A STAR IS BORN
The Contender dinghy was originally designed back in 1967 by Australian Ben Lexcen as a potential Olympic successor to the Finn class. The boat won the 1969 Olympic trials, but for a variety of reasons was never adopted as an Olympic class
La Baule was hot, sunny and with light winds. This suited some of the competitors, but not those boats with a high wetted area. The Contender looked very racy; very light and with an incredibly low freeboard, and showed flashes of form when the wind did briefly arrive. For the rest of the time the helm was either in the cockpit or hunched up on the side deck, a feeling that we all know is hardly conducive to sparkling sailing. With this second set of Trials again inconclusive, the IYRU called for yet more, this time at Medemblik.
A revised Contender, with more sail area and freeboard competed and once the breeze arrived, ran away with the Selection Committee’s nomination. With the Contender now selected by the IYRU, the powerful ‘Finn = Olympic singlehander’ lobby defended their self interest, in preserving the status quo of classes selected for the Games.
How would the IYRU turn their new singlehander into a fully fledged class with international appeal?
