The venerable IOD Class was started in 1936 by Cornelius Shields as a replacement boat for the popular Sound Interclub sloops. The design was based on the beautiful 6 meter "Saga" designed by Bjorne Aas of Oslo, Norway. There are now 8 or 9 fleets racing world wide including Long Island Sound, Northeast Harbor Maine, Marblehead, San Francisco, Bermuda, Nantucket, Fishers Island and in Norway. Some of the original wooden boats still race competitively with the
newer fiberglass models due to the tight control of the one-design rules.