Comet Class Yacht Racing Association
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One-Design Class Type: Dinghy
Was this boat built to be sailed by youth or adults? Both
Approximately how many class members do you have? 105
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About Comet Class Yacht Racing Association
The Comet is the most active two person boat in the mid Atlantic States. There are active fleets in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Bermuda. Each Summer there are many regional regattas as well as the North American and International Championships. They are also the only two person boat raced in Bermuda Race Week. They are high performance yet do not require trapeze or spinnaker experience. This 88 year old classic has a new builder who has refined the self-rescuing hull with improved ergonomics that appeal to sailors of all ages and levels of experience. Mylar sails with full length top batten and loose footed mainsail are allowed as an alternative to the Dacron sails. Comets include simple three-stay rigs and controls as well as those with a full range of rigging and sail adjustments. The hard chine design is forgiving and the 260 pound hull can plane in as little as 12 knots of wind. Newer fiberglass and older wood Comets are equally competitive. The Comet exemplifies competitive sailing at its best with mentoring of new members by sharing strategy, tactics and adjustments. Fabulous regatta venues provide excitement, and fun for all ages.
Boats Produced: 4158
Class boat builder(s):
Whitecap Composites, Inc., 147 Summit St., Peabody, MA 01960 http://www.whitecapcomposites.com
Approximately how many boats are in the USA/North America? 450
Where is your One-Design class typically sailed in the USA? List regions of the country:
Mid-Atlantic — NJ, PA, MD, MA, CT
Does this class have a spinnaker or gennaker?
How many people sail as a crew including the helm? two (2)
Ideal combined weight of range of crew: 280 – 320 lbs.
Boat Designed in 1932
Length (feet/inches): 16′
Beam: 5′
Weight of rigged boat without sails: 285 lb. with mast, boom & rudder
Draft: 3′
Mast Height: 20′ 5″
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The Elusive History of Comet-Class Sail Racing
Wealth of knowledge awaits discovery in historically black clubs, by ayana bean, nmb curatorial assistant, research | august 6, 2020, reading time: 3 minutes.
*From the archives. This article first appeared in MARITimes 2019 Vol 32
Bermuda has a rich competitive sailing history, with some historic gems tucked away within the minds of living club members and the older generation of those who experienced the heyday of sailing. Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the Edward Cross Comet race, which usually takes place on National Heroes Day (June 17) between the West End Sailboat Club, Mid Atlantic Boat and Sports Club and East End Mini Yacht Club. Although some regattas and clubs have endured, most of the history of sailing clubs and racing is passed down solely through oral history; therefore, it proves difficult when trying to gather data through traditional research methods. As a result, for several weeks I had a unique opportunity to delve into the world of Comet racing and record how it became a part of Bermuda’s story.
The Comet was first named the “Star Junior” after the Star class and was later renamed “Comet” to appease the president of the Star class at the time in America who wished to use the name for short-rigged old Stars. The Comet is a small, fast, and easily manageable boat designed by C. Lowndes Johnson of Easton, MD, in 1932. However, it wasn’t until 1937 that Elliott “Nick” Swan purportedly owned one of the first in Bermuda. About three years later, local craftsmen began building their own Comets. Some of those craftsmen were the forefathers of the Comet class clubs that are still active today.
Elfie Cann, Edward “Jack” Cross, and Ossie Philpott are some of the men instrumental in forming the West End Sailboat Club in 1941. The Somerset men enjoyed sailing and boat building, and, it seems, sport in general as Ossie had been the Somerset Cricket Club treasurer.
Founding members of West End Sailboat Club (from left): Ossie Philpott, Charles Batson Swan, Mickey Manders, and Eugene Philpott
Shortly after, in the central part of Bermuda, the Mid-Atlantic Boat & Sports Club was developed in 1944. Early founding members included Elsworth Lovell, Lawrence Hendrickson Sr., and Edward “Gates” Smith. The latter raced until he was well into his seventies and was one of the oldest active members of the Comet class in the 1990s. The youngest club involved in Comet racing is the East End Mini Yacht Club, which started in 1968 and has been located in the same building since its inception. Guy Millett, Alton Millett, and James Wade had their first meeting with five others at Convict Bay, St. George’s.
The Long Distance Race came about at the West End Sailboat Club, which hosted the first race in May 1944. The early route was slightly different, running from Somerset Bridge to St. George’s Harbour instead of between clubs as it does today. The first winner of this race was Canute “Tutor” Lambert, who won in his boat Sea Hawk . The following year, the race was named in honour of Edward “Jack” Cross, who designed and carved the competition’s cedar trophy.
