feature story n 2001, Dr. Britton Chance, an Olympic gold medalist and world renowned researcher in the field of early The detection of breast and brain cancer, donated Complex II to the International Yacht Restoration School. Grateful Restoration for the work that IYRS has done toward reviving inter- est in classic wooden boats, he hoped that a member of Complex II the 5.5 Metre class would get her on the water again. of Complex II was the gold medal winning 5.5 Metre in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, and soon she will The 1952 serve a whole new purpose. Besides a passion and a talent for sailing (see sidebar about Olympic Ihis Olympic medal win), Chance also has a passion for science. He graduated from the University of Pennsylva- Gold Medal nia and earned a doctorate in Physical Chemistry. Soon after graduation, he was offered a job by an English Winning company to develop an early version of autopilot for ships transiting from England to Australia. While 5.5 Metre in England, he attended Cambridge University and received a second PhD in Physiology. He returned to the States from England before the outbreak of World War II, where he By Carter Richardson worked at MIT in the top-secret Radia- IYRS ‘04 tion Laboratory developing an early version of radar. After the war ended, he focused on biochemistry and bio- physics research. Most recently, his work has led to the development of a non-invasive imagery device used in the detection of breast cancer. Chance, who turns 96 in July, now splits his time between his labs in Phila- delphia and China. Complex II sailing upwind in the 1950s. Dr. Britton Chance Dr. 8 • RQ • SUMMER 2009 feature story For seven years, Complex II was one dreamed of restoring the boat to her boards, coamings and interior furniture. of a dozen or so members of the IYRS original glory. In the spring of 2008, he The initial survey of Complex II showed wooden boat “boneyard.” The varnish contracted East Passage Boatwrights of the classic signs of an older wooden boat was peeling off her bright hull, and the Bristol, R.I., to do the job. containing broken frames along the hard colors of her once-proud Olympic rings turn of the bilge and the entire centerline were fading with each passing season. Surveying THE structure rotted from the destructive Rex Howland, one of thousands of visi- CLASSIC SIGNS OF age interaction between oak and iron. The tors that passed her on Thames Street Complex II is planked in mahogany topside planks were in good shape, with every year and now the president of over steam-bent white oak frames, and the exception of the aft ends, which were The Chance for Life Sailing Foundation, she has a mahogany transom, covering Continued on page 10 An Olympic Gold for Complex II AT the concl U sion of the Complex II was crewed by twin brothers, 1948 LONDON Olympics, it was Edgar and Sumner White. Michael apparent that a smaller, more economical Schoettle, former crew for Chance sailing alternative to the very popular 6 Metre E-Scows, was selected as an alternate. class was needed. Charles E. Nicholson The deep waters off the coast of Helsinki of Camper & Nicholson was tasked with were picked for the Olympic races due the design. Different than the International to the minimal tidal current and absence Rule used to measure 6, 8, 10 and 12 of freak strong winds created by large Metre boats, the new design was based on wooded islands that dot the Scandinavian a variation of the 1912 Boat Racing Asso- coast. The regatta was set up as a series ciation Formula, where length, beam, sail of seven races held over 10 days with the area and displacement are entered into an top six results counting toward the final equation resulting in a number less than placement. 5.5. The new class, the 5.5 Metre, would At the conclusion of the sixth race, the be half the cost but nearly the same hull United States was in second place behind speed as the 6 Metre. Norway’s entry Encore. The conditions at The class made her Olympic debut in the starting line of the seventh race were the 1952 Helsinki games, and the Scan- calm seas and 10 knots of winds, deci- dinavian Gold Cup adopted the design sively in the United States’ favor. Complex for the prestigious international regatta II was designed as a light air boat, where as a year later. The 5.5 Metre remained an the Luders-designed Encore was a heavy Olympic-class boat until the 1968 Mexico weather boat. City Olympic Games, when the class In a 2004 interview, Chance discusses attracted the same criticism that fueled PHOTOS FROM TOP the game plan for the final race. “Our Complex II finishing a race during its