This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
ONBOARD Classnotes


International Soling


BY VANESSA BIRD T


hese boats handle extremely well in heavy weather. It was the design’s performance in 40-knot winds at the International Yacht Racing Union’s (IYRU) trials at Kiel in Germany in 1966 that helped secure its future as an international and Olympic class. Of eight boats in the trials, only the Soling made it to the windward mark, six others not even reaching the start line due to breakages. It was a performance that brought the three-man keelboat to the forefront of the IYRU’s mind, although it was to take another year and one more set of trials before it was actually selected. The Soling was designed by Norwegian Jan Linge in 1965 after the IYRU had launched a campaign to find a new keelboat to take part in the Olympics. It had to be a high- performance design, but very seaworthy, too, and capable of racing offshore in all conditions. A one-design version of the 5.5-Metre was suggested as the type of boat that was required, but Linge, who was a member of the IYRU Keelboat Committee which was overseeing the design competition, advocated the benefits of a smaller, trailerable design. His arguments were rejected by fellow judges Peter Scott and Rod Stephens, but, convinced he was right, he set about developing a prototype keelboat with which to enter the trials.


Assisted by his neighbour Sverre Olsen and top 5.5-Metre helmsman Finn Ferner, Linge built a plywood prototype, and from this developed moulds for a new GRP hull, of which five were built by early 1966. Following the Kiel trials, the Soling, although considered undersized, was ranked in the top two, alongside the larger Skip Etchells-designed Shillalah, which was considered more the type of boat that the IYRU was


72 CLASSIC BOAT MAY 2012


looking for. However, concerns over the performance of the GRP-built Shillalah II, plus the fact that conditions at Kiel hadn’t given the other entrants a fair trial, led to a second set being held at Travemünde in Germany in 1967, at which the Soling was unanimously chosen for international status. Prior to the Travemünde trials, Linge had already begun building the design in earnest, and in 1966, 60 Solings were on the water. Having earned its international status, the class took off, with over 600 being launched in the following two years. Interest grew around the world, too, and there are now fleets in most countries in Europe, USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and Australia. Since 1967 the most prolific builder has been Bill Abbott in Ontario, Canada, who at one time was building over 300 a year, such was the demand.


Despite serious competition from other international classes and controversy over which design was sailed at the Games, the Soling was eventually awarded Olympic status in 1968. It sailed its first Games in 1972, with Harry Melges taking gold for the USA, and competed at the next eight Olympics until 2000, when it was replaced by the Yngling. Now part of the Vintage Yachting Games, which is open to all former Olympic classes, the Soling has proved to be an impressive performer. It was instrumental in introducing match racing to the Olympics, and the World Championships now regularly see 50 or more boats.


Soling – now part of the Vintage Yachting Games – on Lake Como this coming July


NAME The design’s name comes from an amalgamation of the initials of Sverre Olsen, who helped develop the boat, and designer Jan Linge’s surname.


INTER- NATIONAL SOLING


LOA


26ft 9in (8.2m)


LWL


20ft (6.1m) BEAM


6ft 2in (1.9m)


DRAUGHT 4ft 3in (1.3m)


SAIL AREA 255sqft (23.7m2


)


DISPLACEMENT 2,281lb (1,035kg)


DESIGNER Jan Linge


COSTS A new International Soling from Petticrows costs £30,000, excluding VAT. Secondhand boats hold their value well, as many of them have a competitive life of around 25 years, so expect to pay up to £7,000 for a decent boat. A 1978-built boat finished third in the 2007 Europeans out of 56 entries.


1972 OLYMPICS IYRU measurers at the 1972 Olympic Games had a tough time, as many of the Solings entered, although built by fully licensed builders, did not fit the measuring templates. The blame was laid on improved tooling.


International Soling Association www.soling.com British Soling Association www.britishsolings.org.uk


INGEBORG RETZLAFF


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100