In May 1944, Canute “tutor” Lambert won the inaugural Long Distance Comet Race in his boat “Sea Hawk”
Initially my project was to create a profile on each of the Comet Class Sailing Clubs, but I was encouraged to search and find out more. My thanks to Maxine Esdaille and members of local sailing clubs including Rear Commodore of the West End Sailboat Club, Gladwin Lambert, for sharing their knowledge. There is still more work ahead to develop a more comprehensive account of historically black sailing clubs in Bermuda, which still organise at least 10 regattas a year during the season from April to November.
Watch IslandStats recap of this year’s race held July 30, 2020, including an interview with winners Maxwell Curtis and crew Stefan Furbert:
If you have any information, objects, or photographs relating to Comet racing in Bermuda you would like to donate please contact Curator Deborah Atwood at [email protected]
Former Berkley and Bermuda College student Ayana Bean began her relationship with the Museum over 10 years ago as a student volunteer. She is currently interning with the Museum while she prepares for her next adventure, a degree in Power Engineering.
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About the Comet
Designed in 1932, the fun-to-sail Comet offers high-level double-handed racing to all ages, with equally competitive fiberglass and wooden boats. Friendly people, great boats, used and new self-rescuing design.
2019 Championship Regattas
- June 8 & 9 North American Championship at Surf City Yacht Club, NJ
- July 26 – 28 Atlantic Coast Championship at Marblehead, MA in their NOOD regatta
- August 23 – 25 International Championship at Tred Avon Yacht Club at Oxford, MD
Class Information:
Class Contact: Kevin Buruchian
Class Contact Email: [email protected]
Class Contact Phone: 973-271-2233
Class Website: cometclass.com
Social Media: Facebook
Class Specs
LOA: 16 ft.
Beam: 5 ft.
Draft: 6 ft. (up / 3 ft. (down)
Weight: 260 lbs.
Sail Area: 140 sq. ft.
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The International Comet Class is Alive and Well with a New Builder
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Chesapeake Bay Magazine
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A classic Chesapeake One-design
A classic Chesapeake one-design
- Design: C. Lowndes Johnson
- Length: 16′
- Beam: 5′
- Draft (Board up): 6″
- Draft (Board down): 3′
- Displacement: 265 lb.
- Sail Area (Main & Jib): 140 sq ft
- Crew (racing): 2
In 1932, C. Lowndnes Johnson, the 1929 Star International champion who built his own boats was asked by Maria Wheeler of Easton to design a Star-like trainer for her two sons, David and Thomas. Lowndes went to his drawing board and produced plans for a good-looking 16-foot centerboard boat with a with a lovely, Star-like stem, hard chines, and an arc bottom with nicely lifted ends. Ralph Wiley in Oxford Maryland built the boat at his small shipyard (which is now the Cutts and Case yard) using local cedar and pine. The Wheeler family was pleased with its appearance and performance. Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club commodore Elliott Wheeler ordered one for himself and soon six boats were sailing on the Tred Avon.
“Crab” was the original design name, which didn’t suit a rather attractive and quick new one- design, so in a logical turn of thought, it became the “Star Junior.” Yachting Magazine published a sketch and description of the boat in 1932, and Johnson soon had orders for 100 sets of plans. The magazine displayed a model of the boat at the 1933 New York Boat Show, and it was a big hit. Sailors from the Stone Harbor Yacht Club in New Jersey set up the first fleet, and by 1938, the class grew to 40 fleets and more than 1,000 boats. Subsequently, the design became known as the Comet. The class organization evolved, emulating the Star Class, with a strong set of rules and procedures to guide its growth. On the Chesapeake, fleets formed in Oxford, and, in 1937, on the Severn at the Indian Landing Boat Club.
A fleet appeared at Gibson Island in 1940 and prospered for nearly 20 years with 20 to 30 boats racing in open events before it faded in the early 1960s. Around 1960, the Severn River Comets migrated to the wider end of the Severn at Round Bay where the new Severn Sailing Association was forming.
New fleets formed on the Miles River at St. Michaels and further north on the Corsica River. In 1952, The Skipper magazine listed 80 qualifiers in the Comet Class for the CBYRA High Point championship, showing both the popularity of the Comet and the strength of one-design racing back then.
The Comet class has survived the roulette of classes that come and go. No longer considered a high-performance boat, it now attracts sailors because of its steady sailing characteristics, good looks, and the availability of well-built boats that have stood the test of time—a side benefit of a generous overall weight. Now considered a classic, it attracts sailors who appreciate its history and the performance designed by Johnson 86 years ago. In fact, with a new builder, Whitecap Composites (Bristol R.I.), it has a new lease on life, and 10 new boats have emerged in the past few years. They seem to be competitive and, fortuitously, they don’t seem to outclass the older boats. A used and still-competitive Comet can be had for a reasonable $2,000 to $3,000.
