Class History
contender147hi2007 celebrated the 40th anniversary of the International Contender.  Travel through time with boat archivist David Henshall and find out about the sailors and boats of yesteryear, and how the class has developed.


This history was written by David Henshall; copyright remains with Bearfacemedia for information in this section.
Click on a chapter title or follow the 'next' arrows for the full story.
Want to know more?  David's book "Hooked On - The Contender Story" is out soon!
   Display # 
1 The early years B.C?(Before Contenders) 5029
2 On trial 3786
3 Dorothy is dropped 3940
4 The class is launched 3733
5 A star is born 3764
6 First world championships 3681
7 Competitive high spirits 3590
8 Antipodean heaven 3371
9 Globetrotting 3462
10 The magical 3 figure mark 3525
11 California Dreaming 3458
12 21 today! 3381
13 Another year, another island 4291
14 New kid on the block, the RS 600 3863
15 Back to the roots 3454
16 Island hopping 3250
17 Gonna party like it's 1999 3283
18 Farewell to Freddie 3401
19 The Doctor calls 3418
20 The Contender today 3855