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August 7, 2020 by Sail1Design Editor 1 Comment

The first Town Class sailboat was designed and built (in wood only) in 1932 by Marcus C. Lowell in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Marcus’ son, Percival  M. “Pert” Lowell, later took over the business and relocated to Newbury  Massachusetts. In 1936, the Town Class sailboat was adopted as a  one-design class boat, and quickly became a popular racing boat from  Maine to Florida.  In the late 1960s, fiberglass models became available.  Currently, more  than two thousand wood and fiberglass “Townies” have been built to date. The  Pert Lowell Company , which is now operated by “Pert” Lowell’s  son-in-law, Ralph Johnson, continues to construct these boats today.

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July 26, 2021 at 14:40

Town Class sailboats are now constructed using “Modern Wood” construction by The Landing School in Arundel, Maine

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Inside the Classes: Town Class

• By Dave Reed
• Updated: July 31, 2017

Ask around Marblehead what the fastest growing one-design class is and you’ll hear the same thing everywhere you go: It’s the Town class. Yes, the pretty but pudgy 16-footer born, bred, and right at home in Marblehead Harbor. Designed and built by Marcus C. Lowell in 1932, class historians say it was a craft created for the townspeople: easy to sail and affordable. They flourished over the years, then almost disappeared. From a high of 60 to a low of five to nearly 30 boats now on the harbor, you could say the Towns are returning to former glory. And most of the new faces to the fleet are women.

Local sailor Kelley Braun’s was a gift from her husband, a sail designer with North Sails and a professional sailor known round the world. Today, she says, it’s as much a gift for him as it is for her, because he takes great enjoyment in her enjoyment.

Suerte Verde, translates to green luck, and fits her perfectly, and not just because of its green deck. “I’m a green sailor. I married a sailor and I was always frustrated that everyone thought I was a sailor because I was married to JB [Braun]. He gave me this boat so I could learn to sail.”

The Marblehead fleet has doubled in two or three years, she says, with 28 townies and more on the way. “I think it’s the perfect boat for someone like me,” says Braun. “I didn’t grow up sailing, and I’ve always said that to learn how to sail you have to be in a dinghy, where you change things and things happen.”

Bringing her up the learning curve for the past three years is Braun’s crew Karen Lubek. Braun sought her out because “it’s not good to be coached by your husband.”

“It’s a lot of feel,” says Braun. “I like to sail with my eyes closed…you know she’s going well when the centerboard sings. When it hums you know things are tuned well. It’s not a fast boat, but it’s a classical boat.”

There’s a predominance of old salts in the class today, but Braun says it’s changing, with younger people and a lot more women. “It’s a great boat that two women can sail,” she says. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s more about being active and being competitive, but not being professional.

Tempted as he may be, her sail-designing husband has not touched Suerte’s original sails. “There are some discussions on making changes to the sails,” she says, “but the fun part is that it’s old, classic and traditional and you have to keep it a level playing field for people like me to come in and have fun.”

For those looking, she says a good Town (preferably fiberglass) can be had for $2,000 to $5,000, some requiring more love than others. “We did a lot of work to this boat,” she says. “We took out all the foam that was waterlogged, did the deck, and all the wood. It’s fiberglass so it’s in good shape.”

Suerte’s best finish was a winning The Campbell Trophy at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race week two years ago, and a “fifth or sixth” at the Town Class Nationals last year. For her, it’s obvious results matter…but are the end all. “It’s about having fun,” she says with a laugh, “but we are competitive.”

As far as her hot-shot husband ever racing with her any time soon?

“By invitation only.”

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Sweep Again, Town Class 16.5

Posted by HarborMoor Crew | Jan 27, 2022 | Sailboats | 0 |

” Sailboat racing is a never-ending job of tweaking, and that will include every part of the boat over the next 3 or 4 years. “

Sweep Again, Town Class 16.5’

Interview with the Captain – Bill Heffernan

About the Boat

Why did you choose to buy a Townie? I began sailing a Townie in the early 80’s, when my friend Greg Lindin (hull2083) needed crew for the summer, and I immediately fell in love with the boat. Greg helped me to purchase my first Townie (1098 Sweep) the following winter, and over the course of 3 winters we restored the boat to compete at a championship level.  