It is wonderful to see that wooden Comets remain competitive. Like other small boats built at the twilight of wood one-designs in the 1960s, the builders, like Lippincott and Beaton in New Jersey, knew exactly what they were doing and made boats based on decades of experience, which it turns out, can withstand the strain of powerful hiking, less elastic modern sailcloth, and aluminum spars. Trailering in the dry air and at highway speeds with these western red cedar boats made it important that joints were strong, tightly-fitted and well-fastened.
My connection with the Comet is both recent and long. The first boat I ever sailed was my father’s Comet on Round Bay on the Severn River in the early 1950s . It’s one of my first memories, and I was young enough to be thrilled by feeding grapes to minnows and terrified when they nibbled my toes. As time passed, Dad’s Comet became a relic in my Grandfather’s barn with her bottom planks off and her ribs exposed. The smell of cedar still resonates with me. All that remains of her after the barn burned is a lovely watercolor by my mother of the boat sailing on the Severn.
Skipping ahead nearly 50 years, my brother decided to get a Comet and found a good one at the dangerously enticing Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum boat auction. Later, his oldest son bought his own Comet and now races it successfully, finishing third in the 2017 Internationals. After many years racing Stars and a brief fling with a Lightning, I have just gotten one of those fine wooden Comets from the ‘60s to refinish and race. It smells of the cedar I remember so well.
Tom Price is an instructor, model-maker and mentor at the United States Naval Academy. He recently won the prestigious Star Class Sir Thomas Lipton Cup at the annual Oxford Regatta. Share: Related Stories
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- The Association
The Comet Association was formed in 1986 to provide an organisational arm for the sailors of the new Comet Dinghy designed and built in 1981 by Andrew Simmons initially under the AMS Marine banner and latterly under the Comet Dinghies banner.
Over 20 Comet events are organised each year. Although these are open to all Comet owners and helms, only members of the Association are eligible to qualify for the various Association’s Traveller’s trophies and to enter the 2 Championship events.
The Class Association also publishes a newsletter at regular intervals throughout the year. Each issue includes reports on the open meetings and championships, information about forthcoming events, lots of Comet tips and rules updates.
Information about Open events and Championships can be found on the calendar under the Events menu.
Further information on where Comets are sailed may be found using the links below.
The Comet Class Association is affiliated to the RYA.
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
Learn about the Comet Class, a double-handed racing boat with a planing hull and a large mainsail. Find out how to join, renew membership, and register for 2024 regattas in the Northeast.
It is a J Wolcott 1952 boat. It is a classic boat with a wood mast with 7-point rigging and a large bronze centerboard. It is a wood boat with a white hull and a light blue deck. I am hoping to sell it to someone who is a fan of the Comet class, rather than do a local Craigslist ad and sell it to a random sailor looking for a boat.
About the Comet. The Comet was designed by C. Lowndes Johnson as a trailerable version of the Star. The design combines a 16 foot hard chine planing hull with a classic sloop rig with a distinctively large mainsail. The result is a boat that can plane downwind and on a reach in just 10 to 12 knots of wind, yet remain stable upwind.
Learn about the Comet Class, a one design boat designed in 1932 that measures 16 feet long and weighs 265 pounds. Find out how the class is trying to revive its numbers and modernize its boat and sails.
Comet Class Association. 595 likes. The Comet is a great one-design boat for all levels of sailors. It is one of the most successful, ac
Learn about the Comet, a two person dinghy boat that is active in the mid Atlantic States and has a long history and a new builder. Find out how to join, sail, and compete in this class with regattas, championships, and mentoring.
Comet Rigs. Initially the Comet had only one rig consisting of a sleeved sail controlled by a transom main sheet plus an outhaul, a downhall and a kicker. To offer the Comet to light weight helms the Mino rig was introduced with a smaller sail together a shorter mast and boom. To modernise the Comet firstly a centre mainsheet was introduced ...
The Comet was first named the "Star Junior" after the Star class and was later renamed "Comet" to appease the president of the Star class at the time in America who wished to use the name for short-rigged old Stars. The Comet is a small, fast, and easily manageable boat designed by C. Lowndes Johnson of Easton, MD, in 1932.
