Dixon Kemp

Dixon Kemp (1839 – 21 November 1899), a British naval architect, was a founder of the Yacht Racing Association (now the Royal Yachting Association) and at one time its secretary. He was a founder of Lloyd's Register of Yachts.

Kemp was born in Ryde, a British seaside town on the Isle of Wight. For a time, he edited the Isle of Wight Observer. He was also yachting editor of The Field. As recently as a 1950 analysis of Joshua Slocum's vessel Spray, Kemp's formulae and analysis were still being put to use.

In yacht racing, he was known for having devised a new ranking system based on the length of vessels and their area under sail. Kemp also wrote concerning the rules of yacht racing.

Works

Yacht designing : a treatise on the practical application of the scientific principles upon which is based the art of designing yachts (1876) A manual of yacht and boat sailing (first published in 1878) Yacht architecture: a treatise on the laws which govern the resistance of bodies moving in water, propulsion by steam and sail; yacht designing; and yacht building (first published in 1885) Exposition of yacht racing rules: customs & practices observed in match sailing, including decisions on particular cases of protest (1898)

Yachts

Lapwing (1882) Amazon (1885) Firecrest (1892) Fauvette (1894) Beluga