racing under the auspices of the Beverly Yacht Club of Marion, Massachu- 

 setts, Made of fiber glass, the boat is light in weight with a simple, easily 

 detachable Marconi cat rig. Brown University, after trying a number of 

 fiber-glass dinghies, selected the Beverlys for their fleet. About three hun- 

 dred have been built. Prices are $645 new; about $500 used. 



VITAL statistics: L.O.A. ii'6"; beam 4'6"; draft with center- 

 board I'j"; weight about 200 lbs.; trailable. 



BLUE JAY 



Called "kid sister" to the Lightning and designed by Sparkman and 

 Stephens, the 131/2-foot Blue Jay centerboard sloops came on the yachting 

 scene about 1950, starting at the Larchmont and Manhasset Bay Yacht 

 Clubs. With a hard chine adding to the stiffness and ease of construction, 

 this class has proved to be one of the most rapidly growing classes in the 

 United States, with about five hundred a year being added to the three 

 thousand or so already on the water. 



Considered an ideal and relatively safe boat for children, the Blue Jays 

 are raced largely by the younger generation, though parents are not averse 

 to sailing them. While those who prefer the excitement of a more readily 

 planing type of hull and rig may turn to lighter and faster types, the 

 popularity of the Blue Jay is due to the combination of safety and stability 

 with ease of handling, and a good turn of speed. At Larchmont Race Week 

 in 1954 all but one of thirty-eight competing Blue Jays weathered a sudden 

 squall which capsized many of the larger Lightnings. 



The list of Blue Jay manufacturers and dealers is too long to include 

 here; the latest Boat Owners Buyers Guide, published by Yachting, lists 

 forty-two of them. Check over the list for their names and addresses, or 

 ask Robert J. Sparkman, Secretary of the International Blue Jay Class Asso- 

 ciation (11 E. 44th St., New York 17, N.Y. ). A leading manufacturer in the 

 vicinity of New York, whom the writer has visited, is McKean Boats 

 (Mamaroneck, N.Y. ). But there are many others who also do a good job. 

 This includes a good many amateurs. Some boys and girls at Mamaroneck 

 High School formed the M.H.S. Sailing Club and, under the direction of a 

 faculty adviser, built their own Blue Jay, and painted it in the school colors 

 of orange and black. Other group undertakings have helped to swell the 

 fleet. Construction is of plywood and kits are available. 



During Larchmont (N.Y.) Race Week in 1961, over two hundred Blue 

 Jays came to the starting line, representing the largest number in any class. 



RACING CLASSES 3I 



