shall have to speak personally but we are an average example, I think. My 

 husband likes to race and has brought left-footed me to a degree of pro- 

 ficiency as crew so that I can race with him. I love to joy-sail aimlessly— 

 wherever the wind is. The Y is wonderful for both. 



"I have ridden the Y at hair-raising speeds in Charleston Harbor and 

 elsewhere. Yet, on a day that is moderately windy, our sixteen- and eleven- 

 year-old daughters (beginners) can handle the boat with the greatest of 

 ease. It is truly a boat that has something to offer every sailor, from the be- 

 ginner to the seasoned skipper. It is not an ocean racer; however, it is 

 widely sailed in coastal waters and with much success." 



There are thirty-one Y-Flyer fleets in the United States, located in South 

 Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, 

 Missouri, Kansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, and Illinois. 

 Each August a National Championship Race is held. There are also In- 

 ternational Championships (alternating with Canada). Spinnakers are not 

 allowed in the races held in the United States; they are allowed in Canada. 



Builders are well scattered and now include Jack A. Helms Company 

 (821 Pepper St., Columbia, S.C. ), Falls City Fiberglass Company (125 S. 

 9th St., Louisville, Ky,— fiber-glass boats), Glen Mottin Sailboat Sales (8005 

 Monroe St., St. Louis 14, Mo.), Gibbs Boat Company (6530 Morin Grove, 

 Erie, Mich.), Bakker Bilt Boats (8 Sewall Ave., Clifton, N.J.), and Hi- 

 wassee Manufacturing Company (P. O. Box 305, Jacksonville, Ark.). Mate- 

 rial is usually plywood, but some fiber-glass boats are built in the United 

 States. Prices range from $1300 to $1800 for new boats; used $500 to $1500; 

 kits from $500 up. 



VITAL STATISTICS: L.O. A. i8 V ( maximum ) , ly'ii^'' ( minimum ) ; 

 waterline i3'6"; beam 5'8''; draft without centerboard 6", with C.B. 4'; sail 

 area 161 sq. ft. (for spinnakers, see above); weight 500 lbs. minimum; 

 racing crew, two in the United States, three in Canada, where spinnakers 

 are used. 



ZEPHYR 



In a booklet entitled The Origin of the Zephyr Class, published in 1961 

 "as a labor of love" by Jack Greenwood, the origin of the class is explained 

 as follows: 



"On a Sunday in the spring of 1947, Ed Thrall and Pete Cole sailed 

 down the airport channel from Alameda in two El Toros. . . . The wind, 

 that day, was wild. It took all of the skill possessed by these experienced 



214 THE SAILBOAT CLASSES OF NORTH AMERICA 



