An important message from ISMA Executive Secretary Tim Russell

I have just received a copy of an e-mail sent to Sir Robert Owen, ISMA’s president.  In it Mauricio Sánchez-Bella advises us that the Board of the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo (RCNS) has taken the decision to postpone the European Championships until next year.  Sir Robert has asked me to pass the message on to you all.

In his e-mail Mauricio comments: “All the big sporting events are being postponed, even the Olympics. We have stayed in touch with the different fleets and everybody shares the concerns about the situation. 

The RCNS Board has met electronically, and we regret to inform you that we are forced to delay the European Championship by one year. Our sponsors have understood very well the decision, and share the reasoning behind it.   We believe that it would be unfair for the competitors that would face very different opportunities to train and in some cases even the legal impossibility to attend the Championship, so there is no other possible decision.

Please share this decision as widely as possible with the worldwide fleets. We will be announcing it in our webpage in the coming days. We believe announcing this publicly will help the different teams organise their season. 

You can imagine that we are extremely disappointed to delay this championship.  We already have – six months before the start – over 30 classics and 15 open division boats expressing their intention to attend, which would have represented a great success. We have been working the last years to prepare the Europeans and the Worlds for the International Six Metre class in our Club, and we believe this is the correct decision to ensure that we can provide a great series of events, giving momentum to the class, and most importantly,  a wide array  of opportunities to race to the class members. 

Considering the preceding, we are preparing a proposal for the Europeans and the Worlds, coordinated with the different countries holding the venues for the years ahead. As soon as it is ready we will forward it to you to discuss.  RCNS is also intending to re-start our monthly 2020 races as soon as it is legally and practically possible.”

I will of course advise you of the detail of the proposals for next year and the following years, so that all the fleets have an opportunity to be involved in decisions relating to the future programme.

Best wishes – stay safe.

Tim Russell
Executive Secretary
ISMA

In addition to hosting the Corsair Nationals, Point Roberts Race Week (13 to 17 July) is gearing up to host the spectacular International 6 Metre North Americans at the 5-day big boat event in 2020. In cooperation with the Puget Sound Six Metre Association (dba North American 6 Metre Association), yachts from Canada and the USA will include both Modern and Classic 6 Metres (designed pre-1965) racing as a single division on windward leeward courses set on the beautiful Strait of Georgia in the USA.

“We’re looking forward to a great event,” expressed Nigel Ashman, appointed liaison representing the US and Canadian Association and Championship and Pacific 6mR Yachts Inc. “Given the caliber and experience of the race management team provided at Point Roberts Race Week, we know the 6 Metre Class will be in very capable hands.”

The 6 Metres will participate in the 5-day championship and compete for the Bill Gooderham Canadian–American Trophy, awarded to the overall championship winner and the Olin J. Stephens II Trophy awarded to the highest placing Classics winner. Additionally, a new trophy (that is yet to be named), will be awarded to the highest placing ‘transitional’ Modern, defined as a boat built between January 1, 1966 and September 15, 1979 with an unmodified keel shape (and all other modifications within the rules that are allowed). “At least 6 boats will be in close competition for this,” explains Ashman, “including the recently and immaculately refurbished 1977 Doug Peterson design, Razzle Dazzle, Gary Mull’s St Francis V, St Francis VII andRanger, and Britton Chance’s Frenzy. Peter Norlin, Pelle Pettersen and Ian Howlett designs will also grace the race course with the latest in keel and winglet design.”

The International 6 Metre was first conceived as a Class at the 1907 meeting of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU), now known as World Sailing. The International Rule, also known as the Metre Rule, was created at this time to establish consistent methods for measuring and rating to ensure fairness in racing and to encourage innovation. This same rule governs 6, 8, and 12 Metre yachts, with the 12 Metres gaining world renowned status as an America’s Cup competitor from 1958 to 1987.

The International 6 Metre was first chosen as an Olympic Class in 1908 and sailed in each Olympics until the last appearance in 1952 at Helsinki, Finland. The 6 Metre was also the boat of choice for a number of other high-profile events including the British–American Team Race Challenge, Seawanhaka International Challenge Cup, the One Ton Cup and the Bermuda Gold Cup. Due to its place on the world stage, the class has historically attracted the very best sailors to its ranks.

In recent years, the Class has seen increased participation in both the Classic and Modern divisions. In 2017, the class drew 45 boats from 11 nations to compete in the World Championships in Vancouver BC Canada.

“For this year’s North Americans in the Classic Division,” explains Ashman, “boats built prior to December 31, 1965 are expected to have a really strong local fleet that is often led by Kimo Mackey sailing the 1935 Saga, designed by Bjarne Aas, that will be exciting to watch. At least 6 other Classics, including the famous Goose, a 1938 S&S design, are also expected to attend.” Commenting about the Moderns he adds, “We expect 2 generations of boats to participate: those with cutting edge winged keels, such as Wildcat, New Sweden II and Arunga and earlier boats with standard fin keels. All boats, Classic and Modern, rate 6 metres and in certain conditions, anything can happen.”

THE RACE MANAGEMENT TEAM

John Abel, Event PRO, Victoria BC
World Sailing International Race Officer (IRO)
Sail Canada National Race Officer (NRO)
Race Management Master Course Conductor (RMMCC)
Club Judge (CJ)

Paul Evenden, RO, Vancouver, BC
Sail Canada National Race Officer (NRO)
Race Management Course Conductor (RMCC)
Club Judge (CJ)

Jared Hickman, Chief Judge, Seattle, WA
World Sailing certified International Judge (IJ)
US Sailing Certified National Judge (NJ)
US Sailing Certified Chief Judge (CJ)
US Sailing Certified Regional Umpire (RU)

Individually, this team has been the PROs, ROs and CJs of Charleston Race Week, Swiftsure, Van Isle 360, Melges 24 Worlds, Hobie North American Championships, BC Summer Games, Six Metre Worlds, US Team Racing Championships, US Match Race Championships, Moore 24 Nationals, San Juan 24 North Americans and many other high profile events. And collectively, they’ll be running the show at Point Roberts Race Week!

