Jean Jacques Herbulot is one of the best known figures in the French sailing world. As a designer, he is responsible for bringing the sport of sailing to those who had never before had the means to participate. Born in Belval (Ardennes - France), he qualified as an Architect (D.P.L.G., i.e. recognized by the French Government), but diverted to design of sail boats. Beginning in 1947, he specialized in boats, usually of plywood construction, intended for the home builder or for sailing schools. Of his nearly 100 designs, the most popular are: Caravelle, Corsaire, Cotre des Glenans, Maraudeur, and Vaurien. Besides his design work, Hurbulot was one of top racing skippers of his day, representing France in four Olympic Games, Los Angeles (1932, Star Class), Kiel (1936, Star Class), Torquay (1948, Firefly Class), Melbourne (1956, 5,50 JI Class). Herbulot developed a unique diagonal cut spinnaker in the 1950’s the was quickly accepted as being superior to the conventional spinnaker of the day in many conditions and was adopted by nearly every top racing sailor around the world for many years. An admittedly small selection of some of his designs is shown here.
