About Our Fleets

  • Alerion

    • The Nantucket Alerions are 26-foot cold molded sloops that are largely based upon the 1913 design of Nathaniel Herreshoff’s personal boat called “Alerion”. His design was modified by Club member Alfie Sanford, who founded Sanford Boat works and from 1977 to 1983 built 22 of these beautiful and iconic Nantucket sailing craft on Nantucket. Since then construction of hulls has continued under license from Sanford Boat Works. The Nantucket Alerion Fleet Association represents a vast majority of the current owners of the over 20 Alerions currently on island.

      The Nantucket Alerion with its keel/centerboard design is an ideal boat for Nantucket waters capable of navigating our harbor’s shallows all the way to Wauwinet, but at the same time easily capable of an exhilarating offshore sail on Nantucket Sound. 

  • Indian

    • The Indian has a long history on Nantucket. An Alden centerboard knockabout with an interesting underwater configuration is the Nantucket One-Design, Number 398. Designed for use not only on Nantucket Sound but also at Kennebunkport, Maine, Number 398 was a development of the earlier Number 135, called the Jamestown Class, and Number 148, the first Indian class. Indeed, the Nantucket boats were also called Indians. Number 148, in turn, was a refinement of the round-bottomed dory type of daysailer. The Nantucket One-Design was conceived by Buell P. Mills and other members of the Nantucket Yacht Club. Mills, who was then rear commodore of the club, presented Alden with the basic requirements, and between them they worked out the specifications. Most of the boats were built by George L. Chassion of Swampscott, Massachusetts, between 1929 and 1931.

      - From the ITCH Report

  • Rhodes 19
    • Born in the halcyon days post WWII, the Rhodes 19 evolved during the next fifty years in response to advancing technology. Adaptability has enabled the boat and its class organization to enter the twenty-first century as a successful, exciting one-design sailing racer, day boat and cruiser, supported by a strong national following. available with centerboard or keel, Rhodes 19s have provided countless hours of enjoyment to thousands of owners, charterers and novice sailors, in and out of structured programs. This all-purpose one-design boat has proved an ideal platform for national championships, the sears cup, the Adams cup the Mallory cup, the Prince of Wales match races and their elimination series.
  • Marshall Cat 15

    • The Sandpiper (Marshall 15) is a scaled down version of the Sanderling (Marshall 18). She is the Club’s newest fleet and its most rapidly growing. Since her introduction to the Club’s racing program in 2013 the fleet has grown from three to an anticipated seven this current season.

      The Marshall 15 was designed for ease of handling and dependability. With an optional hinged mast, lifting bridle and pad eyes, she is relatively easy to launch and take out at the club hoist. There is a Sandpiper Class Association and in 2012 she was made a one-design class member of US Sailing. Racing fleets are established in Florida, New Jersey and New England.
      The first boat was built in 1972. Hull #1 is still owned by Geoff Marshall and was sailed competitively in the nationals the past two years. As an introduction of the fleet 12 boats were then built for an invitational regatta with, among others, Ted Turner, Gary Jobson, Robbie Doyle participating.

      The Sandpiper fills a niche for club sailors that want to race in an easy to sail boat that at the same time is relatively dry and capable in the varying wind conditions of Nantucket Harbor. With her shallow draft, and ease of rigging she is a wonderful family boat and ideal for a picnic on Coatue.

  • Marshall Cat 18

    • Catboats have had a long history sailing out of Cape Cod and the Islands dating back to the Late 1800’s. Designed originally of wood, they were relied upon as spacious workboats to withstand strong winds, variable shoals and tides. In the early 1960’s, Breck Marshall introduced the Sanderling, an 18 ‘, shoal draft, fiberglass interpretation of the best original catboat designs. He developed a simple and dependable family sailing vessel popular for those who enjoy day sailing, cruising or racing.  

      The Sanderling is perfect for the waters of Nantucket as its simplicity, large cockpit and shoal draft make it the perfect cruising and one design racing class.  Ease of handling in most weather conditions, low maintenance and classic beauty appeal to cruisers and racers of all ages and abilities. The consistently popular Sanderling One Design Class has been racing Saturdays actively for over 20 years at the Nantucket Yacht Club as it is ideally suited to our harbor and the comradery of our Club!    

  • Rainbow

    • The Beetle Cat Boat is a twelve-foot, gaff-rigged wooden catboat designed by John Beetle in 1921 and originally built by the Beetle family of New Bedford, MA, famous for their whaleboats. After three years of somewhat informal regattas to determine the "New England Champion" in Beetle Cats, the New England Beetle Cat Boat Association (NEBCBA) was formed at New Bedford, MA in the spring of 1940 for the purpose of providing an annual junior championship for Beetle Cat Boats. It is one of the oldest classes raced actively and probably the only one still made exclusively in wood. The New England Beetle Cat Boat Association is dedicated to continuing this success into the future.

      - From www.beetlecat.org

  • International One Design

    • The Nantucket IOD Fleet Association (NIODFA) was established in 1997 by a group of sailors, most of whom were members of the Nantucket Yacht Club, for the purposes of owning a fleet of International One-Design keelboats (IODs) and sponsoring racing activities for the IODs in Nantucket Sound. In the summer of 1997, Peter McCausland began aggressively promoting the idea of a fleet of IODs in Nantucket, and to this end he gathered a group of Nantucket sailors - Rear Commodore/RC Chair Bob Constable, past Commodore Geoff Verney, and Fleet Captain Mark Beale - to debate the merits of the concept. In subsequent discussions, McCausland proposed that an association should be formed which would own the fleet of IODs and individual sailors would own an undivided interest in the association, represented by a share. The total number of shares outstanding would equal the number of boats in the fleet. A Charter and By-Laws were drafted and an order was placed for six new IODs. The rest is history!

      - from The Saga of the International One-Design. A Celebration of 75 Years.