Olin J.- 100 Years and Sailing On - A Tribute
by Des Ryan on 13 Jul 2008
. SW
S&S – a name associated with the best in sailing almost ever since it became a sport popular with those who had leisure and the means to obtain a boat, rather than a cargo delivery method.
The firm is, of course, Sparkman & Stephens, and Olin J. Stephens, one half of the legendary duo, celebrates his 100th birthday this year.
He lived through one World War, then, having grown up sailing on the New England coast of the USA, worked on the design of early J-boats of the 1930's. After the Second World War, he was then involved in the design of a string of America's Cup twelve-metre yachts which successfully warded off challengers from 1958 until 1983.
However, the partnership with Drake Sparkman, which was to swing the firm to the very peak of yacht design fame from which it has never fallen, started way back in 1929, when Olin was a mere 21 years old. He and his brother Rod set up shop with Drake, who hailed from a yacht broking background, just as the world was heading into the Great Depression.
This must have been daunting for the young sailors, but the partnership proved itself successful from the beginning. Within the first year they designed the ocean racer Dorade that was to win a 1936 Trans-pacific race. It was a family affair, with both his father and his brother joining him in the crew to win the race. On corrected time, the Dorade won the race by an incredible four days over the nearest competitor, and launched the Sparkman & Stephens name on the world stage, to become still today one of the most famed and admired names in yacht design and manufacture.
His journey as a yacht designer, spanning almost from the dawning of the world's enjoyment of sailing as an elegant leisure time activity, through vast technological changes, from pencil and paper to computer-aided technology, must have been an exciting ride. Olin Stephens took the ride all the way, swung with the changes, and when he retired he continued writing computer programs for designing yachts.
The awards have been many, and his recognition has been verging on reverence within the sailing world. He was awarded the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Award back in 1965 for his contributions to sailing by the North American Yacht Racing Union. Then, in 1993, he was inducted in the America's Cup Hall of Fame, and last year was named as one of the six inductees into the inaugural ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame.
Enjoy a couple more images of the famed brand:
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