Bruce Kirby
Encyclopedia
Bruce Kirby is a Canadian-born yacht designer, dinghy and offshore racer and journalist. His designs span boats from the extremely popular single crew Laser
to America's Cup
challengers. He continues his design work in his American company Bruce Kirby Marine.
and began sailing on Lac Deschenes
with his father and older brother David. He likes to say he was late getting started because he was born in January and didn't get sailing until June.
When he was 8 and his brother was 10 their father designed and built them a 12-foot double ended sloop
; with a self bailing cockpit. The boat performed well and gave the youngsters a boat to use when they were not crewing aboard the family's 24-foot Velvet
.
By World War II
the boys were actively racing a 14-foot Peterborough
catboat, which had been left to them by a family friend who had been sent overseas. From there it was a small but significant step to the International 14
Class, and by war's end the Kirby boys, now teenagers, were crewing in this hot dinghy class, and borrowing boats from absent owners whenever possible.
in the 1956 Olympics
at the age of 27, only six months after marrying Margo Dancey of Ottawa, and moving to Montreal
to work for the Montreal Star
. The Games that year were in Melbourne
and Bruce finished 8th out of 24.
On the race course Bruce followed his 1956 Olympic effort with another try at the Finn in Japan
in 1964. This time he was 11th of 35, and likes to point out that again he was in the top one third. He raced in Cowes
for Canada against British and New Zealand
teams, gaining a team victory. His performance was worse when he sailed on the Canadian team in the Star Class
in Acapulco in 1968, where he dropped below mid fleet.
He raced in the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit from 1968 until 1983. and in 1981 was skipper of his own Runaway, a 40 foot fractional sloop which finished fifth in class and won the Nassau Cup, the final event of the series, in Class C. Under Kirby's command Runaway also won the 1980 Block Island Week in class and sailed on the Canadian team in the 1981 Admiral's Cup
in England
, finishing 9th out of the 39 boats from 13 countries.
Six months later, at the same time as he was working on his Mark V International 14, he was asked by a Montreal friend to design a "car topper" dinghy, and the result of that was the Laser
, which hit the market in January 1971. The success of this little boat - there are now 200,000 worldwide - inspired the designer to resign from the magazine and go full time into sailboat design.
Since then he has come up with about 60 designs, including many IOR
boats, and the 12-Meters Canada I and Canada II which were America's Cup challengers in 1983 and '87. He has also designed several cruising boats, including a line of shallow draft sharpie
s aimed at the home builder. In terms of numbers his second most successful design was the San Juan 24
, an IOR Quarter Tonner, which was built in Seattle and North Carolina
, and about 1,200 of which were produced.
In 1993 the Laser was chosen as one on the Olympic classes and first sailed in the Games in the 1996 event in Savannah
. The Laser Radial
, which is a Laser with a reduced rig
, and intended for lighter people, was chosen as the women's single handed Olympic boat for the 2008 event in Beijing.
Kirby's 23-foot Sonar and the Ideal 18 are turned out by Ontario Yachts in Oakville
. The Sonar is also being built in England. Bruce does his serious racing in the Sonar class, which numbers 28 at his club in Connecticut
and 800 worldwide. The Sonar is used in the Paralympics and world championships by disabled sailors.
as a reporter and began a career in journalism
that lasted until 1975.
In the middle of his time at the Journal he took a year to sail in Europe
with friends aboard a 70-foot ketch
and wrote a series of articles on their adventures for the Journal.
Kirby moved in 1965 to Chicago
together with his family, where he became editor
of the old One Design yachtsman Magazine, which is now called Sailing World.
about 40 miles from New York City
, and for the past 27 years have owned a harbor
side home with a dock at which he keeps his self-designed 35 foot centerboarder, Nightwind.
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
to America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
challengers. He continues his design work in his American company Bruce Kirby Marine.
Early life
Bruce Kirby was born and raised in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and began sailing on Lac Deschenes
Lac Deschênes
Lac Deschênes is a 27-mile long lake on the Ottawa River that runs from the Chats Falls hydro dam near Fitzroy Harbour in the west to the Deschênes Rapids in the east. It is a little over two miles wide at its widest point and little more than a few hundred yards at its narrowest...
with his father and older brother David. He likes to say he was late getting started because he was born in January and didn't get sailing until June.
When he was 8 and his brother was 10 their father designed and built them a 12-foot double ended sloop
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....
; with a self bailing cockpit. The boat performed well and gave the youngsters a boat to use when they were not crewing aboard the family's 24-foot Velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
.
By World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the boys were actively racing a 14-foot Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
catboat, which had been left to them by a family friend who had been sent overseas. From there it was a small but significant step to the International 14
International 14
The International 14 is 14-foot double-handed racing dinghy. The class originated in England in the early part of the 20th century. It is sailed and raced in many countries around the world and was one of the very first true international racing dinghy classes recognised by International Sailing...
Class, and by war's end the Kirby boys, now teenagers, were crewing in this hot dinghy class, and borrowing boats from absent owners whenever possible.
Racing and the Olympics
Upon his return to Canada, he sailed a FinnFinn (dinghy)
The Finn dinghy is the men's single-handed, cat-rigged Olympic class for sailing. It was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...
in the 1956 Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
at the age of 27, only six months after marrying Margo Dancey of Ottawa, and moving to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to work for the Montreal Star
Montreal Star
The Montreal Star was an English-language Canadian newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It folded in 1979 following an eight-month pressmen's strike....
