A RATHER OLD BUT REMARKABLE CLASS OF BOATS HAS A TRUE COMEBACK SINCE SOME YEARS. ALSO ONE SPECIAL BOAT OF THIS TYPE, WHICH TURNS 100 THIS SUMMER. TEXT: D ANIEL HEINE AND DETLEF JENS T here was an uprising at the XX German Sailing Day at the Potsdam Yacht Club. On this day in 1911, the following proposal was made: »In order to meet a need that is felt by many, a cruiser class is to be created that is capable of racing on German inland waters, the size of which corresponds approximately to the 6 to 7 SL cruisers of the old measurement method.« A few years earlier, on 12 June 1906, representatives of various European sailing nations that had come together in London had agreed on the International Rule, from which the First Rule of Metre-Class yachts emerged in January 1908. What did the proposers not like about the yachts of the International Rule? Too big, too international, too expensive? Well it was actually more of a political question. The international orientation of sailing as propagated by the German Emperor and thus support for the expensive, Olympic Metre Classes versus a cheaper boat class that was easier to handle and affordable for the non-aristocratic middle classes, and also suitable for purely recreational purposes. So it is not surprising that the entire Kaiserlicher Yacht-Club voted against the motion with 22 votes, but the motion was still narrowly decided in favour with the votes of the Berlin clubs. This cleared the way for the development of the first National Cruiser Classes, namely the 45 m2 cruiser for inland sailing and the 75 m2 cruiser for sailing at sea. 69
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