Johan Anker

In 1905, he bought into a small boatbuilding yard named Jensens Yard. It became the famous Anker & Jensen Yard. Most of the boat design was done by Anker, and most of the boat building was done by Jensen.

Johan Anker became an internationally recognized yacht designer after entering the 1908 Olympics, held that year in Great Britain. The sailing took place in the Solent, and Johan Anker raced his 8mR Fram. He took 4th place in the regatta. A few years later, Anker returned to the Solent for the 1911 Coronation Regatta, this time with the yacht Rollo, a 12mR design. This time, Johan Anker sailed home to Norway with the gold medal. With the International Rule yachts quickly increasing in popularity on the international yacht racing scene, John Anker had established himself as a first class designer.^{[citation needed]} With the long, sleek and beautiful boats that Anker designed he soon became known as the “master of lines” not only in his home country but also in the rest of the world.^{[citation needed]}

Except for designing several International Meter Rule yachts, the most noticeable design from John Anker is the Dragon from 1929. The Dragon became an Olympic class and is still a fast-growing keelboat class that is raced in over 26 countries on five continents.

In 1915, Johan Anker parted with Jensen, and the yard was taken over entirely by Anker, who kept the name Anker & Jensen for the business.

Anker's 6mR, 8mR, 12mR designs excelled, but he also designed 15mRs Isabel-Alexandra (1913) and Neptune (1917), Q-Class Cotton Blossom II (1925), Figaro IV, Brand II and Noreine.

Anker died in October 1940, aged 69, and was buried at Oslo Western Civil Cemetery.^[8]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johan Anker.

• Johan Anker at Olympedia