The North Haven Dinghy is the oldest, continually raced one-design craft in America. Its prototype was a tender on early summer resident William Weld’s yacht ‘Gitana’, as depicted in the 1887 photo in our historical pictures section. Dinghies became exceedingly popular among the Casino community. Members recall a record 96 of them that competed in one Pulpit Harbor Race during the early Forties! And their sails and hulls then were gaily and variously colored (see the photo of the Pettit’s lovely diorama of a race in progress crafted at that time.)

Generations of young people learned to sail in Casino classes on Dinghies, and came to love their idiosyncrasies. Perhaps the trickiest boat in the fleet to master, and thus particularly enticing to our best sailors, they have none of the refinements of modern craft. Constant tweaking to peak of the gaff rig and centerboard, attention to level, and a wide leisurely turning radius are the tools to finesse, together with occasionally hearty pumping as one rides just at water level in an open boat.

During the late 1970s fiberglass hulls began to replace wooden ones for practicality, and today virtually the entire racing fleet is glass. There are still over 20 Dinghies in the fleet.

Here is a link to Artisan Boatworks’ description of the North Haven Dinghy: artisanboatworks.com/classic-designs/rowboats/north-haven-dinghy Edit