Well, not quite, after all that is the Howth 17 Footer, but todays boat, is perhaps one of the most popular one design keelboats of its type (an old style classic racing keelboat) of course being, the XOD.
The class was formed in 1911, after a Alfred Westmacott, a boat builder in the Isle of White. And the class started gaining momentum, with 10 boats having been built before the outbreak of World War I, and by World War II 81 boats had been built. By this time, the XOD had almost sealed as a success, but with the outbreak of war, nothing was certain.
It wasn't until 1946, when building resumed after the war, that it resumed its successful past, and in 1946, a Yarmouth (IOW) division of the class started however this was stopped, and not resumed until 2008.
Over the years, the hull shape has remained entirely unchanged, however to keep with times changing, the class also allowed for change in the construction of the XOD.
Now, with over 140 boats racing, you can see why it would attract newcomers to the class. To illustrate my point, all you have to do is look at the event in 'Cowes Week', set aside for the XOD's.
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