Notes from the Committee Boat v0.6

Winter Doldrums

As we move in the dark, cold months in the Northern hemisphere, those sunny days under sail seems further away than ever.  We have plans for February escape to the Bahamas exploring the Exumas island chain.  On this trip we plan on bringing our Hold Fast Regatta Tote for our snorkeling gear and our custom Hold Fast T-Shirt to slip on as jump into the dinghy to explore deserted beaches.

But if your winter escape is daydreaming about cruising the lake or banging around the windward mark, we hope our classic, limited edition Sailing Vessel Class Insignia poster helps get you or a friend a little closer.

Winter Sailing

One of the featured insignia on our Sailing Vessel Class Insignia poster is the DN class.  This small ice racer, a laser-sized hull, with 3 skate appendages attached to it can fly across the ice at over 50 knots.  If you think the flying hulls of the new AC45s are impressive, this little boat has been flying at comparable speeds since the 1930's.  The name funny enough, is an abbreviation of 'Detroit News' from its origins being built in a hobby shop in the namesake building.

While not as familiar as a J-Boat, Laser, Sunfish, or Star classes this boat has a passionate following.  With fleets in North America, Europe & East Asia this is small but loyal following.  You can start up in this class for ~$2500 for a 12' hull and 60 sq. ft. of sail area.  Add in a sheet of flat ice and you'll be sailing faster than you likely ever have before.

We tend to think sailing is just for sunny summer days, but this class starts to prep for the season when all the fair weather sailors are packing boats away for the winter.

A great article highlighting the boat can be found here.