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The History of
the beautiful "IleOla" ...
In 1946
the American boating magazine Rudder published details of a
rugged, narrow beamed, three-masted schooner.
Halfway
across the world, a 39 year old Geelong grocer, Geoff Wood, saw
the design and liked what he saw. It was, he decided "a lot
of yacht for your money".
On a
vacant block in Fyans Street, Chilwell, he began the
construction of the world`s first Marco Polo, which he called
‘Ile Ola’. It was the start of love affair that has lasted
44 years and covered well over 600,000 sea miles.
When
Herreshoff drew out the lines of his Marco Polo, he had in mind
a strong comfortable and sea kindly boat with an easily handled
spread of sail. Double-ended with a hull length of 16 meters, he
gave her a long water line length of 15 meters, a narrow beam of
3 meters and a 2 meter draft.
With a
three-masted schooner rig, her sail plan was designed around a
number of small, easily managed lots, that would also allow for
a variety of sail settings suited for prevailing wind
conditions.
From
the year of her launching, 'Ile Ola' has cruised the ocean
waters of south-eastern Australia and the western Pacific with
unfailing regularity. By 1990, her outstanding record of ocean
races stood as follows:
- Sydney-Hobart: 1
- Sydney-Noumea: 9
- Melbourne-Devonport:
17
- Sydney-Vanuatu: 2
- Melbourne-Hobart: 16
of the 23 races
- Sydney-Fiji: 3.
The principal objects
achieved in the design are:
- A very long cruising
radius under power.
- A sail plan that can
be handled by one man on watch.
- Extreme
seaworthiness
- Shallow draft which
not only will allow her to visit unique places but will
often avert serious disasters.
- She is cut away aft
so that she will lay-to a sea anchor with her head into
wind, and a balanced rudder designed to swing all the way
round.
- Her wind resistance
is cut to the minimum for laying at anchor in strong winds
and for driving economically under power.
- She is arranged to
sleep ten people comfortably.
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continue
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The "IleOla" ... Ride
The Legend !
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