France II (Unbuilt)

Overview

In 1973, the Association Française pour la Coupe de l’America (A.F.C.A.), founded by Baron Marcel Bich, commissioned a radical new 12 Metre design intended to succeed France (F-1) and serve as the next French challenger for the America’s Cup. The design was conceived according to the International Third Rule, but unlike its predecessors, it was to be built entirely in aluminum—a bold departure from the traditional wooden Twelves of the era.

Design and Concept

Baron Bich engaged the legendary Danish sailor and innovator Paul Elvstrøm, together with designer Jan Kjærulff, to create a fast, lightweight Twelve that would embody the latest thinking in ocean and Cup design. Their proposal featured a pronounced bulb keel, refined underwater sections, and a weight-optimized hull structure—elements that would later become common in 12 Metre development.

The project was begun under the supervision of A.F.C.A. at the Hermann Egger yard, where frames were laid for the aluminum hull. This “France II (Project)” represented a clear step forward in design thinking: combining Elvstrøm’s racing insight with modern materials and hydrodynamic experimentation.

Construction and Cancellation

Despite the technical promise, construction was abruptly halted soon after the framing began. French public and press opinion turned against the idea of a French challenger designed by non-French naval architects, and Baron Bich faced strong political and cultural pressure to withdraw. Work stopped, and the incomplete aluminum framework was ultimately dismantled and destroyed.

As a result, the yacht remained unmeasured, unlaunched, and officially unnumbered within the 12 Metre Class. In the class records, it is listed only as the “France 2 (Project)”, separate from any active sail number.

Not to Be Confused with France II (F-2)

This unrealized yacht is distinct from the later France II (F-2)—the André Mauric design built by Hermann Egger and launched in 1977 for the same syndicate. Mauric’s France II was a wooden Twelve that successfully represented France in the America’s Cup trials, while the 1973 France II (Project) was the unbuilt aluminum predecessor, never completed beyond its frame stage.

Legacy

Although never launched, the 1973 France II (Project) occupies a unique place in 12 Metre and French America’s Cup history. It symbolizes a moment of technical ambition and creative openness—when Baron Bich briefly looked beyond national boundaries to embrace Scandinavian design innovation—before domestic opinion forced a retreat to traditional French naval design.

Had it been completed, the Elvstrøm / Kjærulff France II might have been one of the most advanced 12 Metres of its time, anticipating the alloy and keel innovations that defined later Cup campaigns. Instead, it remains an unfulfilled chapter—a missing link between France (F-1) and France II (F-2), marking a turning point where politics overtook performance.