ISMA News - Association Suisse 6mJI

54
6mJI Historic Place
ISMA News International 6mJI Association
Tim was so kind to make an actualisation of his newsletter no 9. We are very happy to print it here. Even some very
interesting photo came with the report. Enjoy these news:
Classic Notes 9a
March 2004
It has been a surprisingly good winter for movement of Classic Sixes. Classic Newsletter No. 9, dated 25 th November
2003, was finally published on 1st February 2004, as it was held for the latest stop press news from Norway and France.
However, since then, further research has taken place and progress made on a number of sixes.
In the last Newsletter, a draft of possible Classic Rules was included, to enable comment to me made.
The major point, which has come up, is the doubt expressed over rescuing old boats, by fastening a single layer skin of
3mm cold moulded timber over the existing planking, to hold the hull together and to strengthen it for modern rig strains.
It should be emphasised that, at present at least, it is perfectly legal to restore boats using this method, under current
International Metre-Class Rules and has been passed by the ISMA Technical Committee.
This observation has come from Finland, where many classic Sixes have been restored by undertaking total rebuilds and
much re-planking, certainly underwater. It is also known that a number of Sixes within Europe at least, have had to be
rebuilt by taking the whole of their underwater hull off and rebuilding to the original plans, due to either the wooden keel
having broken under the mast step, or the wooden keel being completely rotten. The draft Rules have therefore been
framed especially to be inclusive, at least at this stage. What the draft Rules do not condone is re-planking with plywood,
which, in one case at least, it is believed has been done.
The following exciting news of Classic Six-Metres it is hoped will be of interest to all owners.
E 31 Asti V. (Now ex K 61 Saxon; a 1930 Morgan Giles). It was reported in Newsletter No. 9 that she had been bought
by Ian Lindsey, who planned to put her back to full racing trim over this winter. Since then she has been bought by a
Spanish group, who have taken her back to Bilbao, where she was originally built by Segredo Hnos. The intention is to
return her to full racing trim, under the Spanish ensign, when it is believed and hoped that she will become the first
Spanish registered Six-Metre to race internationally, since 1934. Unfortunately, her designs and drawings have not been
found in England and it is believed that none were kept after the closure of the Morgan Giles firm.
L 2 Mosquito (ex Colibri). The Mosquito saga started when a photograph was received, from Petter Halvorsen in
Norway, asking for the identity of the boat in it. After much research and discussion, together with considerable help
from the Norwegian Maritime
Museum, she was
finally identified as the
1913 Johan Anker Six-
Metre, Mosquito,
perhaps the narrowest
Six-Metre built and the
first Bermudan rigged
Six in Norway. Petter
has already begun work
on her restoration and
plans to re-rig her with
her original Bermudan
rig. He has already
selected and cut the
trees for her mast and
boom.