ISMA NEWS - Association Suisse 6mJI

ISMA News International 6mJI Association Bulletin 1/2010
Classic 6mJI Oslo II, N 22
Dear Sirs;
Here are two photo’s of the Oslo II, one beating upwind and one on the
lift. My parents went to Europe in 1936 to see the Olympic Games in
Berlin and to visit my mother’s relatives in Norway. My father had sailed
on the only 6 Meter in Seattle at the time, the Hanko and felt Seattle was
a fine place to sail such a graceful sailboat, one that enjoyed light airs.
They met a broker in Oslo and were told of a 6 for sale, a sailboat won
by a man through a lottery who was now selling it. Crown Prince Olav
was given a sailboat by the people of Norway and after racing her, with
success, gave it back to a charity, through a lottery. Oslo II had wintered
in Oslo and was a bit ragged from no sailing, wind and ice. But my father
was determined to have her and paid about $1,000 US. There was a shipping
strike at the time and Oslo did not arrive in Seattle for a year, in the
spring of 1937. The Oslo was designed and built by two Norwegian’s,
Anker and Jensen. My father knew a second generation boatbuilder in
Seattle by the name of Anchor Jensen, who met the freighter and prevented
the Oslo from sinking with the help of several water pumps. She
had been out of the water so long it took a few days for her to swell back up. They got the Oslo shipshape and
immediately began her racing career, the first race being Ladies Race. My mother had not sailed before but her
career was also started. The Oslo II was the second of eventually eighteen 6’s in Seattle. They were a world class
fleet, with many Champions and even more colorful histories. There is a Lake Washington to the east of Seattle,
about a ten minute drive from the heart of town. On Wednesday evenings the 6 Meter crews would take off their
formal clothes while walking down the docks, getting ready for the 1800 start. Oslo II was a winner many times,
throughout Puget Sound and British Columbia, taking the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup four times. King Olav has
visited Seattle, met our family and was aboard Oslo. She is now moored on the Lake after several years in Friday
Harbor. While her competitive days are over she is sailed often by the Giese children who continue to maintain
her wonder.
Peter Giese peterg4@comcast.net
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