15s in a Breeze

The 15m class racing in a breeze at the Voilles de St Tropez. The regatta formerly known as the Nioulargue brings together an incredible array of different types of sailing yachts in a spectacular setting.

The International Rule which created the 15s was devised by a group of the leading European yacht designers and other interested parties in 1906. They were wrestling with an old problem that had been clearly expressed in 1892 in a joint letter to the YRA from leading British yacht designers of the age, including Fife, Watson & Nicholson.

A desire to create a yacht with reasonable accommodation and to avoid short-lived “freaks”, fit only for racing, was also central to the International Rule. As a result, the rule was in two parts; a “scantling” rule which fixed minimum sizes and weights for all the structural elements of the hull, and a rating rule to measure the shape of the yachts and their rigs on a agreed basis.

The Rule also included minimum standards for accommodation; in the case of the 15s, intended that the owner could live on board for the season in reasonable comfort. The rule required a “least height of cabin” from sole to the underside of the deck (ignoring deck beams) of 6.23ft (1.90m), a “least breath of floor” from hull side to hull side of 4.65ft (1.40m), at least four bulkheads 0.59″ (15mm) thick, four sleeping berths and five sleeping “places” (for the crew, or some of them); and other details about lockers and toilets. There were also limits on crew numbers; only 14 people were allowed on board a 15 Meter during a race. At present there is no restriction on the number of crew per yacht