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Thistle Reaching Video - Click below to play

 

 

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About the Thistle Class

The Thistle is a high performance one design racing sailboat that is generally sailed with a three person crew, but it can also be competitively raced by two, particularly in the relatively light winds on southeast lakes.   The Thistle Fleet is the oldest fleet at CYC, and we are part of a strong class association, one of the largest and best one-design classes in the country.  This helps protect the value of your investment in a boat.  In fact, many owners find that they can sell a well-maintained boat for about the same, or sometimes even more than they paid for it.  

The class publishes a top-notch magazine, the Bagpipe, which not only reports on all the class news, but often includes rigging and go-fast tips that are specific to the Thistle.  This helps beginners quickly come up to speed if they are so inclined.  Moreover, everyone in our fleet, and all Thistlers, are more than happy to help new owners, whether it's showing them how to rig or tune a boat, climbing on board and crewing, or just sharing a few tips after a race.

The class culture makes the Thistle unique. The competitive design and caliber of sailors attracts top sailors, but the friendly atmosphere reaches out and supports brand new sailors as well.  Our class members are mostly weekend sailors, but the current national champion is an America's Cup winner and past national champions have included Olympians.  While we are strong on competition, the class enjoys a family atmosphere and often teams are comprised of family members. In fact, our fleet includes one 3rd generation Thistler, at least one 2nd generation Thistler, and several husband-wife teams.  The Thistle is also ideal for junior sailors; many regattas encourage youth participation with reduced fees for junior members or host a short junior event in advance of the main regatta.

Designed by Sandy Douglas, the Thistle debuted in 1945. The sail plan consists of a main, jib, and spinnaker. The boat planes easily in 10-12 knots of breeze yet will also glide effortlessly in the light air we often experience at CYC. The class firmly believes in the one-design principles thus keeping all boats competitive, and minimizing the cost of staying competitive.  In fact, boat #1 won the 1988 nationals and is still competitive to this day.  The boats last!

- credit to the Thistle Class Association for the above information