A RENEWED ENTHUSIASM FOR FAST KEELBOAT RACING

Working With The New York Yacht Club To Grow The IC37 Class

The IC37 has quickly claimed its position as one of the premier one design keelboat classes in North America. Amongst the many class choices, the IC37, with its one-per-boat limit on Group 3 professionals, provides a unique platform for growing amateur sailing as a whole. Additionally, as the exclusive sailmaker since its introduction, North Sails fully supports the recently announced partnership between the New York Yacht Club and Thoroughbred Yacht Sales to expand the class’s domestic and international footprint.

North Sails President Ken Read comments: “North Sails has been a part of this class since the beginning, and we’re excited about the future. I’ve known Greg Tawaststjerna and Bill Jenkins for a long time. They are true professionals whose understanding and contacts within the industry are unparalleled. The Thoroughbred team brings renewed energy to the class at exactly the right time. It carries the momentum showcased at the recent Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, an international Grand Prix event for amateur sailors.”

First introduced in 2018, the 37-foot Mark Mills design is one of the strictest one design classes sailing today. The boat carries just three sails— a reefable main, a reefable jib, and an asymmetric spinnaker—each built by North to a class standard design. Additionally, the standing rigging must be locked at a prescribed tension for all class regattas. The built-in hydraulic mast step on the Southern Spars package is the boat’s single key tuning variable. The simplicity and consistency across all boats make for a sailor’s race, eliminating the inevitable arms race that comes with near-unlimited variables.

“The beauty of the IC37 class is that it provides an even playing field for the 20 New York Yacht Club-owned charter boats and the privately-owned boats,” explains Read. “You have a very high-performance amateur race boat, with a big consideration for inclusiveness and keeping budgets under control. At September’s Invitational Cup, we saw exceptionally high-caliber racing amongst amateur sailors from around the world. They were able to step onto the IC37, get up to speed quickly, and be competitive; that’s exactly what was envisioned for this boat.”

In line with the class distribution changes and the focus on growth outside of the Northeast US, North Sails has updated its IC37 sales strategy to provide more opportunities for its clients globally to buy IC37 sales from their local lofts. North Sails Expert and IC37 class leader Tim Healy will lead the change in expanding from a single centralized location to make information and products more accessible from any local North Sails Expert and site.

Read elaborates: “We feel the one-stop-shop idea was successful for local selling in Newport, Rhode Island, but has limited us in reaching out to our clients and supporting the growth of the class. Moving forward, the IC37 is now the fold of all North One Design products, and our clients or those interested in the boat can work with their trusted North Sails expert wherever they may be to become more educated on the boat and the sail package.”

“While the IC37 has seen success locally in Newport, the club’s objective is to expand the reach of this boat,” says New York Yacht Club Commodore Christopher J. Culver, a devoted IC37 sailor. “The IC37 is an ideal option for both clubs and private owners looking for a highly competitive class with a strong Corinthian spirit. With a 20-boat fleet at the New York Yacht Club and the initial construction of 15 private boats, the IC37 Class is ready for the next phase in its international growth in partnership with Thoroughbred Yacht Sales and the support of North Sails and the North Technology Group companies as a whole.”

The 2021-22 winter circuit will start in late November and include three regattas sailed out of the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The class’ 2022 summer season will kick off in Newport in early June and will include both the fourth IC37 National Championship and the class’s second North American Championship.

For more information on the IC37 Class Association click here.

To contact Thoroughbred Yacht Sales, click here.