NAHANT — All residents are encouraged to head down to the community breakfast at Nahant Village Church on August 8, where they’ll get a chance to learn about the history of Town Class Racing and its roots in the town’s past.
Presented by Nahant Dory Club members Rex Antrim and Robert Wilson, the two will be collaborating on a presentation to explore the background of the pastime. Antrim said he’s excited to bring the history to the community.
According to Antrim, the tradition started in town all the way back in 1939. “Town class racing actually started in Marblehead in the mid-1930s, and in Nahant, they were racing Star Class boats, then the Star Fleet that was wiped out in a hurricane in 1938,” Antrim explained. “After that, the town started looking for a different class of boat to replace the star boats, and they chose the Town Class — quite a bit smaller than the Star Class, but both have large main sails and small ships.”
A Town Class boat is best defined as a small, wooden sloop — a sailboat with one mast and two sails. All competitors race in identical Town Class sloops in size and design, making the competition based solely on skill rather than luck.
Antrim said the popularity of using the Town Class continued to grow, and for a while it became the dominant racing class for the Dory Club.
“It’s part of Nahant’s history, and the Town Class in Nahant has connections to Village Church, with many of the early sailors being involved with church,” Antrim said. “My hope is that the community gets a better understanding of the history involved.”
Wilson said racing began in one-design dories and the tradition continues today with the historic Town Class one-design sailboat.
“There have been many other one-design class boats over the years including the X-Dorys, Monty Cats, Turnabouts and Mercury’s. Many families, both summer and permanent residents, enjoyed sailing in these boats, often for generations,” Wilson said. “The Town Class boats are still sailing and racing and have been since 1939, continuing this rich tradition of sailing and racing in Nahant.”
