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Scott Dickson crosses the finish line ahead of Peter Gilmour to win their semifinal match 3-2 at the King Edward VII Gold Cup. (Swedish Match Tour/Bob Grieser)
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Event: King Edward VII Gold Cup
Boat: International One-Design
Designer: Bjarne Aas, 1936
The International One Design (IOD) is a classic racing sloop synonymous with Bermuda. The IOD is the first class to achieve “International Classic Yacht” status with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
In 1935, while racing in Bermuda, Cornelius Shields saw the 6-Meter yacht Saga. He was so taken with the lovely boat that he had designer Bjarne Aas from Fredrikstad, Norway, design a similar boat, although slightly lighter and with a taller rig, with the intention of starting a class of true international one-design boats.
In 1936 Shields brought the first IOD, Alieen, to Long Island where he started a fleet. The next summer saw 25 IOD boats racing on Long Island Sound. Other fleets would emerge in Bermuda, Marblehead, Mass., Northeast Harbor, Maine, San Francisco, Calif., Fisher Island, N.Y., Norway, Sweden and Scotland.
As the IOD came to life, World War II was in its beginning stages. Four years would pass between when Alieen hit the water and the German invasion of Denmark and Norway, but Aas was prepared. Aas buried the molds during the German occupation to ensure their survival. It was a successful gambit. The same molds were later used to produce a plug for fiberglass IODs, which are prevalent in the 10 active IOD fleets in five countries today.
Specifications
LOA — 33’5”
LWL — 21’5”
Beam — 6’9”
DSPL — 7,100 lbs
Draft — 5’4”
SA (main & jib) — 438 sqft
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