Engineering:6 Metre

Class symbol
French Mac Miche – gold medalist at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm
Development
Year	1907 (rule design)
Design	Development class

The International Six Metre class is a class of classic racing yachts. Sixes are a construction class, meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in this case International rule. At their heyday, Sixes were the most important international yacht racing class, and they are still raced around the world. "Six metre" in class name does not, somewhat confusingly, refer to length of the boat, but product of the formula; 6mR boats are, on average, 10–11 metres long.

History

Danish Nurdug II. Silver medalist at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.

The International rule was set up in 1907 to replace numerous handicap systems which were often local, or at best national, and often also fairly simple, producing extreme boats which were fast but lightly constructed and impractical. The Six Metre class was not the smallest rating established under the rule, but was nonetheless the most popular, and they were chosen as an Olympic class in 1908. However, it was not until revision of the Rule in 1920 when the Sixes really became a popular international racing class. The 1920s and '30s were 'golden age' of the International Rule boats and Sixes were still the most popular class, attracting top sailors and designers to compete for prestigious trophies such as Scandinavian Gold Cup and Olympic medals.

Alexander Robertson & Sons produced a total of five Six Metre yachts between 1921 and 1953. In 1937 their young naval architect David Boyd designed the sleek Six Metre racing yacht Circe, which was described by many as the most successful racing yacht produced at the yard. Mr J. Herbert Thom, one of the Clyde's best helmsmen sailed the yacht with tremendous success in America in 1938 and brought back the Seawanhaka Cup, which was successfully defended in home waters the following year. In later years Circe represented Russia in the 1952 Summer Olympics.

However, Six Metres were criticized as having become too expensive and towards the end of the 1930s they became more so, making the class too exclusive. Under what is known as the Second International rule (1920–33) the yachts had gone from being less than 9.1 metres (30 ft) in overall length to being almost 12 metres (40 ft). By 1929, the 5 Metre class was becoming more popular as a cheaper and smaller alternative for Sixes, but the final blow was creation of the International 5.5 Metre class in 1949. The 5.5 Metres soon replaced the Six Metres as the premier international racing class, and after the 1952 Helsinki Olympics Sixes were dropped from Olympic regattas. The Gold Cup was also transferred to the 5.5 m class from 1953 onwards.

Despite this, the class continued to exist, and new boats were made utilising the newest contemporary technologies, although sparingly. During the 1980s, many old sailboat classes experienced revival of interest and Sixes were at the forefront of this development. The Class has undergone a renaissance which has continued to this day, with many old yachts restored or rebuilt to racing condition. Six Metre competition is thriving once again with active fleets in Europe, North America and Scandinavia. Performance differences between classic and modern era Sixes are usually small and they can be raced together.

In 2019 the International Six Metre Association launched an online archive website, allowing researchers around the world to access historical information about the class.

Events

Olympics

|- | 1908 London
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Gilbert Laws
Thomas McMeekin
Charles Crichton |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Léon Huybrechts
Louis Huybrechts
Henri Weewauters |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Henri Arthus
Louis Potheau
Pierre Rabot |- | 1912 Stockholm
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Gaston Thubé
Amédée Thubé
Jacques Thubé |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Hans Meulengracht-Madsen
Steen Herschend
Sven Thomsen |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Eric Sandberg
Otto Aust
Harald Sandberg |- | 1920 Antwerp
1907 rule
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Émile Cornellie
Frédéric Bruynseels
Florimond Cornellie |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Einar Torgersen
Leif Erichsen
Andreas Knudsen |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Henrik Agersborg
Einar Berntsen
Trygve Pedersen |- | 1920 Antwerp
1919 rule
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Andreas Brecke
Paal Kaasen
Ingolf Rød |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Léon Huybrechts
Charles Van Den Bussche
John Klotz | no further competitors |- | 1924 Paris
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Anders Lundgren
Christopher Dahl
Eugen Lunde |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Vilhelm Vett
Knud Degn
Christian Nielsen |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Johan Carp
Anthonij Guépin
Jan Vreede |- | 1928 Amsterdam
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Johan Anker
Erik Anker
Håkon Bryhn
Crown Prince Olav |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Vilhelm Vett
Aage Høy-Petersen
Niels Otto Møller
Peter Schlütter |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Nikolai Vekšin
Andreas Faehlmann
Georg Faehlmann
Eberhard Vogdt
William von Wirén |- | 1932 Los Angeles
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Tore Holm
Olle Åkerlund
Åke Bergqvist
Martin Hindorff |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Robert Carlson
Temple Ashbrook
Frederic Conant
Emmett Davis
Donald Douglas
Charles Smith |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Philip Rogers
Gardner Boultbee
Ken Glass
Jerry Wilson |- | 1936 Berlin
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Christopher Boardman
Miles Bellville
Russell Harmer
Charles Leaf
Leonard Martin |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Magnus Konow
Karsten Konow
Fredrik Meyer
Vaadjuv Nyqvist
Alf Tveten |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Sven Salén
Lennart Ekdahl
Martin Hindorff
Torsten Lord
Dagmar Salén |- | 1948 London
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Herman Whiton
Alfred Loomis
Michael Mooney
James Smith
James Weekes |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Enrique Sieburger, Sr.
Emilio Homps
Rodolfo Rivademar
Rufino Rodríguez de la Torre
Enrique Sieburger, Jr.
Julio Sieburger |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Tore Holm
Carl Robert Ameln
Martin Hindorff
Torsten Lord
Gösta Salén |- | 1952 Helsinki
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Herman Whiton
Everard Endt
John Morgan
Eric Ridder
Julian Roosevelt
Emelyn Whiton |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Finn Ferner
Tor Arneberg
Johan Ferner
Erik Heiberg
Carl Mortensen |valign=top| Template:FlagIOC
Ernst Westerlund
Ragnar Jansson
Jonas Konto
Rolf Turkka
Paul Sjöberg |}

External links

• ISMA International Six Metre Association new website of the ISMA International Six Metre Association
• International Six Metre Archive
• International Six Metre Association
• Metre Boat Index
• Book: The Six Metre - 100 Years of Racing, published on the centenary of the International Rule
• Sailing Anarchy: Sailboat tour of a 6 meter "Sprig" (video)