HomeShannon One Design History

History of the Shannon One Design

The Shannon One Design (SOD) is an 18 foot (5.49m) clinker-build sailing dinghy, unique to the lakes of Derg and Ree on the River Shannon in Ireland. It has a single gunter-rigged mainsail of 140 square feet (15.6 sq.m). The boat has a relatively narrow beam of 4 feet 10.5 inches (1.5m), and draws 4 feet (1.23m) with the centreboard down. The dinghy has a crew of three, a helmsman, a sheet hand and a third hand.

The concept of one-design class racing boat on the Shannon was considered at a meeting held on the 29th January 1920 of delegates from the Lough Derg, Lough Ree and North Shannon Yacht Clubs in the Prince of Wales Hotel in Athlone. Morgan Giles was commissioned to draw up a design and presented SOD ‘Design 201’, based on the dipping lugsail open 18’ lakeboat which was used widely on the Shannon and had been modified for racing. This design was slightly modified by the early members and the boat builder from a dipping lugsail to a gunter rig, a lighter centerboard and removal of the copper or mahogany buoyancy tanks.

The first Shannon One Design trial boat was ordered by L. Graham (Boy) Toler in 1921 from Walter Levinge, a boat builder on the shores of Lough Ree near Athlone. The boat was named ‘Phyllis’ – later numbered SOD 43 and renamed ‘Red Boat’ in 1923. The new class commenced numbering from SOD 32 to take into account existing racing dinghies with which it would compete on the River Shannon.

The Shannon One Design began to race in earnest in 1922 under the rules and specifications adopted at that time. New hull and sail specifications were adopted in 1989 to take into consideration emerging marine technologies.

With a large sail and comparatively narrow beam, a Shannon One Design is a lively performer, especially in a fresh breeze. The class attracts a wide range of sailors from far and wide, for the two main events each year, the week-long regattas at Ballyglass on Lough Ree and Dromineer on Lough Derg during August. Up to 55 SODs have participated in these events. Many of the same family names that attended those first meetings in the early 1920’s still feature in SOD racing today. The Shannon One Design boat register is currently at SOD No. 179.