perjantai 1. huhtikuuta 2011

The five-point-fives of Gösta Kyntzell, part 1

In 1949, when the GBR-001 "The Deb" was launched in Cowes as the first boat designed according to the 5.5 m rule, Gösta Kyntzell was already an established figure in the Nordic sailing scene. He himself debuted in yacht design in Gothenburg in 1907 with the first boat in his series of Inga-Lill, Little Inga, boats. Inga-Lill I was a Gothenburg Class A (Särklass A) yacht with a sail area of 30 square metres.

FIN-002 Bloss in Naantali (photo Kai Silván)

The first 5.5 m Inga-Lill was numbered XXXVIII and received the sail number FIN-002. Gösta Kyntzell always considered her to be the second 5.5 m in the world. Her sail number was issued just after FIN-001 Gullvinge, but Inga-Lill was launched first already in early 1950. Inga-Lill XXXVIII is build out of pine, different from many later yachts in the same class, which usually had a mahogany planking. She was later sold to Sigurd Nordman and received a new name from her crew Bengt, Lars and Sigurd, thus BLOSS. Bloss also means a flame or glow in Swedish, which goes hand in hand with the bright red paint she bears today.

The next winter after Inga-Lill the Wilenius boatyard in Porvoo built a Kyntzell boat for the yard owners L. Wilenius and E. Friman. FIN-003 Borgå Tippan was launched in 1951 and she fared well in the races that summer, often helmed by Yngve Pacius. Borgå Tippan was soon sold to H. Käcklund (club HSS) and renamed Nitouche and later Pikapuikko (Kalevi Westersund, HSK).

That same summer two Kyntzell yachts were launched outside Porvoo, Nina in Loviisa and Kimmo in Uusikaupunki. FIN-005 Nina was drawn for and built by Ragnar Nordström owner of Suomen Kalastus to be the Finnish challenger for the 1953 Scandinavian Gold Cup held in Hanko, but unfortunately Nina failed in the qualifying races. Nina was raced by Sigurd Nordman under ESF flag around Helsinki in 1955, but not much is known of her since then.

FIN-007 Kimmo was drawn for Niilo Kankare and Unto Koskinen and built by Uudenkaupungin veneveistämö in the west coast of Finland. In 1956 she changed hands to L. Aitokari (SPS) and was renamed Alli.
FIN-008 Ariane in Helsinki (photo Jorma Rautapää)
In 1952, after Nina and Kimmo the Wilenius boatyard continued building new Kyntzell constructions. The first in this series was FIN-008 Ariane IV built for Kari Lampen, Merenkävijät. She later moved to NJK, which at the time hosted the biggest fleet of 5.5’s. In NJK she was owned by the club commodore Birger Krogius and named Flamenco.

Like many other 5.5’s Ariane has received a deckhouse some time during the 1970-1980’s, but she still occasionally races in class races and Viaporin Tuoppi, the biggest wooden boat regatta in Finland. Besides Bloss and Borgå Tippan II, that I will present later, she is one of the few boats of her age still in racing condition today.


References:
Christoffer Ericsson, Skeppsbyggaren Gösta Kyntzell
Wilenius båtvarv, website
5.5 m class measurement certificates
Rannikkoseutu 2.10.2007

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