Soling - History

History

The Soling history actually began in the mind of Jan Linge during the late 50's while he was doing design work and tank testing on a 5.5 metre to be built for a Norwegian friend for sailing in the 1960 Olympics. This friend, Finn Ferner, was a successful businessman and an outstanding helmsman, an Olympic medalist and winner of many international events. Linge had become convinced that a slightly smaller boat with a detached spade rudder and short keel could be a fast seaworthy boat with the likelihood of great popularity - though such features were not allowed under the 5.5 rules. After 1960 Linge completed his design sketches to demonstrate his ideas for promoting a Norwegian national class.

By the time of the 1961 IYRU meetings, the forces for change had organized themselves to seek four new classes - a single hander as companion to the Finn, a two-man keelboat to complement the Star, a three-man keelboat like the 5.5 or Dragon, finally a catamaran. The underlying goals for these new boats were not explicit, but hinted: "high performance" and "popularity" were key words for whatever boat was chosen. The two-man keelboat process started in 1962 under the auspices of the Dutch sailing magazine "De Waterkampioen" with the announcement of the design competition, to culminate at the 1963 IYRU meetings, and Trials perhaps in 1965. This resulted into the Tempest.

It was the public announcement by the Class Policy Committee (CPOC) in mid 1963 that started events leading to the adoption of the Soling's Olympic status four years later. The American magazine "Yachting" undertook to accept design sketches for presentation at the November 1963 meeting. "What IYRU wanted was a nice compromise between maximum speed and maximum seaworthiness, with a good measure of both. Obligatory maximum limits and features were:

• LWL: 22 feet (6.7m)
• Draft 4'6 (1.37m)
• Displacement 3799 pounds (1723 kg)
• Sail area 310 sq. ft. (28.8m2)
• Non-sinkable
• Built-in buoyancy
• Capable of racing in open sea conditions
• Open cabin

Linge was determined to develop his version of a three-man keelboat. His next door neighbour, Sverre Olsen (See S.O. + LING) became interested in backing the effort. A wooden prototype was built, for experimenting with sizes and placement of rudders, keels, and rig. Finn Ferner, the champion skipper and Linge's 5.5 client of 1960, became an important skilled partner in this activity. By mid 1965, Linge and Ferner were satisfied enough with their work to manufacture the moulds needed for producing complete fibreglass boats. In November 1965, the IYRU scheduled trials to be held off Kiel during September 1966.

The high performance revolution was underway: The Tempest was given recognition, Catamaran trials were set for 1967, and a 1966 re-run of the single hander event which had had no wind in 1965 was held. During the winter of '65/'66, five fibreglass Solings were built which were extensively sailed against one another during the following Summer. This competition was destined to be helpful in the heavy weather ahead at Kiel - chosen as a windy challenge for what the IYRU desired. The first race was in moderate air, but thereafter for ten of the eleven races, Kiel lived up to its breezy reputation. The final race may have been worth all the rest for the Soling: a meeting of helmsmen gathered in view of the forty knot wind. Not surprisingly, the Committee's desire to race was persuasive. By the windward mark only the Soling was left to sail the course, and so was able to demonstrate her outstanding ability to handle heavy air. The Selection Committee, consisting of Frank Murdoch (Chairman, GBR), Beppe Croce (ITA), Bob Bavier (USA), Costas Stavridis (GRE), Sir Gordon Smith (GBR) and Hans Lubinus (GER) was impressed.

Two boats were recommended: Shillalah II, designed and sailed by US Starboat Champion, E. W. "Skip" Etchells, and Soling, the boat referred to as "the undersized entry". Several new boats, a fibreglass Shillalah, also a 5.5 and a Dragon to compare speeds, assembled in Travemünde for the second Trials - this time in what became a moderate air series. Again Shillalah was the big winner, but again Soling finished respectably. This time she was sailed by Per Spilling with Sven Olsen and Linge again as crew. Without comment, the Observation Committee recommended Soling alone; this result passed unanimously through the IYRU meetings. The Soling had become an international class.

The 1968 Games in Mexico were held before the Class acquired its Olympic status. Because there was a five-class limit set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the CPOC had recommended 5.5, Soling, Tempest (its two new boats), FD and Finn - these at the cost of Dragon and Star for the 1972 Olympics. The Permanent Committee was heavily lobbied by Dragon enthusiasts and so dumped the 5.5; in the same process the Star owners forced abandonment of IYRU's Tempest. In April 1969, after this battle, the IOC relieved the pressure on the IYRU by allowing a sixth "event". The IYRU then added the Tempest.

The news of the Trials' results not only assured the Soling's status, but stimulated a building spree: three hundred in 1968 and as many or more in 1969. Elvstrøm became the dominant builder in Europe, particularly after he won the first Soling World Championship off Copenhagen in 1969. One of the best American helmsmen, George O'Day, was given a license to build for the US market, just as Bill Abbott, Sr. (Chief) acquired the Canadian market.