Stephens announced that he was going to enter Dorade in a trans-Atlantic race, many yachtsmen thought he was foolhardy. The lack of precision was obvious the moment Dorade was launched: The white stripe that had been painted around the hull to mark the waterline disappeared as it sank three inches below the surface. He had relied upon instincts alone, intuitive judgments of how a vessel's lines would affect its performance. Stephens had created a radical new design without the computer analysis and tank testing that is now commonplace. Dorade's bow and stern rose from the water with curvaceous grace, creating the elegant overhangs that are hallmarks of classic sailing yachts.īut Dorade represented a major risk. Like most designers of that time, he believed boats that were pleasing to the eye were also faster than unattractive ones. Stephens was certain Dorade would be fast. Thanks to the combination of a streamlined hull and 'outside ballast,' Mr. Dorade's stability came from a different source-a lengthy lead keel that put the ballast far below the waterline, where it would be much more effective in counterbalancing the force of the wind. Until then, it was believed that ocean-going stability could not be achieved without a much broader and heavier hull. It was also, by the standards of the day, extremely lightweight, in part because the frames that supported the hull were made from steam-bent sections of wood weighing far less than conventional and much bulkier sawn frames. It was strikingly slender, its beam just 10-foot-3. When Dorade, named for the dolphin that is correctly spelled Dorado, was launched in 1931, it sparked a revolution. On the basis of Olin's early promise, his father, who had recently sold the family coal-supply business, placed an order for a relatively large yacht, a 52-foot yawl. Stephens had dropped out of M.I.T., had brief apprenticeships with several leading yacht designers, drawn up plans for a handful of small boats, and formed his own company, Sparkman & Stephens. He studied them with what he later described as 'great concentration,' sketching any he thought might be worth emulating and imagining how he might do things differently. (November 6, 2006) OLIN STEPHENS' obsession with sailboats took hold shortly after World War I during a childhood visit to Cape Cod. Bruce Knecht - Photos by Cory Silkenĭorade is 75 its maker is 98-and they both remain (sea)worthy of admiration. Bruce Knecht's article that appeared in Scuttlebutt in 2007 tells the DORADE story very nicely, and is copied below. Dorade's recent restoration has also been in the news. Many articles have been written about DORADE and Olin's feat. It earned them a ticker tape celebration in New York City on their return. The young designer skippered his design to a spectacular victory in the 1931 Transatlantic Race with his father and brother in the crew. updated August 30, 2017ĭORADE was the boat that brought Olin Stephens to the attention of the nautical world. A Website For Dolphin Owners and Others Interested inĭORADE (Dorado - a kind of Dolphin.

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