Class Information: Class Contact: Kevin Buruchian Class Contact Email: [email protected] Class Contact Phone: 973-271-2233 Class Website: cometclass.com Social Media: Facebook
The Comet was designed by C. Lowndes Johnson as a trailerable version of the Star. The design combines a 16 foot hard chine planing hull with a classic sloop rig. Her light weight (260 lbs.), generous sail area (140 sq. ft.) and semi-flat bottom, make her easily driven to weather and can be planed off the wind in breezes of only 10 to 12 knots.
Total sail area. 135 sq ft (12.5 m 2) Racing. D-PN. 92.0. [ edit on Wikidata] The Comet, sometimes called the Comet OD or Comet One-Design, is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by C. Lowndes Johnson as a one-design racer and first built in 1932. The design has evolved over time via modifications. [ 1][ 2]
The Comet class has survived the roulette of classes that come and go. No longer considered a high-performance boat, it now attracts sailors because of its steady sailing characteristics, good looks, and the availability of well-built boats that have stood the test of time—a side benefit of a generous overall weight.
Comet Class Association Brochure; CCA Contacts; Member's Area; Comet Clubs; Club Map; RYA; The Boat. Why Comet? Comet Dinghy Brochure; Why Sail a Comet/Buying a Comet Perihelion Articles; Comet Rigging Guide; Comet Dinghies; Gallery; Results. Results 2024; Results 2023; Results 2022; Results 2021; Results 2019; Results 2018; Honours Board ...
The International Comet Class and several of our most dedicated class members have developed and constructed a brand new Comet in 2015. The biggest and most important news is that there is a NEW builder of the Comet. u0003They are Whitecap Composites in Peabody, Massachusetts. The owner is Ben Parker who uses a proven infusion production technique.
The Comet Association was formed in 1986 to provide an organisational arm for the sailors of the new Comet Dinghy designed and built in 1981 by Andrew Simmons initially under the AMS Marine banner and latterly under the Comet Dinghies banner. Over 20 Comet events are organised each year. Although these are open to all Comet owners and helms ...
1973. 16'. '. '. Massachusetts. $3,500. Description: 2020 Restored 1973 16 Comet Class one design racer: All surfaces refinished and Prime Kote, Topsides refinished with Total Boat Hatteras, Sides Interlux Perfection High Gloss Epoxy. Bottom Interlux VC Performance Epoxy Bottom Finish, interior is Interlux anti skid.
2020 Restored 1973 16 Comet Class one design racer: All surfaces refinished and Prime Kote, Topsides refinished with Total Boat Hatteras, Sides Interlux Perfection High Gloss Epoxy. Bottom Interlux VC Performance Epoxy Bottom Finish, interior is Interlux anti skid. All lines replaced with NE Rope. Rudder and all bright work refinished and ...
Comet Class (USA) cometclass.com. Comet Class Association (USA) Related Sailboats: Sort by: ... 1 Sailboats / Per Page: 25 / Page: 1. 0 CLICK to COMPARE . MODEL LOA FIRST BUILT FAVORITE COMPARE; COMET OD (USA) 16.00 ft / 4.88 m: 1932: ShipCanvas. KiwiGrip. Bruntons. Rudder Craft ...
The emergence of the Lightning class sailboat from a small upstate New York village in 1938 was the logical conclusion of events of the preceding 150 years. The Skaneateles area, like much of upstate New York, was primarily settled by Revolutionary War soldiers given land grants for their service. ... The Comet was a sawn-rib, hard-chined boat ...
Comet Class 2024 Executive Committee. President Tom Layton [email protected] . VP for Championship Regattas Jay Rhame [email protected]. Secretary-Treasurer Jim Widdis [email protected] 732-222-0193. VP for Information and Publicity Jon & Tory Burnham [email protected] 856-854-1851
Comet Class (USA) Download Boat Record: Notes. The design was first displayed in a 'Yachting' magazine article of 1932. Early wood boats were built by Skaneateles Boats Inc. Most recent builder: Whitecap Composites 147 Summit St Bldg 3c Unit 2 Peabody, MA 01960 Phone: 978-278-5718
Comet. Today, Comet, a yacht brand has 2 yachts available for purchase on YachtWorld. This collection encompasses 0 newly built vessels as well as 2 pre-owned yachts, with all listings, handled by yacht brokers and boat dealerships, primarily concentrated in Dominican Republic and Netherlands.
The Comet has a large uncluttered cockpit, rear mainsheet (with centre mainsheet permitted under class rules) and an unbattened sail with a sleeve luff on an unstayed rig. The hull and deck is manufactured from glass-reinforced plastic and available in a number of colour combinations. [citation needed]The sail area of 70 square feet (6.5 m 2) for the standard Comet rig is slightly less than ...