Stress (Norlin One Tonner)

Following a recent article on the Peter Norlin designed One Tonner Agnes I have been contacted by the current owner of the last of Norlin's 'A-series' of yachts, the One Tonner Stress, which has prompted this post  regarding her origins and racing history based on some excellent insights and photographs from Markus Norlin and her current owner, Polish yachtsman Zbyszek Kania.

Stress was built with GRP over an Airex core by Sailing Progress for the 1977 season, commissioned by Goran Winberg and Borje Blumenthal. She was essentially a development of the Agnes lines, but with slightly less drawn out displacement in the bow and slightly larger. 

Stress achieved immediate success in her first season - the overall winner of the Round Gotland race (against 200-300 boats) and a host of other local regattas in Sweden and Finland. She was winner of her class in Cowes Week that year, performing strongly in the light winds that prevailed, and she then went on to finish second overall in the Channel Race. Her result in the light airs Fastnet Race was not as impressive, as stronger winds came in for the smaller yachts after Stress and other top boats had finished.

Stress during the 1978 One Ton Cup (photo courtesy Markus Norlin)

Stress had measured in at just 27.2ft IOR, just below the One Ton limit of 27.5ft, and so for the 1978 season, and the One Ton Cup of that year, her bow section was replaced with one with a finer entry, extending her waterline and increasing her rating by 0.3ft. 

The original lines drawing of Peter Norlin's Stress

Peter Norlin at the helm of Stress

At the 1978 One Ton Cup, held in Flensburg, Germany, Stress opened her campaign strongly, with a first place in the opening race, and followed this with a fourth in the second race. But after this she stood no chance against the lighter fractional rigged yachts as the breeze arrived. Stress finished the series in seventh place overall, but won the Bummerlunder Cup for the best yacht in the inshore races, and was the top scoring masthead rigged yacht. 

Startline action in the 1978 One Ton Cup - Stress leads off towards the pin end of the line - Danish yacht Heatwave is visible two boats back with second placegetter Bremen just to windward (photo courtesy Markus Norlin)

Stress in her preferred light air conditions during the 1978 One Ton Cup (photo courtesy Markus Norlin)

Stress (left) in close company during the 1978 One Ton Cup, with Heatwave (D2892) and Export Lion (KZ-3398) to leeward and ahead.

After that Stress was sold by her original owners to a Swedish doctor Stephan Brandstedt, who raced her in the 1979 Fastnet Race. In the severe conditions that prevailed the mast was lost and the crew sought shelter in Cork, Ireland. She was then sold in 1984 to Johan Listrup and she was renamed Sylvia 2 (after his wife and mother), and the yacht went on to scored further victories in the Round Gotland race in 1984 and 1986, and in other years, up to 1991, she dominated Class 3 in this famous Swedish race. 

Sylvia 2 during a long offshore race off Sweden during the 1980s

Her present elliptical rudder was built in 1985 by Listrup's son, Jens Listrup, and based on rudder drawings from the Norlin One Tonner Big Foot. The previous owner had already modified the original rudder but this was very heavy, while Jens utilised the original aluminium shaft and corrected the previous asymetric shape to a more efficient (and symmetrical) design, saving 100kg in the process.

The Listrup family also built these impressive 1:10 scale models of Stress

Sylvia 2 was sold to a Polish sailor Bruno Salcewicz in 1996. She is now raced by another Polish sailor, Kazimierz Kuba Jaworski, who had also won the monohull division in the 1980 OSTAR. Kania has renamed the yacht as Mist and she now sails on the Baltic Sea, and is looking in good condition after a recent refurbishment in Poland. 

Stress in her more recent configuration, seen here in Poland in 2013 (photo Zbyszek Kania)