Article by: James Scanlon
After ten years of competition, New York Yacht club has elected to replace the Swan 42 with a sleeker, more race oriented design by Mark Mills, the IC37.
The New York Yacht Club has hosted four Invitational Cups since the event’s debut in 2007, bringing amateur sailors from 43 yacht clubs and 21 countries together for Corinthian competition in German Frer’s Swan 42. Built by Nautor’s Swan and originally launched in 2006, the Swan 42, known within the club as NYYC 42, was a resounding success, with 35 boats sold within the first 6 months, 25 of which were sold to NYYC members. The dynamic boat was intended to be used not only local cruising but also offshore sailing and racing.
In response to the dispersing of the fleet of Swans away from the North East, the club decided to commision the IC37 to ensure to continuation of the Invitational cup, and Corinthian competition. Since the rules of the corinthian spirited event dictate that no paid professionals, boat captains notwithstanding, are permitted, the IC37’s were designed to be a competition specific design which can be sailed by a wide spectrum of sailors, ranging in ability, experience and athleticism. Twenty new boats will be ready for competition in 2019, after the Swan 42’s serve their final event in this September’s Invitational cup.
The IC 37, with a beam of 12 feet, features a 6 foot retractable bowsprit, a carbon rig, 900 square feet of upwind sail area and 2000 feet of downwind sail area. The hull and rig weigh in at a combined 8000 pounds with half of that weight in the eight foot bulb keel. Those design statistics translate to an IRC rating of approximately 1.180 and an ORC rating of 543.12. The hull will be outfitted Gori folding propellers. Given the relatively uncompromising attention to performance and the overall feel of the boat, the Gori saildrives were a fairly obvious choice. The folding propellers designed by Gori reduce drag to zero, resulting in significant boat speed gains, especially in higher performance boats such as the IC37. Furthermore, the unobstructed flow to the rudder allowed by the Gori improves the hydrodynamic performance of the foil, allowing for improved upwind angles and handling.
The first complete IC37 arrived at new England Boatworks April 27, and was sailed in conditions ranging from 6 to twenty knots by Harry melges, Kenny Read and designer Mark Mills. The trial sails were without any major hiccups and resulted in enthusiastic feedback from all aboard, garnering excitement for the class and the future of the event.
Images courtesy of Melges IC37 Facebook Page, and IC37 Website.