Closer, closer, until suddenly the broad outline of sail punctuates the faint light from over the horizon and a shapely bow hisses past on the soft breeze. The glow of a pipe against the helmsman's face flares for a moment as the cockpit flashes by. Then the graceful stern has passed also, leaving only the wake, burning with phosphorescence. A slight bobble and bounce, and the whisper falls away. As the stories go, the trip has also bludgeoned one determined sailor with four days of ferocious winds, blown-out sails, and halting progress down the fjord.
Chance encounters change history's course every day.
When the war ended, Aas dug up all of the construction jigs he'd buried to protect them from the Nazis and resumed production. The war had stopped the class's drive for critical mass beyond its original fleets, but in Norway, the post-war era was golden. The late '50s proved to be the high-water mark for the class. Besides the big domestic fleet, the class flourished internationally, and, in 1959, staged its first World Championship. But times and technology were changing, and the demand for new boats tapered off.