North American Eight Metre Association

The North American Eight Metre Association grew out of the success of the 2005 8Metre World Cup held in Toronto Canada at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Hoping to capitalize on the success of the event the eleven member yachts of the Lake Ontario Eight Metre Association (LOEMA) hoped to bring the nearly xxx  8Metres that exist  around North America’s coasts into a continent wide association that would represent all of our interests and encourage the off lake owners to occasionally venture into racing their yachts against other 8Metres.  Have we been successful?

It is early days yet and the distances to cover from coast to coast are both a conceptual and financial hurdle to overcome. The core of the new association remains the membership of the old LOEMA.  But we know that the opportunity to eventually engage in class racing and to match your 8Metre against others is an awesome experience that has driven us all to up grade and maintain our yachts and will hopefully encourage others to join us to try.

After all it was the Canada’s Cup, the prestigious international match racing trophy of the Great Lakes that first brought the 8Metre boat to Lake Ontario in the first place.. The metre boat rule which was established in 1907 to bring some design coherence to international yacht racing provided a set of exacting measurement parameters for length, girth, freeboard and sail area that could be adjusted by the designers and builders of each yacht. In the days before fibre-glass molds made production line, one-design boats an industrial practicality, the metre boat rule allowed for international competition between hand built wooden boats of essential similarity. The 8Metre like its larger sister, the 12Metre of America’s Cup fame, is a long, narrow and graceful yacht – heavy and powerful, with a tall sail plan that draws it closer to the wind. The design was popular in Europe and New York’s Long Island Sound when it was selected by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club to revive interest in the 1930 Canada’s Cup race. The problem was that neither the RCYC; the Cup’s deed holder, or the Rochester Yacht Club; the defending champion, possessed such a boat.

This was quickly remedied. In a few short years a fleet of six 8 Metres had sprung up – Quest, Vision, Norseman, Thisbe, Conewago and Cayuga. In a come from behind victory Thisbe triumphed over Quest and Rochester kept the Canada’s Cup. More boats were added for the 1932 and 1934 challenges that Rochester was able to win as well and the fleet grew. With the Depression and the war intervening, the Canada’s Cup was not raced again until 1954.  After trials and selection the 8Metres, Iskareen and Venture II challenged each other, with Venture II bringing the Canada’s Cup back to the RCYC after a 51-year absence.

The return of prosperity and peace seemed to promise a bright future for the fleet. However with developments and innovations in boat design and building, yacht racing adopted more modern rating rules to allow the newer designs to compete. The Canada’s Cup would continue but without the participation of the 8Metres. Without a competitive focus the Ontario fleet scattered, boats were sold or renamed and interest waned. With a few exceptions however most of the boats associated with the heyday of 8Metre racing in the 1930’s were still being actively sailing. The possibility of a revival was always present.

On the south shore of Lake Ontario during the 1960’s the Van Voohis family was singlehandedly determined to preserve the glory of 8Metre racing in Rochester. Returning Iskareen to Lake Ontario in 1964, commissioning Iroquois the first new 8Metre in a generation  and donating a magnificent silver bowl now known as the 8Metre World Cup at the 1970 8Metre Regatta at The Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club of Scotland, they kept interest alive.

By the 1980’s the Lake Ontario 8Metre fleet was rebounding. When Eugene Van Voohris and Iroquois returned from Visby, Sweden with the World Cup ambitious plans and renovations to upgrade many of the nearly 50 year-old wooden yachts abounded and new modern 8Metres were being launched. To mark this new era the 1984 8Metre World Cup was hosted in North America for the first time by the RCYC. Two new design boats from Sweden arrived to regain the World Cup brought to Lake Ontario by Iroquois. Their challenge was met by a Canadian designed boat, Octavia with the latest in winged keel developments and the newer boat won sparking a development frenzy.

Since that time the 8Metre challenge has attracted some of the world’s most innovative and renowned naval architects to build newer and better yachts to win the 8Metre World Cup. Golden Feather, Natural and Mystery have been joined by Bruce Dyson’s Pleione. Soon Gefion will be joining our growing modern fleet of  North American Eight Metres. The Sira Cup eights are expanding as well. To the surviving original Lake Ontario 8Metres Severn, Bangalore, Jackeen and now Ranja have been added. We are waiting on ACE, Aurora and Pandora of Rhu to make their long awaited appearances from workshops where they are being rebuilt.

Along the way some of the names have gone missing but as long as there are Eight Metre sailors and organizations like IEMA and NAEMA to cultivate and maintain the interests of our world wide fleet you can be sure the life spans of these wonderful yachts will outlast ours. Congratulations to Eight Metre yachts and sailors everywhere on the centenary of our founding.

Robert Roy

President NAEMA