X 195 'Turtle' Launch - the first new X One Design in 18 years!
by Mark Jardine 17 May 06:00 PDT
Jonathan Clark's new XOD 'Turtle' racing at Lymington on Saturday © Mark Jardine
I attended a rare event in the X One Design class: the launch of a new boat. It has been 18 years since the last new X was launched, and X195 has been a project that long in the making.
The XOD class holds a special place in my heart as I have a lot of family history in it, and I still find it extraordinary that a centenary event in a class where only 202 boats had been built (noting some have been lost to fire, storm, neglect and war) attracted 145 to a single startline during Cowes Week 2011. Some of the boats are antiques, but were being raced at times like they were go-karts, albeit much, much slower.
Jonathan Clark's X195 has been named 'Turtle' and is actually the ninth XOD he's owned. Jonathan was drawn into the class when he noticed how owners keep their boats for years on end. He was fascinated as to how each sail slightly differently, with some being easier to tack, while others having turns of speed in certain conditions, but overall the racing is incredibly tight.
The XOD has stood the test of time when classes around them get designed, become the next big thing, then fall away. Attendances at the big events wax and wane, but the club fleets - mainly Itchenor, Hamble, Lymington and Parkstone, with a few in Cowes and Yarmouth - remain as strong as ever.
Jonathan's passion came shining through during the launch event. He was adamant the reason he finished the boat build was 'for the class', but I think he's addicted to the boats.