Shields sailboat
Encyclopedia
One-design
One-Design is a racing method where all vehicles or boats have identical or very similar designs or models. It is also known as Spec series. It is heavily used in sailboat racing. All competitors in a race are then judged based on a single start time...
sailing in the U.S. conceived of a modern followup to the International One Design
International One Design
The International One Design is a class of sail boat developed for yacht racing. It is a 33-foot open cockpit day sailer used for day racing, rather than for overnight, or ocean races, such as the Newport–Bermuda Yacht Race...
. The new boat would have the balance and beauty of the IOD while incorporating modern trends such as fiberglass construction. Shields commissioned Olin Stephens
Olin Stephens
Olin James Stephens II was an American yacht designer of the 20th century. Stephens was born in New York, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a term.Stephens' name had a long history...
for the design. Over 250 have been built and many are actively raced in fleets around the U.S. Shields are sloop-rigged
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
and usually sailed by a crew of three to five. No hiking straps
Hiking (sailing)
thumb|350px|A sailing canoe with crew hiking out on the outrigger, in Ailuk Lagoon, [[Marshall Islands]].In sailing, hiking is the action of moving the crew's body weight as far to windward as possible, in order to decrease the extent the boat heels...
are allowed, keeping athletic demands on the crew to a minimum. (Shields class web site.)
Principal dimensions: LOA 30'2" (9.19 m), DWL 20' (6.1 m), beam 6'5" (1.96 m), draft 4'9" (1.45 m), displacement 4,600 lb (2.1 t), ballast 3,080 lb (1.4 t), sail area (Main
Mainsail
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast....
, Jib
Jib
A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bow, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast...
) 360 ft² (33 m²), (Spinnaker
Spinnaker
A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of...
) 520 ft² (48 m²)
The Shields enjoys a strong National Association that organizes annual championship regattas. There are active fleets welcoming sailors across the country, including Newport, RI, Chicago, IL and Monterey, CA.