For Immediate Release

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Susan Daly (401-848-5777, ext 220)
Cynthia Goss (203-453-2731)

Dynamic Moth Sailboats Chosen as Student Project for IYRS Composites Program

IYRS and Sail Newport Partner to Bring High-Performance Dinghies to the Public

Newport (R.I.)  June 23, 2010 — Students in the International Yacht Restoration School’s Composites Technology Program, a new nine-month program that begins this September at the school’s Bristol campus, will learn their craft while building a fleet of Moths—a small, high-performance sailboat considered by many to be the fastest, most exhilarating dinghy being sailed today. These diminutive single-handed boats are no longer than 11 feet in length, but their small size belies their power: these fast hydrofoils rise out of the water once underway, can travel faster than the wind, and have been clocked at 27 knots. 

“Students in all of our full-time programs learn their craft while working on real-life building and refit projects,” said Susan Daly, VP, Marketing of IYRS. “The traditional, wooden Beetle Cats® restored by students studying boat building and restoration at IYRS fit that program perfectly. The composites program teaches a technology of the future, and we wanted a building project that would teach and test our students while also capturing their imaginations.”

The Moths will be more than an effective teaching tool for students in the composites program: IYRS will partner with Sail Newport to bring these high-performance dinghies to the public. Once the Moths are completed by students they will become part of the Sail Newport fleet and will fill an important gap in this public sailing center’s existing fleet as an exciting, challenging boat for young adult sailors looking for the next step in sailing.

“Our sport does a great job of teaching young kids to sail, but we don’t do as good a job at keeping those kids engaged in the sport as they grow into young adults,” said Sail Newport Executive Director Brad Read. “Introducing these high-performance, dynamic boats to our sailing population is a perfect collaboration between IYRS and Sail Newport. We could not pass up the chance to be the end user of these boats—boats I consider to be the most dynamic on the planet.”

The IYRS Composites Technology Program will give students a foundation in composites processes, techniques, and technology—ranging from general composites that employ glass fiber and polyester resin, to advanced composites that employ high-strength/high-modulus fibers and advanced resin systems. According to the program’s lead instructor Henry Elliot, the Moths will be a very effective project for students to build, for several reasons: The boats are small, light, and a good scale as a teaching tool, yet they need to be built to a high standard and will give students experience with a range of materials and processes; in addition, there are many geometrically complex tools that students will need to build, and making those tools will both teach and test their skills using CAD CAM engineering software.

“We will cover a lot of bases with these small boats,” said Elliot. “Once students leave here, the Moth is the kind of boat that will stand as a solid resume-builder.”

The public will have an opportunity to tour the IYRS Composites Technology facility and learn more about the program during two Open Houses held this summer, on Wednesday afternoon, July 21 and Wednesday afternoon, August 4. Both events run from 3 pm to 7 pm. The IYRS facility is located at 253 Franklin Street in Bristol
 
About the IYRS Composites Program
Rhode Island’s International Yacht Restoration School offers technical training for the marine industry. The school’s new program in Composites Technology, which begins this September, complements two other full-time programs—in Boatbuilding & Restoration and Marine Systems—and shorter-term Continuing Education courses. IYRS maintains two teaching facilities, in Newport and Bristol. Each locale is uniquely suited to the programs offered there. The waterfront campus in Newport, home to the Boatbuilding & Restoration program, includes two historic buildings from 1831 and 1903 and is the site of notable historic restorations, including the restoration of the rare 1885 schooner yacht Coronet. The Bristol teaching facility, home to the Marine Systems and Composites Technology programs, is based at the Franklin Street Marine Corridor, a recently developed industrial/educational complex where students mix with marine-industry companies. For more information on IYRS, visit www.iyrs.org.

About Sail Newport
Sail Newport was founded in 1983 after the loss of the America’s Cup to catalyze the sailing community and attract more sailing events to Newport. Over 25 years later, Sail Newport is a thriving sailing center located in Fort Adams State Park. Sail Newport has a wide variety of sailing programs including learn-to-sail programs, racing clinics, and advanced classes for youth and adults. In addition, Sail Newport has hosted many local, regional, national, and world-class sailing events. The facility has two hoists, dinghy and deep- water boat ramps, regatta dockage, ginpole, event center, and storage. In 2009, Sail Newport hosted the largest one-design event of the year in the U.S. with the 2009 Optimist New England Championship, and Sail Newport managed the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 29th Olympiad, held in Beijing, China. For more information, visit www.sailnewport.org.