Gustaf Axel Estlander (18 September 1876 – 1 December 1930) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

architect and one of the most successful

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

designers of the early 20th century. He was born and educated in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, later set up a yacht yard in Germany, and spent his final years in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. As a sporty youth, Estlander in 1894 sailed from Finland to Sweden in a canoe. He was an accomplished skater, winning the 1898

European Speed Skating Championships for Men The International Skating Union has organised the European Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1893. Unofficial championships were held in the years 1891–1892. History Program * In the years 1891–1892, three distances had to be skated: � ...

in Helsinki, Finland. He also competed at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

Biography

In 1898, Gustaf Estlander graduated as an architect from the Helsinki Polytechnic Institute (currently

Aalto University Aalto University ( fi, Aalto-yliopisto; sv, Aalto-universitetet) is a public research university located in Espoo, Finland. It was established in 2010 as a merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the He ...

). He founded the architectural firm of Estlander & Settergren, which in 1903–1915 designed a score of large apartment buildings in the booming capital city of Helsinki. These imposing buildings were created in the national romantic style. Some of them have lately been declared national heritage sites. When Estlander turned full-time yacht designer in 1914, he had already drawn 60 sailboats. He gained a reputation for light, radical boats, such as the double-hulled ''Flamingo'' of 1899. He made his international breakthrough in 1917 at the helm of his 22m² Skerry cruiser ''Colibri'', trouncing all competitors at the Sandhamn regatta in Sweden. He quickly gained a large number of design commissions from clients in northern Europe. In the post-war years of 1921–23, he was chief designer and owner of the Pabst yard near Berlin, Germany. His 22m², 30m² and 22m² skerry cruisers were successful on the inland lakes of northern Germany. His own enormous 150m² Skerry cruiser ''Singoalla'' reached 14.1 knots on a race from Kiel to Travemünde on the Baltic Sea, according to

Uffa Fox Uffa Fox, CBE (15 January 1898 – 26 October 1972) was an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast, responsible for a number of innovations in boat design. Not afraid of courting controversy or causing offense, he is remembered for his ec ...

, the well-known author on yacht design. Moving on to Sweden, Estlander obtained Swedish citizenship to be eligible for designing a Swedish entry for the

6mR The International Six Metre class is a class of classic racing yachts. Sixes are a '' construction class'', meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in this case International rule. At ...

Scandinavian Gold Cup Scandinavian Gold Cup is a sailing race held annually for 5.5 metre yachts. It is a nation race, meaning that each participant nation can send only one boat/team. Despite its name, it has been an international competition almost through its entir ...

. His creation ''May Be'' won the Gold Cup in the USA in 1927 for Swedish shipping tycoon Sven Salén. His Gold Cup winners include the later Swedish entries ''Ingegerd'' and ''Ian''. In the 1920s, Gustaf Estlander reached international fame as a yacht designer, obtaining six-metre commissions from as far away as Cuba and Singapore. In total, more than 1000 yachts were built according to his drawings. Of these, 21 were six-metre yachts and eight were eight-metre yachts. His

8mR The International Eight Metre class are class of racing yachts. Eight Metre boats (often called "Eights" or 8mR) are a '' construction class'', meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in ...

design ''Cheerio'' represented Finland at the 1936

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in Kiel, Germany. Estlander had himself participated in the 1912 Olympic regatta in Nynäshamn, Sweden, gaining a 4th place skippering his Fife-designed 8mR yacht ''Örn''. Gustaf Estlander died at the height of his career, at only 54 years of age. A young employee at his design studio,

Knud Reimers Knud Reimers (May 20, 1906 – 1987) was one of the most important Scandinavian yacht designers of the 20th century. Biography Knud Hjelmberg Reimers was born in Århus, Denmark and educated as a shipwright in Germany at Friedrich Krupp Germaniaw ...

took over and continued Estlander's business, at 24 years of age.

References

Sources

* Barck, Pekka & Street, Tim (2007). ''The Six Metre – 100 Years of Racing'', pp D22-23. Helsinki: Oy Litorale Ab. . * van Bueren, John Lammerts (2000). ''The Great Eights'', pp. 107–116. Milan: Fabio Ratti Editoria S.r.l. . * Ekberg, Henrik (2003). ''

Uppslagsverket Finland ''Uppslagsverket Finland'' ('Encyclopedia Finland') is a Swedish-language encyclopedia with a focus on Finland and in particular Finland-Swedish subjects. The encyclopedia is published by initiative of an association dedicated to this task, ( ...

'', vol. 1, page 359. Espoo: Schildts Förlag Ab. . * Ericsson, Henry (2003). ''Finlandssvenska Tekniker'', vol. 4, pp. 89–106. Helsinki: Tekniska Föreningen i Finland. . * Fox, Uffa (1936): ''Sail and Power'', pp. 237–238. London: Peter Davies Ltd. {{DEFAULTSORT:Estlander, Gustaf Axel Finnish yacht designers 1876 births 1930 deaths Sailors at the 1912 Summer Olympics – 8 Metre Swedish-speaking Finns Finnish male speed skaters Architects from Helsinki Art Nouveau architects Olympic sailors of Finland Finnish male sailors (sport) 8 Metre class sailors 20th-century Finnish architects Finnish emigrants to Sweden Finnish expatriates in Germany Swedish people of Finnish descent