The Rhodes 19 offers the best of all worlds in one design sailing.  Her roomy open cockpit makes it comfortable to take the whole family for a sail to Navy Pier and back.   In a brisk northeaster, with spinnaker flying and a following sea, she offers all the excitement that a one-design racer could hope for.  The Rhodes 19 class was first organized in 1963, four years after the O'Day company built its first fiberglass keel boat based on the molded plywood Hurricane class designed by Philip Rhodes.  The original design had been commisioned as an inexpensive club racer that would be fast and fun to sail.  The Rhodes 19 has been exactly that for over forty years.

 Fleet 12 sails out of the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club in Montrose Harbor on the north side of Chicago.  During the summer we race nearly every Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon.  A crew of three is standard, but the boat can be handled by two in a pinch.  

Our Fleet has been experiencing a renaissance, in this age of floating motor homes and opulent electronically controlled carbon-fiber stealth watercraft.  People are coming to realize how much one-design racing has to offer: a true contest of skill where sailors compete in identical boats that are modestly priced but fast and seaworthy.  Add to this a boat that is dry and comfortable when sailed as a recreational daysailer and you have the Rhodes 19.

Whether you want to race your own boat, or just sail it for fun, or crew for one of our skippers, there is a place for you in Fleet 12.  Contact our Fleet Captain, Peter Meissner: if you are interested in joining us.

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