IiYacht kwi-2017 ye-12-Meter yeNyakatho yeMelika.Ifoto nguSallyAnne Santos / Windlass Ihlabathi lokuhamba ngesikhephe linokhuphiswano olukhulu. Kukho iNdebe yeMelika, iVolvo Ocean, iVendee Globe, i-Extreme Sailing kunye ne-Sydney ukuya kwimidyarho yaseHobart. Icala elisezantsi kukuba ngekhe uhambe ngomkhombe kuzo-nanini na. Nokuba zizenzelo nje, okanye kunzima kakhulu kwaye kuyabiza zigcinelwe oosozigidi kunye neebhiliyoni.
Kodwa udidi lweemitha ezili-12 lweenqanawa (zihlala zibizwa ngokuba ziiTwelves, mhlawumbi ngaphandle kothando, mhlawumbi ngenxa yokuba upelo lwemitha luxhomekeke kwingxoxo-mpikiswano yomhlaba) alufuni nxaxheba kuloo nto. Eli candelo lihloniphekileyo linakho konke: inzala yesibini kwimbali (bahamba ngomkhumbi kwii-Olimpiki zowe-1908), iinqwelo-moya ezisebenzayo zehlabathi, umanyano lomanyano kunye nenkqubo yomnqophiso efikelelekayo nefikelelekayo. Ezi zikhephe ezibukeka kwaye zivakalelwa njengezikhephe. Ababhabhi kwiifoyile okanye batyhutyhe ngenxa yokungazinzi.
I-Twelves yaqaliswa okokuqala ngo-1907, kwaye isakhiwa nanamhlanje. Zimalunga neenyawo ezingama-70 kwaye ziyilelwe kwinto eyaziwa ngokuba ngumthetho webhokisi. Azifani zonke, kodwa ngaphakathi kwiklasi yazo ubunzima bayo kunye nemilinganiselo ziyafana ukuba banako ukubaleka nxamnye omnye komnye. Ngale ndlela, uyilo loyilo, njengezinto zangaphantsi zangaphantsi kunye neerigs ezintsha, zibandakanyiwe eklasini. Izikhephe ezitsha nezindala zinamacandelo azo.
Iintsomi zika-Sailing njengo-Olin Stephens ziyile izikhephe ezili-12-Meter. Ndasuka, uyilo lukaStephens olwakhiwe ngonyaka we-1939, yenye yezona zinto zithandwayo ziTwelves ngalo lonke ixesha, kwaye isabaleka kwaye iphumelela eYurophu. UFilipu Rhodes uyile Imozulu, Kwaye usaqhubeka nokubaleka kwaye uyafumaneka kwi-charter eNewport, eRhode Island. USparkman noStephens bayile I-Columbia, Inesibindi Kwaye uTed Turner wenza udumo kwiNdebe yeMelika ka-1977, Nesibindi . Zonke zisabaleka. Kwaye Columbia kwaye Bangenasibindi ziyafumaneka kumnqophiso. 
Isikhephe kwi-Championship ye-12-Meter World Championship e-Barcelona.UMbutho weSallyAnne Santos | YenzUlass
Abakhweli abanobuchule kwihlabathi benza amanqaku abo kwiklasi ye-12-Meter: UDennis Connor; Ted Hood, Emil (Ibhasi) Mosbacher; kwaye ke, Ted Turner. Bonke bahamba ngeTwelves kwiNdebe yeMelika.
Ukuphakama kwe-12-Meter fever kwakungu-1958 ukuya ku-1987 iminyaka yeNdebe yaseMelika-ixesha elide lihamba ngawo nawuphi na umgangatho. I-Twelves yayigqibelele ixesha le-post-J-Boat. Ngokungafaniyo nee-Js, ezi-mammoth, ii-Twelves zifuna abasebenzi abancinci kakhulu, ziqhezu lobungakanani kunye neendleko, kwaye zinokuguqulwa ngokulula njengokuqhubela phambili kwetekhnoloji yokubaleka. Ezi zikhephe zazigcina iNdebe ngokukhuselekileyo ezandleni zaseMelika, zibonisa kwihlabathi, emanzini aseNewport, ukuba iMelika yayinezona zikhephe zibalaseleyo kunye noomatiloshe ababalaseleyo.
Ngoku kuthotho lweeRegattas zilungiselelwe ukubhiyozela ukuvuselelwa kweTwelves. Eli hlotyeni labona ezintathu: ezimbini eNewport kunye nenye kwiDiliya kaMartha. Zonke zinikezelwe phantsi kwesambrela seNdlela eya kwiiHlabathi. Le ndlela izakuphela ngo-2019, eNewport, ngoKhuphiswano lweHlabathi. UPeter Gerard, usekela-Mongameli wenqanawa yaseMelika, ukholelwa ukuba kuyakubakho izikhephe ezingama-30 okanye nangaphezulu ezihamba ngeendebe. Zilishumi elinambini izikhephe ezisekwe eNewport, kodwa iinqanawa zezamazwe aphesheya ngokwenene; kukho iTwelves kumazwe ali-17.
