Vim remains current top dog on the European 12 Metre circuit. Designed in 1938 – just one year after the J Class Ranger defended the Cup – Vim is high among Olin Stephens’ finest pieces of work. In spite of her much older provenance, when the 12 Metre class returned as a part of the America’s Cup, 20 years after her launch in 1958 Vim proved a very tough nut for the modern 12s to crack
‘We are of course benefiting from the
current interest in classic yachts in general,’ says Patrick Howaldt, European vice-president of the International Twelve Metre Association, ‘and especially among today’s most active 12 Metre sailors.’ Howaldt is based in Copenhagen and is
one of the main driving forces behind the lively and expanding 12 Metre scene around the Baltic. Despite the fact that his passion for these impressive yachts was originally sparked more by chance. ‘In 1997 I was looking for a classic yacht for a friend of mine and we came across the very beautiful Thea, which happened to be a Johan Anker design from 1918 and also a 12 Metre. Only then did my interest in these incredible yachts take off.’ Since then Howaldt has brought several
famous 12s to Denmark: Vanity, a 1936 William Fife design, and most notably the legendary Vim, built in 1939 to a design by Olin Stephens. ‘Before that owners like Sasha Falck (Flica II) and Wilfried Beeck (Trivia) had suddenly appeared with 12 Metres. But the big inspiration for us all was the 2001 America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes.’ In the wake of that regatta Oliver Berking and friends bought the 12 Metre Sphinx and restored her from the keel up, which in turn led to the founding of the Robbe & Berking boatyard. ‘After that,’ Howaldt recalls, ‘every-
thing just fell into place.’ He and Berking and other classic enthusiasts began to create new events for the 12s. Interest has since snowballed, and the more 12s arrive the more races are put on for them.
Danish Olympic medallist Jesper Bank
chartered Vanity for the European 12 Metre Championship where he clearly enjoyed himself. ‘The racing here is very intense, yet also gentlemanly. In sailboat racing the boats tend to be regarded as sports tools, but here everyone is aware of the fact that they all sail and race very beautiful, original and historic yachts. ‘This is a unique and remarkable experi-
ence. Especially as the racing itself is as close and fierce as anywhere else. With the one exception: everyone here will, when in doubt, do everything they can to avoid a crash or damage to these beautiful boats!’ Over the years the order of things in the
12 Metre scene had settled into a nice steady rhythm. The boatspeed of Vim was beyond doubt and her experienced, well- trained crew headed by Patrick Howaldt did the rest. Meanwhile, the fast and well- sailed Flica, Vanity and Triviawere always close on her heels and ready to pounce if she made a mistake. Given the right condi- tions they could even equal her on boat- speed and so the prizes were usually divided between these protagonists. But suddenly in 2017 a new kid appeared
on the block in the guise of the up to then well-known but results-wise unremarkable Wings. Only weeks after a consortium of former Dragon sailors from Denmark and Finland had bought her she came out on top at the European Championship that year. However, it was closer than it may sound… going into the last day of a very windy regatta the three fastest of the 11 par- ticipating yachts were all in contention for
the overall victory: Wings, Trivia and Vim were only a few points apart after seven hard races. Even halfway through the final day it was completely open where these three would end up on the podium. Above all it was simply fantastic sailing.
Powering through the water and with massive loads throughout the yachts, the elegant 12s thundered around the course. These yachts weigh nearly 30 tons and when they plough through the water they pull a huge quarter wave behind them, as Klaus Brinkbäumer, genoa trimmer onboard Trivia, recalls: ‘In the second race on a day with strong wind we were caught in Vim’s quarter wave and just could not get any further – there was no chance whatsoever of us breaking through it. But this is fantastic sailing… even at 11-12kt!’ Up until recently the pecking order has
remained largely static but now the arrival of Jenetta might again shake things up. Once she is in full race trim and her crew is more trained she will probably be the boat to beat in 2020. On the other hand, never underestimate the legends such as Vimand others… And there are more in the starting blocks. At least five more vintage 12s are in a position to be ‘activated’ in time for the upcoming season: Evaine (1936), Gleam (1938), Onawa (1928), Anker 434 (1940/2015) and Tomahawk (1939). More than 30 years after they last
competed in the America’s Cup the 12s are having a rebirth, with vigorous activity on both sides of the Atlantic and the racing becoming closer and closer with every regatta. Magnificent.
SEAHORSE 67
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