It takes longer to review a two-book set than a single publication, especially one as packed with detail as The Twelve Metre Class. I’ve proven that, since it was November when I borrowed the set from Jan Slee, president of the International Twelve Metre Association.

Luigi Lang and Jan were the prime motivators in producing this epic history of a sailboat-racing class that is unlike any other. Not only has the class survived—and revived—more than once over its 100-plus years, but 12s have also been a racing class in the Olympics, a key part of the solution to early ineffective rating rules, and the pivotal player in the reshaping of the modern America’s Cup.

A two-book set, The Twelve Metre Class covers 100 years of class history and serves as a register of all Twelves.



Somebody has to be a driver to pull off a book project that has exhaustive and yet never-quite-complete detail. I can appreciate what Luigi, Jan, and co-author Dyer Jones have produced: these books are pretty special if you’re any kind of a student of sailing’s past.

The two clothbound books, published by LT Yachting Editions, come in a box and be purchased in the America's through Columbiatrading.com—leather-bound deluxe limited edition is also available. The first volume, with a pretty paper jacket, provides a narrative history of the class. The second volumet, with a large class insignia embossed on the cover, is a registry of every Twelve ever designed. Together, there are 572 pages of text, photos, lines plans, and historical data.

You’re not going to read this publication in one sitting. There have been four major periods in the class’s history, and if you get through one of them at a time, you’ll be making plenty of discoveries for one day. For example, the origins of the class were as part of Europe’s International Rule, which was a solution to a series of unsuccessful attempts to handicap sailboats of different designs through the late 19th Century. American yachtsmen preferred the Universal Rule, which produced the J Class designs used in the America’s Cup in the 1920's and 30's—and slowed acceptance on the west side of the Atlantic. And of course, the International Rule had some deficiencies that needed correcting, such as not accounting for sail area.

Twelves, as aficionados know, are not 12 meters in length, nor are they all limited to the exact same design the way a one-design like the Star is. Instead, the number 12 is the product of a formula that accounts for length, displacement, sail area, and certain other hull measurements. As the authors explain, this formula has been revised significantly during the history of the class, but the general result has been the construction of similar yet not identical vessels that can compete without handicap. Of course, different design approaches to the formula—and different details such as Intrepid’s spade rudder and Australia II’s upside-down winged keel— have produced dramatically different results on the racecourse.

When English yachtsmen wanted to challenge for the America’s Cup again after World War II, the class was chosen for its relatively modest size and cost. Twelves are typically about 65 feet long and were originally a medium-sized class within the International Rule. They are now the largest to survive—along with the smaller Eights and Sixes–and without doubt, racing in the America’s Cup from 1958 to 1987 was the key to their continuation.

The America’s Cup itself, and the design evolution of 12s during the Cup period, has been well covered in other books. What the authors of The Twelve Metre Class contribute in this section of the book is a clearer sense of how the intensive Cup period changed the designs in the context of the class itself. While the exploration of the class’s design “envelope” was critical, I was reminded of how important developments were in construction technique, use of new materials, and weight concentration. Even slower, unsuccessful designs like Sceptre (1958) made major changes in the deck layout and mechanics that were subsequently emulated.

The push to build a faster 12 affected the technology of sailboat design and equipment in all manner of boats, which is the topic of a later chapter. It’s a concise summary of changes to hulls, spars, sails, and equipment and serves as a typographic backdrop to a dozen of the most beautiful photos in the book, showcasing the construction (and restoration) of several boats.

In the final chapter, “A New Summer…” there’s a description of the recent quarter century since the America’s Cup finally moved on. It covers the burst of energy the class has experienced, with an increasing number of restorations and a series of regattas on both sides of the Atlantic. I’m sure this has been produced, in part, by nostalgia for the Cup period, but it’s also due to a larger movement to restore and maintain the classics of yachting. For whatever reason, the class, and the history of yachting, is a beneficiary as more 12s than ever are now sailing.

The Twelve Metre Class sample spread

One hundred years of history in words and dramatic photos



One of my favorite parts of the book is an appendix called “the Hall of Fame” in which short profiles are included of all the designers of 12-Metres. Other appendices include the America’s Cup Deed of Gift, and, for further study, a detailed bibliography of books on yacht design and the America’s Cup.

Then, of course, there’s the second book in the set…hundreds of non-narrative pages to browse about each boat ever built and each major race ever held. Dip into page 304 and read about the Starling Burgess Design, Anitra, built in Germany by Abeking & Rasmussen in 1928. There’s a record of a dozen owners and homeports for the boat and then her restoration in Germany; the current homeport is Flensburg, Germany. By contrast, a few pages later, there’s a largely blank page with the record of Devonia, designed by Morgan Giles in 1932; we learn only the basic specifications and the fact that due to illness of the owner, the boat was never built. One day, the page may need updating, though. There have been cases of owners building new boats to old designs, so Devonia could yet make sail.

The scholarship, production qualities and photography employed in of The Twelve Metre Class are first rate, although a few typos have slipped in. Nonetheless, if you have ever competed on a Twelve Metre, you’ll want to own this book. The same is true if you’re a student of naval architecture for sailing yachts. If you’re a sailor who has been on the outside looking in at the 12s, like most of us, the two-book set would be a good reference addition to your bookshelf.

The Twelve Metre Class is a living document of the class, according to Jan. After the first printing (250 copies), the book will be updated to include new details and data corrections.  The updated pages will also be available online to those who own the book.

Editor's Note: John Burnham is the editorial director of Dominion Marine Media.

Written by: John Burnham
John Burnham is a boat owner, leadership coach, marine writer, editor, and champion sailboat racer. He is the former editor of Sailing World, Cruising World, and boats.com.