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The EIGHT METER CONEWAGO The Eight Meter class may be the most exciting and dynamic group of classic yachts in the world. There are now more than one hundred Eights restored to beautiful condition, most maintained with largely, or entirely, original details. More than forty eights will cross the starting line at this (2002) year's Eight Meter Worlds Championship Regatta. Recently fifteen Eights were restored in one year alone in Italy. From the very beginning the Eights have been sailed by the best and brightest, including royalty and those successful and brilliant in business. Even in today's egalitarian society, those who own and sail Eights are a cut above the rest.  CONEWAGO What makes the classic Eight so desirable? The Eight, today as in the past, is big enough to give big boat sailing thrills, but small enough to be relatively practical to man and to maintain. An Eight is about the largest size yacht that is practical to be an entirely Corinthian enterprise. That was a great deal of the attraction then as today. Also, the Eights are exceptionally beautiful yachts with their long, narrow ends. While the International Rule tends to encourage higher sides than the Universal Rule, the consistent grace of the classic Eights may be explained by understanding who designed them. Eight owners enlisted the best to draw their lines. A roll call of Eight designers would include Olin Stephens, Starling Burgess, William Fife III, Tore Holm, Bjarne Aas, Henry Rasmussen, Charles Nicholson, Nick Potter, Johan Anker, Frank Paine, Alfred Mylne, Vittorio Beltrami, Charles Mower, Clinton Crane, and Gustav Englander. That's most of Valhalla, except for the father and son Herreshoff. Two extraordinary characters are responsible for the surge in popularity of the Eights. They are Fred Meyer of the Societe Nautique de Geneve, class president, and John Lammerts Van Bueren, class Secretary. John had been a positively rabid Eight enthusiast and the leading authority on Eight history for years. A few years ago Fred Meyer got it into his head to purchase a Beltrami Eight, CATINA VI, that was lying sad and neglected in Venice. Within a year CATINA VI was an outstanding example of what a well executed, curatorially correct classic can be. When he began sailing CATINA VI, Fred's love affair turned into a wonderful obsession. Fred's infectious enthusiasm soon dragged in others and the obsession multiplied. For classic yacht lovers the partnership of Fred Meyer and John Lammerts van Buern has been a landmark event. The popularity of the Eights means that just about every restorable Eight has been restored. Yet, an outstanding example remains, the CONEWAGO. She appears to be in fine condition and functions excellently in her present configuration, but it would be fun to see her restored to her original classic racing yacht detail. CONWAGO was the first Eight Meter design of International Rule master Olin Stephens. She was designed the same year as DORADE, Mr. Stephens' 52' ocean racer that dominated the Trans-Atlantic Race fleet and revolutionized offshore racing. The first year out CONEWAGO's owner complained to Rod Stephens that CONEWAGO did not go to windward well. With a new owner and some subtle alterations to rig and ballast CONEWAGO proved very slippery indeed. She was so slippery that she went on to win the Canada's Cup twice and continues to be fast even today. CONEWAGO is currently configured as a racing boat altered to have many of the features that appear on the modern Eights. It is appetizing to imagine her restored to original details and reaping havoc in the classic Eight racing fleet. Our restoration of ANGELITA made us intimate with the idea of a classic Eight Meter, and gave us great appreciation for their seductive proportions and details. We feel that BEDOUIN VIII and CONEWAGO would be stunningly with restored details, and very competitive racers in the classic fleets. Let us know if you are interested in discussing the restoration of either of these fine Eight Meter yachts. |