origin. It was replaced by the smaller strategy was a typical one: sit on your the1952 Olympics. one-design Soling class, and despite losing Complex II at the start of the rival and try to escape when the oppor- the Olympic designation, the 5.5 Metre Olympic Trials. tunity arises.” Encore built a quick lead, remains very popular in Europe with a Dr. Chance (third from left) with leaving Complex II well back in the fleet. scattered following in the United States. his Olympic crew. The Americans began their comeback by When it was announced that the (Photos courtesy of the passing the Portuguese and Finnish boats, 5.5 Metre class would be used in the Official Report of the XV Olympiad) putting themselves in a position to execute Olympics, Dr. Chance commissioned their strategy. Chance pulled even with Arvin Laurin, a noted Swedish designer, Encore and maneuvered to windward, to draw up 5.5 US-1 Complex II. The hull blocking the Norwegian’s clean air. The was quickly christened at an Olympic Americans began to pull away and crossed qualifying race in Genoa, Italy, where the line more than two minutes in front she won. Since no other U.S.-owned 5.5 of the fourth place Encore. The time gap had entered the race, Chance was unchal- was enough to give Complex II the gold lenged as the American representative for medal; Encore was awarded the silver and the 1952 Olympics. Along with Chance, Sweden’s Howja the bronze. SUMMER 2009 • RQ • 9 feature story East Passage Boatwrights East Passage Complex II being flipped right side up after completion of planking. Complex II Continued from page 9 thinned from years of sanding, and the where possible. “Structurally, there was a clamp, the entire deck structure will be sheer planks, which were rotted from lot of damage to the centerline timbers; it replaced with Douglas fir deck beams, a freshwater damage. was challenging,” said Nick Eide of East nearly identical species to the original The original table of offsets was given Passage Boatwrights. “In many places, Norwegian pine structure. Because the to Pedrick Yacht Designs of Newport, there was little to no information that deck was replaced with a plywood deck R.I., to create a 3-D model of the boat could be used for the manufacturing of during her first restoration in 1975, there that conformed to the strict guidelines a new keel.” The new locust stem, used is no documentation on the original of the class. The first model produced in place of a steam-bent white oak stem material. East Passage Boatwrights will from the computer showed that the hull because locust is easy to find with a use Alaskan white pine planks covered was far from fair and suggests that many grown sweep, as well as the entire length with Sunbrella canvas. changes were made but not recorded of the keel will be fastened with silicon when the boat was designed in 1951. bronze bolts eliminating the corrosion IN ITS NEXT LIFE, COMPLEX II After some changes, an updated table of that doomed the original keel. to RAISE cancer awareness offsets was provided. “It was an interest- The topside planks were carefully Once completed, Complex II will serve ing mix between new and old,” explained stripped and sanded of years of varnish as a vessel to raise awareness and funds Seth Hagen of East Passage Boatwrights. to reveal beautiful dark brown mahogany. for cancer research and treatments. In “Even though it was faired on a computer, In keeping with original construction December 2006, a close friend of How- at full size, the eye picks up on subtle methods, the boat will be replanked land’s was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, necessary changes.” An amended table using glued tight seam construction with a form of brain cancer. Two years later, was sent back for Pedrick to plug into Scandinavian or vertical scarves. All the his friend lost his battle to the disease. the program again. This process repeated underwater planks will be replaced. Even As Howland started his research into itself until both boat builder and designer though photos indicate that originally she the history of the boat, it became clear agreed on the final product. was painted white, the hull will instead to him that the restoration of Complex II One of the goals for the restoration is be varnished. could serve a bigger purpose. In a remark- to reuse as much of the original material With the exception of the sheer able twist of fate, her original owner, Dr. 10 • RQ • SUMMER 2009 feature story Chance, was not only passionate about the revival of the 5.5 Metre, but he East Passage Boatwrights was also an expert in the field of cancer research and treatments.