8 Metre (keelboat)

File:Sagitta-Racing2002 8mR world cup.jpg

Finnish 8mR-yacht Sagitta FIN-2. Design: Charles Nicholson 1929. Owner: Timo Saalasti

International Eight Metre Class are class of racing yachts. Eight Metre boats (often called "Eights" or 8mR) 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. Before WW II Eights were the most prestigious international yacht racing class, and they are still actively raced around the world. "Eight metre" in class name does not, somewhat confusingly, refer to length of the boat, but product of the formula. 8mR boats are on average some 15 metres long. Between 1907 and 2008 approximately 500 8mR boats were built, 177 of them have survived until today.

History

The Swedish silver medalist Sans Atout at 1912 Summer Olympics.

The International Rule was set up in 1907 to replace earlier, simpler handicap system 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 Eight Metre class was the medium size rating established under the rule and they were chosen as an Olympic class in 1908 Summer Olympics. The Eights remained in the Olympics until 1936.

New, modern eights are still built utilising newest contemporary technologies, at the rate of 1-3 boats per year. During 1980s, many old sailboat classes experienced a revival of interest. The Class has undergone a renaissance which has continued to the day, with many old yachts restored or rebuilt to racing condition, and 8mr competition is once again thriving with 25-35 boats participating annually at the 8mR Worlds. "The International Eight Register" includes 177 identified existing boats of a total of approximately 500 boats built from 1907 until today.

The 8 Metre is one of the potential Vintage Yachting Classes for the 2012 Vintage Yachting Games.

Olympic results

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1908 details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias GBR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias GBR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias GBR at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias GBR]] (GBR) Cobweb Blair Cochrane Arthur Wood Henry Sutton John Rhodes Charles Campbell	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias SWE|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias SWE]] [[Template:Country IOC alias SWE at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias SWE]] (SWE) Vinga Carl Hellström Edmund Thormählen Erik Wallerius Eric Sandberg Harald Wallin	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias GBR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias GBR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias GBR at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias GBR]] (GBR) Sorais Philip Hunloke Alfred Hughes Frederick Hughes George Ratsey William Ward
1912 details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias NOR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias NOR at the 1912 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] (NOR) Taifun Thomas Aas Andreas Brecke Torleiv Corneliussen Thoralf Glad Christian Jebe	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias SWE|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias SWE]] [[Template:Country IOC alias SWE at the 1912 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias SWE]] (SWE) Sans Atout Emil Henriques Bengt Heyman Alvar Thiel Herbert Westermark Nils Westermark	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias FIN|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias FIN]] [[Template:Country IOC alias FIN at the 1912 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias FIN]] (FIN) Lucky Girl Arthur Ahnger Erik Lindh Bertil Tallberg Gunnar Tallberg Georg Westling
1920 (1907 rating) details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias NOR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias NOR at the 1920 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] (NOR) Irene Carl Ringvold Thorleif Holbye Tellef Wagle Kristoffer Olsen Alf Jacobsen	none	none
1920 (1919 rating) details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias NOR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias NOR at the 1920 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] (NOR) Sildra Magnus Konow Reidar Marthiniussen Ragnar Vik Thorleif Christoffersen	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias NOR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias NOR at the 1920 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] (NOR) Lyn Jens Salvesen Lauritz Schmidt Finn Schiander Nils Thomas Ralph Tschudi	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias BEL|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias BEL]] [[Template:Country IOC alias BEL at the 1920 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias BEL]] (BEL) Antwerpia V Albert Grisar Willy de l'Arbre Léopold Standaert Henri Weewauters Georges Hellebuyck
1924 details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias NOR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias NOR at the 1924 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] (NOR) Bera Rick Bockelie Harald Hagen Ingar Nielsen Carl Ringvold Carl Ringvold, Jr.	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias GBR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias GBR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias GBR at the 1924 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias GBR]] (GBR) Emily Edwin Jacob Thomas Riggs Walter Riggs Ernest Roney Harold Fowler	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias FRA|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias FRA]] [[Template:Country IOC alias FRA at the 1924 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias FRA]] (FRA) Namoussa Louis Bréguet Pierre Gauthier Robert Girardet André Guerrier Georges Mollard
1928 details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias FRA|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias FRA]] [[Template:Country IOC alias FRA at the 1928 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias FRA]] (FRA) l'Aile VI Donatien Bouché Carl de la Sablière André Derrien Virginie Hériot André Lesauvage Jean Lesieur	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias NED|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias NED]] [[Template:Country IOC alias NED at the 1928 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias NED]] (NED) Hollandia Gerard de Vries Lentsch Maarten de Wit Lambertus Doedes Hendrik Kersken Johannes van Hoolwerff Cornelis van Staveren	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias SWE|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias SWE]] [[Template:Country IOC alias SWE at the 1928 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias SWE]] (SWE) Sylvia Clarence Hammar Tore Holm Carl Sandblom John Sandblom Philip Sandblom Wilhelm Törsleff
1932 details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias USA|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias USA]] [[Template:Country IOC alias USA at the 1932 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias USA]] (USA) Angelita John Biby William Cooper Carl Dorsey Owen Churchill Robert Sutton Pierpont Davis Alan Morgan Alphonse Burnand Thomas Webster John Huettner Richard Moore Kenneth Carey	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias CAN|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias CAN]] [[Template:Country IOC alias CAN at the 1932 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias CAN]] (CAN) Santa Maria Ernest Cribb Harry Jones Peter Gordon Hubert Wallace Ronald Maitland George Gyles	none
1936 details	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias ITA|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias ITA]] [[Template:Country IOC alias ITA at the 1936 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias ITA]] (ITA) Italia Giovanni Reggio Bruno Bianchi Luigi De Manincor Domenico Mordini Luigi Poggi Enrico Poggi	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias NOR|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] [[Template:Country IOC alias NOR at the 1936 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias NOR]] (NOR) Silja Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen Hans Struksnæs Lauritz Schmidt Nordahl Wallem Jacob Tullin Thams John Ditlev-Simonsen	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias GER|22x20px|border|alt=|link=|Template:Country IOC alias GER]] [[Template:Country IOC alias GER at the 1936 Summer Olympics|Template:Country IOC alias GER]] (GER) Germania III Hans Howaldt Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Felix Scheder-Bieschin Eduard Mohr Otto Wachs Fritz Bischoff

References

• The International Rule - The Eight Metre Class - John Lammerts van Bueren, 2007

External links

• International Eight Metre Association
• Metre Boat Index
• North American Eight Metre Association
• British Eight Metre Association
• Swedish Eight Metre Association (Swedish)
• Finnish Eight Metre Association (Finnish)
• Russian Eight Metre Association (Russian)