History

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In the 1949, as other class' popularity waned and costs were restricted after the war, the 5.5 metre class came onto the scene. Offering good value for money and a new development space, it was popular and raced in the Olympic Games from 1952 - 1968.

 

The class was popular enough to be considered, in 1960, as the basis for a one-design class, with a target price of about £1700. Owen and Robin Aisher took the lead, with Robin being a 5.5m Olympic sailor. The yacht was based off the 1956 Olympic boat "Vision", raced by "Stug" Perry, who also supported the development along with David Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford-Haven, cousin to Prince Philip. 

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The first boats were built by Halmatic from drawings by Arthur Robb. From the outset, the boats have been built from glass fibre and used metal spars. Early boats used plywood decking; later boats used glass fibre. Sails were made by Ratsey and Lapthorn.

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The name "Daring" is believed to have been taken from the Daring-class destroyers of 1949, with several names being shared with yachts of the class. The class association has enjoyed mutual visits with both the old and the new Daring class destroyers.

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The first racing season was in 1962, with five boats. From the start, the class has enjoyed the support of all of the Cowes clubs. In the early days, there was prize money to be won - but over the years this has been replaced by an impressive collection of silverware awarded annually.

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While the Daring class never quite broke a wider market, the yachts in Cowes went from strength to strength with additional batches of boats being built for an eventual total of 33 boats by 1992. Some details of spars and sails evolved over the time but the Daring remained essentially one-design.

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No new boats were built until 2009 whereupon the D2 project bore fruit. Initiated the previous year to address heavy usage of the older boats of the class, the project was to update the design internally to improve ergonomics without changing performance, including a new deck profile and internal fittings.

 

The programme produced the first new Daring in 16 years, aptly named "Debutante", and over the next few years an additional six boats received renewed hulls and decks. David Gower, owner of "Dolphin", was the main force behind the project while Theo Rye was the naval architect.

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Over time, the number of boats participating has waxed and waned but to this day, they are the most popular and regular of all dayboat classes in Cowes and achieve an impressive number of races every season. Almost all of the boats remain in Cowes, just waiting for the day when a new owner comes to the class.