Chapter 48

International 14-Foot Dinghies #2

The International 14-Foot Dinghy Class was founded in England in 1922. Its measurement rule was based on experience gained from many years in three of the most popular English dinghy classes, of which that of the West of English Conference was most similar. An interesting sidelight to this is the fact that in a major regatta in 1929 one of the West of England Conference dinghies, built in 1911, man-aged to finish in sixth place! The wealth of experience that went into the drafting of the measurement rules for the International 14-Foot Dinghy Class is largely responsible for its lasting, healthy existence.

A planing boat carrying a variety of sail, the International 14-Footer moves fast in scarcely any air at all and really takes off in a blow.
Photo courtesy Yachting

One of the first fleets of International "14s" sailed under the colors of the Island Sailing Club of Cowes, Isle of Wight, on the English Solent. A number of the dinghies sailing in these popular British yachting waters, in which the America's Cup was originally won, were designed and built by Charles Nicholson, the designer of many famous British yachts including the two Endeavors of Mr. Tom Sopwith, and were ordered by Chris Ratsey of the famous sailmaking firm, Ratsey and Lapthorn.

Today, there are many "14" fleets in England and their season's racing schedule is indeed an extremely full one. For such a keen racing machine, it is rather amazing to find the class numbers in England alone climbing up beyond K575. The boats can be found on many inland waters as well as in a large number of places on the coast. They are also popular in Bermuda and are scattered about at. various otherpoints in the United Kingdom. They took hold in North America around 1935, • at which time George Ford and a group of interested yachtsmen in Rochester formed a one-design class of "14s." At the same time, the Canadians became extremely interested and forsook their cat-rigged 14-foot dinghies for this new and promising class. At that time, "14s" generally carried heavy bronze centerboards and were rather heavy due to their gear and interior joiner work. They were not as lively, were not generally sailed upright "on their feet" when on the wind, and did not plane as readily or as fast as boat modifications and techniques permit today.

Now one finds International "14s" in the United States carrying numbers as high as US555. The Canadian Dinghy Association has registered several hundred International "14s" with KC numbers.

The first major trophy put up for the class was from the Prince of Wales, now the Duke of Windsor, in 1927. This, is for a long-distance race. A large number of entrants sail five times around a triangular course that's one mile on a leg.. This 15 miles of scrapping is still considered the top-notch English regatta of each season. High point of the Bermuda season is the rather new Princess Elizabeth Trophy, which draws a number of visitors.

When planning, it is Imperative- that the crew anticipate the skipper's every move and thought and coordinate with him in a precise manner.

Bermuda News Bureau
 
Over 1,500 International 14-Foot Dinghies are now registered. This United States boat has a typical hull of molded plywood and a lofty rig.

Photo courtesy Yachting

Bermuda News Bureau

Because the crew of two generally weighs more than the boat, the "14" is very lively indeed.

Close-up of a 14-footer showing the arrangement. Buoyancy tan] s are located under the thwarts.

Photo by Robert W. Vreeland

In the United States, the racing has, until recent years, been mostly within the one-design class that began at Rochester. It expanded, particularly in the direction of the West Coast, and now boasts sizable fleets in several places in California and in the Seattle, Washington, area. Representatives of the class also are scattered throughout the inland lakes. On the East Coast, since World War II, there has been a growing and extremely enthusiastic activity in the open "14" competition, particularly in connection with its international phases. The spring and fall Warner Memorial regattas, which have been held alternately at Essex, Conn., and in the region of Marblehead, Mass., for the past five years, have regularly drawn many entries from Canada and, at times, some from Bermuda and England.

In recent years, the fall Warner Regatta has been held by the Essex Yacht Club in conjunction with a long-distance race held for the Connecticut Cup. This long-distance race is rather different from those generally held for "14s" in two respects. First of all, it involves a course that generally runs over 10 miles in length, so there is no need for more than one lap. Secondly, it is sailed off the Eastern Connecticut shore in the wide portion of Long Island Sound and includes, as one mark, Cornfield Lightship, which is several miles off shore. At times, the weather has been quite severe due to full exposure to the Atlantic Ocean, which lies to the eastward, and to the strong tides and resulting tide rips that are found in these waters.

Among the active designers of recent years are Uffa Fox and Charlie Bourke, both of whom have been designing "14s" for about two decades. Fairey Marine, Ltd., of England, is producing a large number of molded-plywood boats to one of Uffa's most recent designs. These have proved themselves highly successful in their three years of existence and are being exported to this country, where they are sold by Geo. D. O'Day Associates, Waban, Mass. The price of each is $1,045. In Canada, Charlie Bourke's latest powerful hulls are considered tops by many, and 30 or more have been built in the last year.

The late Harry Hall's designs are still being built and raced successfully in the New England area and each year sees some new U. S. one-design "14s," which are essentially from the lines of an English dinghy that was brought to Rochester in 1935. Then, of course, there are the many amateur designers who are working up their own "14s" or modifying existing ones. A number of professional yacht designers are showing increasing interest in the class, both from the standpoint of studying the characteristics of "14s" that might be applied to other planning craft they might have in their minds and for the opportunities offered them within the International "14" class to test their own theories on the subject. In fact, John Alden, of Boston, who has probably designed more of the sailing yachts afloat in the United States today than any other living designer, is rather keenly interested in trying out his theory of what a fast International "14" should be like.

The tremendously enthusiastic 14-foot dinghy activity that has existed in England, Canada, and Bermuda for many years has produced boats and crews which are indeed difficult to consistently beat. Over in England, such names as Stewart Morris, Peter Scott, Charles Curry, and Bruce Banks are well known in competition today and have been for many years. In Canada, Spence Hanna, Paul McLaughlin, Bill Gooderham, Bud Whittaker, Jack Mills, and Dick Stevenson are among the cream of the crop. Bermuda has its "Shorty" Trimingham, Mac Pascall, Watlington, and Dick Dival. The U. S. one-design group has been represented recently in international competition by people such as Peter Gales, Sandy Douglass, and Bill Boswell, and not too long ago by the West Coast sailors Norm Cole, Bill Lapworth, Pete Serell, and Dick Fenton.
 
The United States open "14" group has, in its relatively few but extremely active years, left its mark in competition in Canada, England, Bermuda, and the United States, thanks to the sailing prowess of Colin Ratsey, Walter Rowe, Dick and Arthur Besse, John and Dick Carter, Eric Olsen, and others. If present growth in interest continues, we can look forward to lifting some of the top trophies in other countries before long.

The open-class sailors of the Eastern International 14-Foot Dinghy Association have enthusiasm for variety in their sailing. They prefer the intense spirit of all-out racing that is difficult to obtain in a continuous series, where conservative tactics pay off best. Therefore, this association has a schedule involving a major regatta about every three weeks and regattas are seldom held in the same location twice in one season.

In the United States, the primary open class and accompanying international activity will be found in the Eastern International 14-Foot Dinghy Association. Its president is John Carter, 601 Blue Hill Ave., Hartford, Conn., and its acting secretary-treasurer is Eric Olsen, Essex, Conn. The one-design activity is run by the International Fourteen Association. Its presir-dent is Norman Cole, Central Bldg., Seattle 4, Wash., and the secretary-treasurer is Paul Morris, 611 West Lee, Seattle 99, Wash.

The Eastern International 14-Foot Dinghy Association maintains an up-to-date list of available used International "14s" for those who might get the fever badly enough to want their own boats.

Eric Olsen

Racing at the Essex (Conn.) Yacht Club. Boat at right is from Canada and has lapstrake hull.
 
Photo by Gale Hunter

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