnotes
International Europe U
BY VANESSA BIRD
nlike many Olympic classes, which were selected almost immediately after conception, it took 29 years for the International Europe to appear at its first Games. Now, it is recognised as a thorough- bred racing dinghy, sailed all over the world by men and women alike. The Europe began life in 1960 when it was designed by Pierre Marique. The French sailor was involved with the Moth class at the time, and the ‘Europa Moth’, as the dinghy was originally known, was designed to that class’s rules. It proved very popular, particularly in British waters, where it suited the coastal conditions, and many were built by Tangyes at Smethwick near Birmingham in the early 1960s. By 1963, the Moth, which is a development class, had started to move on, but the French Yachting Federation saw further potential in the Europa Moth, and so invited designers to tweak it, to produce a one-design class. It was Belgian Alois Roland’s design that was eventually selected; the modified singlehander was renamed the Europe.
Roland had conceived the plywood 11-footer in his garage at his home in Thuin in Belgium, and it was in Thuin, with friend and fellow boatbuilder Giuseppe Cristalli, that he built over 1,700 Europes between 1964 and 1979. A skilled metal-plate worker by trade, Roland was a perfectionist, and continually sought to refine the quality of the build, as well as the efficiency of production. Soon a decent fleet was established in Belgium, and in the mid-1960s the International Europe Class Union was formed. Over the next ten years, fleets were established throughout Europe and North America, and in 1976 it was introduced to the UK. British sailor John Harrison was instrumental in this after witnessing a demonstration of the design at the 1975 Optimist Worlds. He was so taken by it that the following year he imported two Europes, and with
OLYMPIC CLASS Before British sailor Shirley Robertson became known for her performance in the Yngling class, she raced Europes, first in a World Championships in 1989, then at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, when she finished in fourth place.
FIRST UK NATIONALS The first UK Nationals for the Europe class were held in 1997. Six boats took part, three of which were owned by members of the Harrison family, relations of John Harrison, who first introduced the Europe to the UK.
boatbuilder Peter Taylor formed the International Europe Class UK. Taylor, who had built Finns for a number of years, soon acquired a building licence, and at the UK’s first National Championships in 1977 six Europes took to the water. By 1980 over 100 Europes had been launched in the UK, and by the end of the decade there were at least seven builders of the dinghy, now also being constructed in GRP. Part of the Europe’s appeal is that it is not gender specific. Men and women of between 7½-11½ stone (50-75kg) can cope with it easily. Indeed, the unstayed carbon fibre masts can be adjusted according to your weight so that the boat is tailored specifically to you. It is for this reason that it has proved popular as a training boat, and following the building boom of the 1980s it was chosen as an RYA Youth class. In 1992, it was awarded Olympic status, racing for the first time as a women’s singlehander at the Barcelona Games. It remained an Olympic class until 2008, when it was replaced by the Laser Radial. Today, the class is relatively modest, but the dinghy has a superb reputation. It’s responsive, challenging and exciting to sail, and still appeals to a wide range of people.
Europa: started life as a Moth variant, became an Olympic class – eventually
COST New International Europes cost around £7,000, but for as little as £500 you can often find a secondhand boat in reasonable condition that is suitable for racing at club level. For secondhand boats to race on the international circuit, expect to pay around £4,000.
CHARLES BERTELS Charles Bertels was involved in the early development of the Europe. The founder of the Belgian magazine Yachting Sud also designed the Spirou class, a smaller version of the Europe, which is still sailed in Belgium. He also imported Flying 15s to the country.
International Europe Class UK
www.europeclass.org.uk International Europe Class Union
www.europeclass.org
INTERNATIONAL EUROPE LOA
11ft (3.35m) BEAM
4ft 8in (1.48m) DRAUGHT
4in (103cm)
SAIL AREA 75sqft (7m2
)
DISPLACEMENT 147lb (45kg)
DESIGNER Alois Roland CLASSIC BOAT FEBRUARY 2012 71
VANESSA BIRD
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