Kule minyaka imbalwa idlulileyo, iiTwelves ezindala ziye zabuyiselwa kubuqaqawuli bazo bangaphambili. Abanye baye baphucula kakhulu. Inkululeko, Uyilo luka-Olin Stephens, lwenziwe ngokutsha ngokupheleleyo. Khusela, Uyilo lukaDavid Pedrick, luye lwahlangulwa lwaza lwenziwa ntsha kwakhona. Khusela ' Umniniyo, uDennis Williams, ubuyisile kwakhona Uloyiso 83. Njengoko eyibona, Singabagcini kuphela bezikhephe. Sifuna ukubashiya ngcono kunokuba sabafumana. Abanye abanini bavuma.
Umzekelo, i-Ben Lexcen-yenzelwe- Umceli mngeni XII, Inqanawa kadade kwi-keel enamaphiko yotshintsho Ostreliya II eyayihlutha iNdebe okokuqala kwi-1983-yenza i-2017 yayo yokuqala emva kokuphinda ugqibe, iphumelele i-regatta yayo yokuqala. Ishishini, enye i-yacht evela kwibhodi yoyilo ye-Sparkman kunye ne-Stephens, okwangoku iseshedini ukuze iphinde yenziwe, kulindeleke ukuba ibe kumgca wokuqala ngoJuni 2018. 
IiYacht kwi-2017 ye-12-Meter yeNyakatho yeMelika.Ifoto nguSallyAnne Santos / Windlass
UPeter Gerard wakhankanya ukuba i-Twelves itsala i-aficionados yezikhephe kunye nembali, singasathethi ke ngobuhle. Ezi zikhephe kucingelwa ukuba zezona zintle kwezakha zaqubha. Imigca yabo iyathandeka kwaye bahamba emanzini njengeyacht efanelekileyo, utshilo. Iklasi ihamba ngomkhumbi ngabo bonke abasebenzi baseKorinte (amateur). Ngokucacileyo oku akukho malunga nokuba yeyiphi eyona ncwadi inkulu yokujonga.
Izithuthi zahlulwe zangamacandelo amane: Grand-Prix, Modern, Traditional kunye Vintage. Kukho udidi lwakudala. Amaqela abonisa ubudala, ukujikeleza kunye noqwalaselo lweseyile, kunye nomqobo wonke wokulawulwa kwemiqobo yokuthintela. Iziphumo ezinethemba lokubaleka kukhuphiswano ngaphandle kokubhenela kukhubazeko.
Ngaphandle kokuba neyakho iTwelves, isiqingatha ukuya kwisigidi seedola ngonyaka isindululo phakathi kokuthenga isikhephe kunye neendleko zomkhankaso, kukho indlela yokuthatha inxaxheba kule mvuselelo yeklasi inomdla: umqulu.
Kwaye oku, kukho iinqanawa ezisebenza kakhulu. Izikhephe zangoku ezikhoyo zomnqophiso zibandakanya Kwimozulu, Nefertiti, American Eagle, Intrepid, Columbia, Ilifa lemveli, Gleam, Onawa, kwaye Ukukhanya koMntla. Umntu unokuziqeshisa nge-regatta, okanye ngeseyile nje ejikeleze i-bay nosapho kunye nabahlobo. AmaTwelves ahlala esetyenziselwa ukuzivocavoca ngokwakha amaqela.
Ndibe nethamsanqa ngokwaneleyo ukuba ndihambe ngesikhephe kwiiTwelves eziqeshiweyo kwiiRegattas-kanye kwiNdebe yeOpera House eMdiliyeni kaMartha, kwaye kube kanye ngeempelaveki zabafana eNewport eNarraganset Bay. Kwakhona ndandiyinxalenye yeqela elalihamba ngenqanawa elishumi elinambini kwizibuko laseNew York. Ndandiqhuma rhoqo. IiTwelves zinkulu kodwa azinkulu kakhulu, zomelele kodwa azinakoyisa kakhulu, zinamandla kodwa azilawuleki. Imigca yabo entle iguqulela kwimela egudileyo emanzini.
Ungawuva umgca wembali wabo bonke oomatiloshe abadumileyo abayile, bakha okanye baphosa ishumi elinambini. Imimoya yabo yaselwandle isebeza kuwe ngokuloba.
Njengoko uGerard esitsho, Kunzima ukuhamba ngesikhephe esihle kakhulu esinembali engakholelekiyo kuneshumi elinambini. Kuya kufuneka ndivume.
UJonathan Russo ubethanda ukuhamba ngomkhumbi kangangeminyaka engama-30. Uhamba ngesikhephe iSaber 38 Sachem kunye ne-Etchell's evela kwiShelter Island Yacht Club. Ubhale malunga nokuhamba ngesikhephe kunye nokubaleka kweeSandi, iSuttlebut kunye neShelter Island Reporter.com.