. The Games that year were in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Bruce finished 8th out of 24.
On the race course Bruce followed his 1956 Olympic effort with another try at the Finn in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1964. This time he was 11th of 35, and likes to point out that again he was in the top one third. He raced 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...
for Canada against British and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
teams, gaining a team victory. His performance was worse when he sailed on the Canadian team in the Star Class
Star class
Star class could refer to:* Star-class sailboats raced in the Summer Olympic Games since 1932* GWR star-class locomotives from the 19th century.* GWR 4000 class locomotives from the early 20th century.* Stellar classification...
in Acapulco in 1968, where he dropped below mid fleet.
He raced in the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit from 1968 until 1983. and in 1981 was skipper of his own Runaway, a 40 foot fractional sloop which finished fifth in class and won the Nassau Cup, the final event of the series, in Class C. Under Kirby's command Runaway also won the 1980 Block Island Week in class and sailed on the Canadian team in the 1981 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...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, finishing 9th out of the 39 boats from 13 countries.
Yacht design
Two years after the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, in the fall of 1958, he tried his hand at serious design work with his first International 14, which became known as the Kirby Mark I. He designed the boat for himself but before his boat was completed four friends had ordered boats and the designer took the fourth one out of the mould. Cowes regatta showed that the Canadian boat had advantage on the upwind legs only in light winds so Bruce's Mark I was aimed at speed upwind in heavy air, and it turned out to be quite fast in those conditions. In all there were 28 Kirby Mark 1s built, and there were two of them, including the designer's, on the Canadian squad that won the team event at Toronto in 1961. Six more Kirby 14s were designed in the ensuing 14 years, and in particular the Mark III and Mark V sold very well in all countries where the class was popular.Six months later, at the same time as he was working on his Mark V International 14, he was asked by a Montreal friend to design a "car topper" dinghy, and the result of that was the Laser
Laser (dinghy)
The International Laser Class sailboat, also called Laser Standard and the Laser One is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. According the Laser Class Rules the boat may be sailed by either one or two people, though it is rarely sailed by two. The design, by Bruce Kirby, emphasizes...
, which hit the market in January 1971. The success of this little boat - there are now 200,000 worldwide - inspired the designer to resign from the magazine and go full time into sailboat design.
Since then he has come up with about 60 designs, including many IOR
International Offshore Rule
The International Offshore Rule was a measurement rule for racing sailboats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America rule for racer/cruisers and the Royal Ocean Racing Club rule.-Rule context - past and present rating systems:...
boats, and the 12-Meters Canada I and Canada II which were America's Cup challengers in 1983 and '87. He has also designed several cruising boats, including a line of shallow draft sharpie
Sharpie (boat)
Sharpies are long, narrow sailboats with flat bottoms, extremely shallow draft, centerboards and straight, flaring sides. They are believed to have originated in the New Haven, Connecticut region of Long Island Sound, United States...
s aimed at the home builder. In terms of numbers his second most successful design was the San Juan 24
San Juan 24
The San Juan 24 is a 24' yacht, and one of the most versatile keelboats for its size. It was designed by Bruce Kirby, for the Clark Boat Company, to the early 70's IOR standards, thus having a narrow entry and transom, with a wide beam...
, an IOR Quarter Tonner, which was built in Seattle and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and about 1,200 of which were produced.
In 1993 the Laser was chosen as one on the Olympic classes and first sailed in the Games in the 1996 event in Savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
. The Laser Radial
Laser Radial
The Laser Radial is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy, originally built by Laser Performance. It is a singlehanded boat, meaning that it is sailed by one person. The Laser Radial is a variant of the Laser Standard, with shorter mast and reduced sail area, allowing light sailors to...
, which is a Laser with a reduced rig
Rigging
Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...
, and intended for lighter people, was chosen as the women's single handed Olympic boat for the 2008 event in Beijing.
Kirby's 23-foot Sonar and the Ideal 18 are turned out by Ontario Yachts in Oakville
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
. The Sonar is also being built in England. Bruce does his serious racing in the Sonar class, which numbers 28 at his club in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and 800 worldwide. The Sonar is used in the Paralympics and world championships by disabled sailors.
Journalism
On graduating from Ottawa's Lisgar Collegiate in 1949 Bruce went to work at the Ottawa JournalOttawa Journal
The Ottawa Journal was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario from 1885 to 1980.It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the Ottawa Evening Journal. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the Winnipeg Free Press. In 1886, it was bought by Philip Dansken Ross.The...
as a reporter and began a career in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
that lasted until 1975.
In the middle of his time at the Journal he took a year to sail in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with friends aboard a 70-foot ketch
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
and wrote a series of articles on their adventures for the Journal.
Kirby moved in 1965 to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
together with his family, where he became editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
of the old One Design yachtsman Magazine, which is now called Sailing World.
Personal life
Kirby is married to Margo and has two daughters, Janice and Kelly. They moved in 1965 from Montreal to Chicago. For the past 36 years Bruce and his family have lived in the village of Rowayton on the shores of Long Island SoundLong Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
about 40 miles from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and for the past 27 years have owned a harbor
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
side home with a dock at which he keeps his self-designed 35 foot centerboarder, Nightwind.