Storm Trysail Club introduce new box rule

Commodore Rich du Moulin announces new IRC-friendly 65 footer, along the lines of the TP 52

Storm Trysail Club (STC) Commodore Rich du Moulin have announced that the Storm Trysail Club has set in motion the creation of a set of rules and bylaws to launch a new 'Storm Trysail 65' box rule class.

“The boat will be along the lines of the very popular Transpac 52 in style yet will have a bit more offshore friendliness,” said du Moulin, who added that “speed and safety” is the club’s motto in the planning of this new craft. “There is a very strong interest, especially among big boat owners in the northeastern United States, for a boat that has similar performance characteristics to the Transpac 52 but in a larger size. This box concept will reflect these owners’ wishes.”

One clear directive from owners was to produce a high-performance boat with tight enough parameters within the box rule to minimise quick obsolescence. With this in mind, Storm Trysail member Bill Tripp has been appointed to the Storm Trysail 65 Board as Technical Chairman. He will oversee a Technical Committee of fellow well-known yacht designers, including Bruce Nelson, Mark Mills, Jim Pugh and Jim Schmicker, to aid in creating the blueprint to achieve the owners’ wishes. The draft rules created by this committee will then be circulated to a wide number of other designers and experts for further review and comments.

From an administrative standpoint, STC board member Eric Kreuter has been appointed Class Chairman and will serve to coordinate efforts between the technical group and the owners while spreading the word with regard to this new class. Kreuter is an active sailor and past commodore of the Riverside Yacht Club who two years ago co-chaired the Race Committee for the 97-boat Etchells World Championship.

Finally, STC members Ken Read and Steve Benjamin have been appointed to serve with du Moulin, Kreuter and Tripp on the Storm Trysail 65 Board. Both are world-renowned sailors and active members of the marine industry who have their fingers on the pulse of big-boat racing.

“Establishing a 65-foot class under the guidance of the Storm Trysail Club will add an exciting new dimension to big-boat sailing in America and worldwide,” said Read, who has been instrumental in helping advance the Transpac 52 Class.

“This Storm Trysail 65 box rule concept is clearly an evolution of the fantastic work and effort by the Transpac Yacht Club in creating the Transpac 52 Class,” said du Moulin. “Given that the Ocean Racing Council has announced three additional box rules smaller than the 52, we decided to get in the game and help with a box rule larger than the 52. The Storm Trysail 65 will be an IRC-friendly boat, so it can compete within its own class and also in the tremendous number of IRC events planned in America and around the world.” The goal is for the rule to be written by early summer 2005, so that any prospective owner has the chance to build a new boat to the rule by the spring of 2006.

Yachtsmen potentially interested in joining the Storm Trysail 65 owners group and offering input to the technical committee on the final box rule parameters, should contact Storm Trysail Club Commodore Richard du Moulin here or any member of the Storm Trysail 65 Board.