The BHYC Sailing Program is Proud to have a diverse fleet to meet the needs of a variety of interests, skills, ages, and desires.
This is one of the worlds most popular small boats, and for good reason. It is relatively simple boat that still offers lots of learning. Best suited for sailors under about 5' 2" and 110 lbs., this is the primary boat we use in our morning beginner and intermediate programs, as well as with the Opti Race program.
This boat is currently raced all around Maine, the northeast and the world, with multiple regattas within a couple of hours or less each summer. Regattas feature fleets for all ages and skills up to age 15.
We currently have 30 Optis.
RS Feva
We are very excited to have 4 RS Fevas currently, with hopes of more to come in the future. This class is new to Maine, but quickly growing around the world and up and down the east coast. It is a modern double handed sloop with an asymmetric spinnaker. This boat is designed for sailors who are interested in learning to sail a 2 person boat but are not yet big enough for the 420. The RS Feva has an ideal crew weight in the 100 to 140 lb per person range, although the boat can safely be sailed lighter than that. It's sleek modern hull is self bailing and self rescuing, which means any water that gets in the boat while sailing or when capsized drains out on its own, no bailing needed. Although a common race boat in many parts of the country, there is not yet Feva Racing in Maine, so for now this is an instructional and recreational boat, except for some in house fun racing. We hope to see the class grow throughout Maine in the future.
This boat is currently the base of our Morning Advanced class, and is used in the morning and afternoon in our intermediate and Opti Race classes to make sure that our sailors are exposed to as many boat types as possible and are always looking forward to the next adventure.
Originally designed in 1935, this is still the boat that MIT choses to teacher thousands of college students to sail each year in addition to its college racing duties. The Tech is a wonderful learning boat for teenagers and adults who simply do not fit in the tiny Opti. The boats is simple and stable while still being fast and responsive enough to keep more advanced sailors on their toes.
Our Techs are originally from the University of Rhode Island and were based on the Badger Tech design from the west coast, which set out to make the boats more seaworthy with more flotation and a self rescuing design. As a fun fact, Peter Harken is the one who made these design changes for the Badger Tech A bit more info on the Badger Tech here.
Although Techs are not raced outside of college (except for 1 or 2 exceptions) our techs are used in a variety of ways, and we are really excited by the flexibility that they offer us. We use our techs to:
- Supplement our Beginner class so that all beginners can spend a couple of days with an instructor in the boat with them before transitioning to sailing on their own
- Give our Minis the experience of being skippers and crews on small sailing dinghies
- Allow our Beginner and Intermediate Sailors a change of pace and to sail with a friend
- Allow older and larger beginners to have a boat that is well suited to them physically
- For in house races, such as our ever popular Family Race Nights
We currently have a fleet of 11 Techs.
The Club 420 (C420) is ubiquitous with double handed sailing across the US, with incredibly widespread use in Junior Sailing. Additionally C420's and the very similar collegiate 420 are widely used in high school and college racing as well.
This double handed boat features main, jib, symmetric spinnaker and trapeze, and planes readily off the wind in moderate wind speeds. With racing organized throughout Maine and all of the US, this is the boat that are more advanced racers sail. The C420 is used in our afternoon intermediate and advanced class, as well as 420 race and our high school sailing programs.
We currently have a fleet of 12 420s.
This Olympic class boat is a one person cat rigged dingy with a very simple, yet adjustable rig. With different sail sizes the same boat can be safely and competitively sailed by a wide range of sailors. The laser is not one of the few dinghy classes that sees active fleets in both junior and adult sailing. Currently this boat is used to expose our afternoon sailors to another boat, as well as to help keep everyone sailing even when we have an odd number of sailors.
Currently, we own one laser, with both full and radial rigs.
Originally designed and built in the mid 1930's these 21 foot open cockpit day sailors are still actively raced and cruised at BHYC and beyond. Originally built with plank and frame wood construction, they have since been built in many styles ranging from cold molded plywood to fiberglass. The boat is nimble and stable yet powerful for its size. We currently own one BHOD and will have access to another through a members generosity. The BHOD are used with our Mini Mariners, as a supplement to all of our classes, and in weekly club races on Wednesday night.
Rowboats
Our fleet of rowboats is used mostly by our Mini Mariners, where they are able to explore the harbor, gain confidence and practice getting in and out of tippy boats, practicing their knots, and do some rowing too.
In addition, we have access to the J-22 keelboats used in adult sailing lessons, as well as the occasional access to member boats for use in our programs.