Background
Rejuvenating one-design match racing through competitive sailing and match racing, the W-Class has captured the imagination and admiration of a world-wide audience and re-kindled the spirit of early 20th Century Corinthian racing.
The W-Class Yacht Company was the brainchild of sailing enthusiast Donald Tofias. In 1997, he approached his friend, naval architect designer and son of writer E.B. White, Joel White of the Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine, and together they hatched the project.
Joel White, who regrettably died just prior to the launch of W-76 "Wild Horses," is widely regarded for his expertise in traditional yacht design and construction. As an MIT-trained naval architect, he designed and built boats and yachts on the coast of Maine for nearly forty years. The W-Class was named in honor of Joel White.
Since 1998, the W-Class Yacht Company's concept of rejuvenating one-design match racing has grown in popularity and ambition. After several years of competitive sailing and match racing, the W-Class has captured the imagination and admiration of a world wide audience and re-kindled the spirit of early 20th Century Corinthian racing.
Today, the W-Class Yacht Company actively promotes two W-76's, "Wild Horses" and "White Wings," along the East Coast of the United States, in the Caribbean, and in the Mediterranean. The private owners of the W-46's "Zebra," "Equus," and "Arion" campaign them throughout New England.
Donald Tofias sums up his one-design concept by saying, "The vision that propelled me to develop these inspiring vessels was the ideal to compete in big, identical boats with identical equipment, so that at the end of an exciting, close, competitive race - the best sailor wins. This is boat-on-boat, crew-on-crew competition."
"Ultimately and most important, Tofias has a wonderful product to sell: a fresh and compelling concept, a beautiful design, and boats built to the highest standard by two of the finest yards in the United States."
Maynard Bray, WoodenBoat
