Wayfarer

A wayfarer is a person who travels on foot.

Wayfarer may also refer to:

See also

Ray-Ban Wayfarer

Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses have been manufactured by Ray-Ban since 1956, when their design was a revolutionary break from the metal eyewear of the past. Wayfarers enjoyed early popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the sunglasses had faded from the limelight by the 1970s, a lucrative 1982 product placement deal brought Wayfarers to their height of popularity. Since the mid-2000s, the sunglasses have been enjoying a revival.

Wayfarers are sometimes cited as the best-selling design of sunglasses in history (although Ray-Ban Aviators have also been credited with this achievement) and have been called a classic of modern design and one of the most enduring fashion icons of the 20th century.

Design and early popularity

Wayfarers were designed in 1952 by American optical designer Raymond Stegeman, who procured dozens of patents for Bausch and Lomb, Ray-Ban's parent company at that time. The design was a radically new shape, "a mid-century classic to rival Eames chairs and Cadillac tail fins." According to design critic Stephen Bayley, the "distinctive trapezoidal frame spoke a non-verbal language that hinted at unstable dangerousness, but one nicely tempered by the sturdy arms which, according to the advertising, gave the frames a 'masculine look.'"

Wayfarer (dinghy)

The Wayfarer is a wooden or fibreglass hulled fractional Bermuda rigged sailing dinghy of great versatility; used for short 'day boat' trips, longer cruises and for racing. Over 10,800 have been produced as of 2014.

The boat is 15 feet 10 inches (4.82 m) long, and broad and deep enough for three adults to comfortably sail for several hours. Longer trips are undertaken by enthusiasts, notably the late Frank Dye who sailed W48 'Wanderer' from Scotland to Iceland and Norway, crossing the North Sea twice. The Wayfarer's size, stability and seaworthiness have made it popular with sailing schools, and led it to be used as a family boat in a wide variety of locations.

Not only a versatile cruising dinghy, Wayfarers are also raced with a Portsmouth Number of 1101. As of 2013, it has a Portsmouth Yardstick rating of 91.6.

From the original wooden design by Ian Proctor in 1957<ref name'"Smith">Smith, Mike (2004). "Mike's Wooden Wayfarer Restoration Manual" (PDF). Retrieved 5 August 2013. </ref> many subsequent versions of the Wayfarer have been produced. There is also a double-hulled Canadian clone, known as the CL 16, featuring a simplified rig but otherwise also identical. Genuine Wayfarers can be identified by the "W" symbol on their sails.