A sailboat built for the Quarter Ton Cup
Dollar 2 was born from the hands of Ralph Malbrun in 1975. It was then the great era of the quarter tonner and the IOR rule. The young man, who was also an architect, started building his own boat for the big Quarter Ton Cup in Deauville in 1975. "He was inspired by Jean Berret's plans and built his boat in molded wood. The boat worked quite well, as he finished 12th out of 43, while he was confronted with all the big names present on these races at the time, such as Bruce Farr says Jack Lahieyte, the architect of its recent revival.
The boat then went through a series of owners until it was owned by a Parisian lawyer and left the water.
Discovery of a sailboat to renovate
Jack Lahieyte is a member of the Amerami association, which has been working for maritime heritage since 1975. This association has been sailing iconic boats representative of the history of yachting, under sail as well as under motor and even under steam. "I was looking for a quarter tonner to sail in Brest. I came across Dollar 2 which was in a shed in Castres. The launch was clean and it had only a few defects, easily repairable. With its history, I proposed it to the association which accepted" explains Jack.
Progressive renovations respecting the history of the boat
Dollar 2 then took the direction of Brest by road. A collective was set up around Jack for the renovation, with notably 5 local members of Amerami and Jack's friends. It relied on the support of local specialists from the Guip shipyard and the Musée de la Marine. The work is partly financed by the association, the complement coming from the members who bring the boat, with a commitment in work time and budget.
Work begins in 2018 and 2019, primarily on the exterior of the boat, with sanding and re-barking of the wood.
The boat is then back on the water and racing.
In 2021, Dollar 2's friends attacked the interior, which was restored to its original appearance.
Old fashioned regatta
The boat is now present on local regattas, from Brest. It sails in the conditions of 1975, 100% under sail and without engine. "We make the boat live locally. It's a pleasure. We can only regret that we are far from the fervor of the 1980s with these affordable IOR boats and that the measurement imposed today on prototypes does not help us" concludes, nevertheless philosophically, the new skipper of Dollar 2.