ABOUT POINT ROBERTS RACE WEEK

Race Week is a 5-day race event that runs Monday-Friday July 13-17, 2020 and is open to big boats 19’+ racing One Design, PHRF or ORC. With a minimum of 6 boats to comprise a fleet, two race circles will be offered that will include the new addition of course umpires. Now is a great time for fleets in the region to organize and let us know what your race preferences are so we can deliver these to you at PRRW!

MANAGING EDITOR OF NORTHWEST YACHTING MAGAZINE

Recently, I was promoted to Managing Editor of Northwest Yachting, the largest boating publication for powerboaters, sailors and fishermen in the Pacific Northwest. And with SEA Magazine and Boating World Magazine no longer in the picture,Northwest Yachting is the largest boating magazine on the West Coast of North America. I’m thrilled to be at the helm and am looking forward sharing more fun on the waterways of our region! Cheers to 2020!  Schelleen Rathkopf

EVENT LINKS 

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LOGISTICS
ADVISORY BOARD
KIDS CAMP

Press Release – 1 October 2019 – London, England – The International Six Metre Class Association (ISMA) is delighted to announce the launch of a ground breaking online class archive at 6metrearchive.org

The Six Metre Class has a long and illustrious history dating back to the introduction of the International Rule in 1907. That history encompasses inclusion in nine Olympic Games from 1908 to 1952, the heyday of the class in the 1920s and 30s when it was perhaps the largest and strongest class in the world and acting as a trial platform for 12 Metre America’s Cup developments from the late 1950s until the late 1980s. Even the very latest Six Metres continue to push the technical development envelope, and a review of Six Metre designs gives a fascinating insight into some of yacht racing’s most radical and important developments.

Recognising that they are the custodians of, and therefore responsible for, a great deal of valuable yachting history, the ISMA members agreed to develop a project to help celebrate and improve access to their heritage. Being an international class, the archive material documenting this rich history is spread all over the world and can be difficult to find. Some is also potentially vulnerable to becoming lost, damaged or forgotten.

In response to these concerns, work was begun at the beginning of 2018 to create the International Six Metre Online Archive. The class has now developed a brand-new website to gather together and digitally preserve these materials.

6metrearchive.org aims to a) locate and digitise the existing archives, b) bring the material together as one resource, c) make it accessible online to all and d) continue to update the archive long term to ensure it remains a current and viable resource.

Creating an accessible and comprehensive online archive requires significant financial investment and specialist technical expertise. The new site has been funded entirely by generous donations from individuals and further donations are sought to help continue the work. Anyone interested in helping to fund the project should contact ISMA Executive Secretary Tim Russell on secretary@6metre.org.

For the archive project to succeed a heritage professional was needed and in Jenny Wittamore the class found the perfect candidate. A professional freelance curator and maritime collections specialist, Jenny has extensive experience in the field including eleven years as a Curator at the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall.

Delivering a website that meets the complex technical needs of the project and is accessible to all also required specialist professionals.  The team at Thirty8 Digital works with museums of all sizes across the UK, including the National Portrait Gallery, the Government Art Collection, Jewish Museum and the Wellcome Collection, and brings the perfect combination of technical ability and design flair. 6metrearchive.org is designed to be fresh, clear and easy to navigate, both for people with a casual interest and serious researchers.

With the foundations in place the hard work of finding and collating material has now begun. Already Jenny has been in contact with hundreds of Six Metre owners, sailors, enthusiasts, designers and boat builders who have submitted materials for inclusion in the archive. Profiles are being developed for each of the boats – more than 1200 in total – and there are sections dedicated to race results, digitised archives, general class history and stories of the Sixes, all meticulously cross referenced and linked.

But this is an ongoing project and community collaboration will be the key to its further development and success.  The more people that use the archive site and add their material and knowledge, the better it will be.

We would encourage anyone familiar with the Six Metre fleet to visit 6metrearchive.org, and anyone with Six Metre documents, photographs, results, publications or stories is asked to submit them. Enquiries, corrections and constructive criticisms are also very much welcomed. All enquiries should be directed to ISMA Archivist Jenny Wittamore on archivist@6metrearchive.org.

The 2020 International 6 Metre European Championship will take place in Sanxenxo on Spain’s stunning Galician coast from 11 to 18 September 2020.

Registration, measurement and the tune-up races will take place from 11 to 13 September. The championship races will take place over the five days 14 – 18 September, with a closing ceremony on 19 September.

For those who are not already familiar with Sanxenxo, it is an absolutely stunning sailing venue on the north east coast of Spain.  The town itself is a popular and very smart holiday town with excellent accommodation options, a wide range of restaurants and bars, terrific shopping and glorious sandy beaches.

The Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo is one of Spain’s premier yacht clubs, located in a spectacular modern purpose built harbour-side clubhouse with its own restaurant and marina facilities.

Weather-wise you can expect daytime temperatures in the mid-twenty degrees celsius, lots of sunshine and perfect 6 Metre sailing breezes.

Further information about the regatta will be published shortly but please save the date and to find out more about the venue visit www.rcnsanxenxo.com

The minutes of the 2019 International Six Metre Association Annual General Meeting held in Hanko, Finland on Wednesday 7th August 2019 are now available to view online.