The Yankee One Design Class
a 1937 wooden racing sloop
Y14 GADFLY leads Y33 LOTSWIFE, Y28 HAPHAZARD, and an unidentified 4th Yankee in the downwind leg of a Beverly Yacht Club race in Sippican Harbor, Buzzards Bay, 1956. Photo by Norman Fortier. Courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum
A Burgess Classic
W. Starling Burgess designed this class of sleek wooden boats in 1937.
Burgess won a design contest sponsored by the Yankee One Design Association, a group of sailors from several New England yacht clubs seeking to create the ultimate interclub racing boat.
The contest’s design criteria asked for a 30′ racing sloop that could easily handle the rugged conditions of Buzzards Bay, yet still be fast in the lighter air off Marblehead.
As a result, the Yankee One Design performs well in all conditions and is a joy in heavy weather.
Welcome to the Yankee One Design Class Website
Y36 VENTURE, under construction at Stone Boatyard, Alameda, CA. 1949. Photo by John Linderman.
Y19 DAWN, Lake Erie. 2012
Y21 SIROCCO, racing in the Les Calanques Classiques. 2015
Where are They Now?
41 Yankees were built between 1937 and 2010.
Most are gone now, though a handful are still sailing, and maybe one or two are in barns, awaiting discovery.
Some Yankees have fascinating stories, while others just vanished.
15 are currently know to exist, worldwide.
YOD class happenings
- Y18 MADEMOISELLE recently burned, and has been retired – Aug 2015
- Y14 GADFLY is for sale – Summer of 2015
- Two Multi-Generational YOD Families Swap Sailing Stories – Aug 2015
Upcoming Posts:
- Y21 SIROCCO’s move to the Mediterranean
- Y19 DAWN’s latest, most sublime restoration
- A new cockpit for Y29 WESTWARD HO