Ron Holland
Encyclopedia
Ronald John Holland is a yacht
designer, who came to prominence in the 1970s with his successful racing designs, and is now best known for his superyachts such as Mirabella V
and Ethereal. He is based in Kinsale
, Ireland
.
businessman Hugh Coveney
. Golden Apple enabled Holland to set up as independent designer, and he relocated to County Cork
in Ireland
.
, Italy
.
This was followed by 'Silver Shamrcok III' in 1977 which was built in cold moulded spruce for the Half Ton Cup in Sydney Australia. It was the year of Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee. The boat should have won the Half Ton Cup, but lost her mast in the last race. The production version of Silver Shamock III was called the Shamrock Silver Jubilee or Nicholson Half Tonner. Probably the best known of these yachts is Grimalkin, which took part in the Fastnet Race of 1979, and became the subject of a book entitled "Left for Dead: The Untold Story of the Tragic 1979 Fastnet Disaster". It should be noted that although Grimalkin was abandoned at sea, she was later salvaged afloat and still sails.
Meanwhile Holland's Nicholson 33 design, for the English boatbuilder Camper & Nicholson, had begun production and one of these, Golden Delicious, won the 1975 Fastnet Race
.
Other remarkable boat designs include 'Big Apple', 'Regardless', 'Golden Apple of the Sun' and ' Silver Apple of the Moon'.
Further commissions followed, including a new Morning Cloud
for the former British Prime Minister Edward Heath
. Holland's designs featured prominently in the 1977 and 1979 Admiral's Cup
series of races in Cowes
.
His 40-footer Imp won the 1977 Fastnet Race. This led to commissions for the 80-foot Maxi Class yachts Kialoa and Condor
and for a series of designs for Finnish
yachtbuilder Nautor's series of Swan yachts
between 1979 and 1990. A Holland 30, Screw Loose, won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
in 1979.
Condor
, the Maxi Class yacht built in 1981, still sails as a passenger boat in Australia's Whitsunday Islands
.
'NCB Ireland' was the Irish entry in the Volvo Ocean Race. Although built and launched with great fanfare, she did not perform as well as expected or as well as the more adventurous designs from the southern hemisphere sporting a Mizzen rig.
The 103-foot Whirlwind, launched in 1986, was Holland's largest design to date and one of the first of a new breed of superyacht - large yachts which used new technologies to provide strong sailing performance without requiring a large crew.
The 247-foot Mirabella V
, launched in 2003, was not only Holland's largest design, but also the largest ever single-masted sailing yacht.
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
designer, who came to prominence in the 1970s with his successful racing designs, and is now best known for his superyachts such as Mirabella V
Mirabella V
Mirabella V is a sloop-rigged super yacht launched in 2003. At an estimated cost of over US$50million, she is the largest single-masted yacht ever built.-Ownership:...
and Ethereal. He is based in Kinsale
Kinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Background
Holland started competitive sailing at the age of eight and was apprenticed as a boatbuilder in Auckland, where he built his first design, the 26' sloop White Rabbit in 1966.In the USA
While working in Florida, he designed the 24' Eygthene, which won the 1973 Quarter Ton Cup. (The name of the boat was a pun on the New Zealand pronunciation of the word 'eighteen': quarter-ton yachts are rated at 18-feet under the IOR rating rule). The success of Eygthene led to a commission to design a One-ton class yacht for IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
businessman Hugh Coveney
Hugh Coveney
Hugh P. Coveney was a senior Irish Fine Gael politician, and a noted yachtsman.Hugh Coveney was born into one of Cork's prosperous "merchant prince" families in 1935. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork, Clongowes Wood and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors...
. Golden Apple enabled Holland to set up as independent designer, and he relocated to County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
In the Republic of Ireland
'In 1974 he designed, and Killian Bushe built 'Golden Shamrock, his 30' design for the Half Ton Cup in la Rochelle. This was followed in 1975 By 'Golden Leprechain' another variation of the Half-ton Class. The Shamrocks went into production in Cork. One of these boats, Silver Shamrock, built lightly by Killian Bushe at South Coast Boatyard and steered by Harold Cudmore won the 1976 Half-ton Cup in TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
This was followed by 'Silver Shamrcok III' in 1977 which was built in cold moulded spruce for the Half Ton Cup in Sydney Australia. It was the year of Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee. The boat should have won the Half Ton Cup, but lost her mast in the last race. The production version of Silver Shamock III was called the Shamrock Silver Jubilee or Nicholson Half Tonner. Probably the best known of these yachts is Grimalkin, which took part in the Fastnet Race of 1979, and became the subject of a book entitled "Left for Dead: The Untold Story of the Tragic 1979 Fastnet Disaster". It should be noted that although Grimalkin was abandoned at sea, she was later salvaged afloat and still sails.
Meanwhile Holland's Nicholson 33 design, for the English boatbuilder Camper & Nicholson, had begun production and one of these, Golden Delicious, won the 1975 Fastnet Race
Fastnet race
The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of . The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at...
.
Other remarkable boat designs include 'Big Apple', 'Regardless', 'Golden Apple of the Sun' and ' Silver Apple of the Moon'.
Further commissions followed, including a new Morning Cloud
Morning Cloud
Morning Cloud was the name given by the British politician Edward Heath to a series of five yachts which he owned between 1969 and 1983.-No. 1:...
for the former British Prime Minister Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
. Holland's designs featured prominently in the 1977 and 1979 Admiral's Cup
Admiral's Cup
The Admiral's Cup is an international yachting regatta. For many years it was known as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing. The Admiral's Cup regatta was started in 1957 and was normally a biennial event which was competed for between national teams. However the event was not...
series of races in Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
.
His 40-footer Imp won the 1977 Fastnet Race. This led to commissions for the 80-foot Maxi Class yachts Kialoa and Condor
Condor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
and for a series of designs for Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
yachtbuilder Nautor's series of Swan yachts
Nautor's Swan
Oy Nautor AB is a Finnish producer of luxury sailing yachts, based in Jakobstad. It is known for its Swan line of fiberglass yacht. The company was founded in 1966 by Pekka Koskenkylä...
between 1979 and 1990. A Holland 30, Screw Loose, won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...
in 1979.
Condor
Condor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
, the Maxi Class yacht built in 1981, still sails as a passenger boat in Australia's Whitsunday Islands
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
.
'NCB Ireland' was the Irish entry in the Volvo Ocean Race. Although built and launched with great fanfare, she did not perform as well as expected or as well as the more adventurous designs from the southern hemisphere sporting a Mizzen rig.
The 103-foot Whirlwind, launched in 1986, was Holland's largest design to date and one of the first of a new breed of superyacht - large yachts which used new technologies to provide strong sailing performance without requiring a large crew.
The 247-foot Mirabella V
Mirabella V
Mirabella V is a sloop-rigged super yacht launched in 2003. At an estimated cost of over US$50million, she is the largest single-masted yacht ever built.-Ownership:...
, launched in 2003, was not only Holland's largest design, but also the largest ever single-masted sailing yacht.