Navigation Menu button
english language deutsch sprache la langue française english language nederlandse taal svenska språket english language
change language
International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Great Spray Effects. Frederik Steimann (GER68) at the 2011 worlds, Travemunde, Germany. Photo: © Robert Muller"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: 2014 Worlds, San Francisco. Race 4 Start line action. Chris Maas and Willy Clark battling at the pin end. Photo © Robert Muller

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "International Indeed, Close Action.. Alistair Warren (GBR317), Chris Maas (USA246) and Peter Ullmann (GER79) at the 2011 worlds, Travemunde, Germany. Photo: © Robert Muller"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: Michael Leitch (CAN 30) at the 2014 Worlds, San Francisco. Photo © Robert Muller

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Michael Brigg and his 50 year old veteran, (K102) at the 2017 Worlds, Pwlhelli. Photo: © Robert Muller"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Chris Maas (USA259) at the 2017 Worlds, Pwlhelli. Photo: © Robert Muller"

International Canoe Worlds 1975

Hayling Island, England

Hayling Island SC hosted the 6th ICF world championship for Canoe sailing in a week of continuous sunshine and failing wind at the end of August. Canoes came from Sweden, Germany, USA, Spain and the UK to compete in this three-yearly event.

Sweden, represented by a powerful team of eleven, showed complete dominance, filling the first three places overall and in every race except one. Raciong commenced on Sunday August 24th in a Force 4 SW winds following a practice race on Saturday for the 10sq.m. Trophy won by Gunnar Aggefors (Sweden). Mats Lind and Lars Lundgren managed to sort out tides and windshifts to score first and second respectively in the Sunday and Monday races. Wind shifts were a major problem for John Hunt the race officer. Some days proved almost impossible with major shifts occurring in the 5 minutes before the start resulting in general recalls and more attempts to get the fleet away; Tuesday saw the entire fleet on the water for some seven hours. Swedish team officials could be seen topping their boys up with glucose drinks before leaving the shore!

Martin Rosell, the defending world champion, appeared in the top five on Tuesday, gaining a second from clubmate Lundgren, with Leif Johansson third. The starting line in this race was something akin to a Grand National fence with two Spanish Canoes capsizing bringing down a few others to boot [editors note: the Grand National is an English horse race over particularly large and difficult obstacles. It is noted for the number of horses which fall or are brought down by others.].

Of the English contingent Tony Miles achieved a fourth on Sunday when the wind was strongest but was not to be seen in the first five thereafter; John Biddle, fourth on Monday and third on Wednesday, was the only English sailor to finish in the top three in any race while Ken Davis proved to be the most consistent, always in the first eight, giving him the best English result of fourth overall. Ian Smith, late of Toys [I assume this means the TOY class, which was a sliding seat singlehander designed for the IYRA (now ISAF) trial process which eventually selected the Contender. That class was reasonably popular in the UK in the 60s and early 70s.], found his way round the wind shifts to record a sixth on Thursday and Friday.

The Swedish team consisted of two groups; those from Gothenburg Canoe Club and those from Stockholm and district. The winner overall Lars Eric Lundgren from Gothenberg sailed a Rosell designed chine canoe which he sailed consistently well all week [editors note: doubtless the famous/notorious Slurp design]. The majority of the Swedish sails were home-made but of a very high standard, being supported either on rotating Proctor Es or Betas. Leif Johansson, second overall, sails an all-glass Canoe to the one design rule while Mats Lind sails a Miles-built cold moulded Canoe.

While the UK fleet lick their wounds for the second year running their overall performance has without doubt improved, but lacks the development in rig which the Swedes have achieved. Racing was close at all times:; there was a fight for every position in the first fifteen. Courses were laid well but the tides often turned the reaches ito runs with the light airs that prevailed. Hayling Island S.C.'s organisation both on and off the water left nothing to be desired. The next international event will probably be at Ma Menor Spain next Easter.

Tony Marston. This report first appeared in Yachts and Yachting Magazine.

Top 5 Results
1st Lars E Lundgren Gothenburg Canoe Club Sweden
2nd Leif Johansson Stockholm Canoe Club Sweden
3rd Mats Lind Stockholm Canoe Club Sweden
4th Ken Davis Harwich Town SC UK
5th Martin Rosell Gothenburg Canoe Club Sweden

Search the IC site for with

This web site is provided by the International Canoe Federation's Sailing Committee

HTML check . CSS check

Communicate with the editor

International Canoe Home Page

IC Home Page

Canoe Events Future

Canoe Events Past

Reports for earlier events, where available, are linked from the ‘medallist’ pages.

Canoe Associations

Canoe Talk

Canoe Action

Canoe Rules

Canoe History

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: Peter Ullman at the Leeward Mark at the 2014 Worlds, San Francisco. Photo © Robert Muller

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: Mikey Radziejowski at the 2014 Worlds, San Francisco. Photo © Robert Muller

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "2013 Europa Cup Champion Colin Brown.. Photo: © Loch Lomond SC"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Paul Hignett kicks up the spray on the abandoned last day of the 2013 Europa Cup at Loch Lomond.. Photo: © Loch Lomond SC"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Steve Bowen (GBR310) at the 2017 Worlds, Pwlhelli. Photo: © Robert Muller"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Race Action at the 2024 Worlds: © Ulrike Verrkamp"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Hugh deLong (GBR275) at the 2017 Worlds, Pwlhelli. Photo: © Robert Muller"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Milena Lutzen at the 2024 Worlds: © Ulrike Verrkamp"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: David Gilliland (USA 209) - Texas rodeo. 2014 Worlds, San Francisco. Photo © Robert Muller

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Marei Charlotte Junge (GER60) at the 2011 worlds, Travemunde, Germany. Photo: © Robert Muller"

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: Robin Wood on his way to winning the 2008 Billy No Mates © James Close, JEC Creative.

International 10 sq.m. Canoe International 10 sq.m. Canoe

Image: "Milena LUTZEN at the 2024 Worlds: © Ulrike Verrkamp"