What other kinds of boats did you consider before buying this particular model (and how did they compare)? After sailing the Townie through the 80’s, I took a divergence into the Rhodes 19 fleet that lasted for 30 years and in 2021 went back to the Townie. I am happy not to have a spinnaker run to deal with in gusty Northwest winds, and I love the lines and feel of a Townie.  

How did you come to find/locate her before purchasing (and what’s the boat’s history if you know it)? Bart Snow is the inspirational leader of the Town Class and has led an amazing resurgence of this fleet, which dates to the 1930’s. If you need a Townie, Bart knows the inventory and he directed me to Pert Lowell and Co in Newbury Mass. There, Ralph Lowell showed me to hull # 2319 built in 2009 but never sold, it was used as a demo for boat shows.

Who first introduced you to boating/sailing? My Dad taught me to sail a wood Sailfish in Wellfleet Harbor, and would soon graduate to a Sunfish, the Sailfish kept sinking.

What are the features you like most about your boat? The lines and feel of the boat.

What features/improvements have you added or do you plan to add? Sailboat racing is a never-ending job of tweaking, and that will include every part of the boat over the next 3 or 4 years.

Do you belong to a yacht club or other boating/sailing organizations? I belong to Corinthian Yacht Club and sail with the MRA Marblehead Racing Association and the Town Class Association . Great organizations!!

What is the biggest challenge you have in servicing your boat? Bubba’s Performance Boats in Newburyport takes care of my servicing needs.

Do you have any advice for those looking to buy a boat like yours? Call Bart Snow.

What’s the story behind the boat’s name? Sweep Again is my 3rd boat and the last 2 were named Sweep, but since my old boat (Sweep 1098) is still in the fleet I added the “Again”. I got the name Sweep from my line of work, I own Master Chimney Sweepers, and Sweep the wind, series, championship seemed to work.

Click the gallery below for more photos and information about Sweep Again !  

About The Author

HarborMoor Crew

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New town class sloops from the landing school.

The Town Class Sloop was originally designed in 1931 and built by Pert Lowell Company in Newbury, MA. The original construction consisted of lap-strake cedar planking on oak frames. The Landing School builds these boats with epoxy-bonded marine plywood and epoxy-laminated frames. These boats are built to last, and whether it be competing in the Town Class Nationals regatta or enjoying a leisurely, family day-sail, A Landing School “Townie” is a great choice for beginner or experienced sailors. LOA is 16′-6″. The Landing School has one completed boat ready for purchase and two under construction. The two under construction will be available in late May, 2023. The sale price of $24,500 includes the boat, trailer, sails, dock lines/fenders and safety gear. Just add water! Call or email with any questions. The boats can be viewed by appointment at The Landing School in Arundel, ME.

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• 2024 Nationals

2024 National Regatta

The Corinthian Club in Marblehead will be Hosting the Town Class Nationals over the weekend of August 2nd to 4th.

"Townie Worlds" - Friday, August 2

10-12:00 AM   Registration – CYC Harbor Room

10:30 AM        Nationals Meeting - CYC Harbor Room

11:00 AM        Skippers Meeting – CYC Harbor Room

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9-10:00 AM     Registration – CYC Harbor Room

11:00 AM        Race First Warning– Committee Boat Start

6:00 PM          Cocktails – CYC Harbor Room

7:00 PM          Dinner – CYC Harbor Room

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10:30 AM        Race First Warning – Committee Boat Start              

Conclusion     Awards ceremony at CYC Harbor Room

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The Nationals business meeting for all Townie members will be held at the CYC in the Harbor Room on Friday, August 2nd at 10:30 AM prior to the Skippers Meeting 

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Boat Launch – Boats can be launched at the Boston Yacht Club.  We will have Townie owners ready to assist you.

Accommodations – Housing will be provided for out-of-town members. Please  indicate that you need housing on your registration.

Race Week – You are invited to race Marblehead Race Week, the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series on Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28. For more information and registration visit   https://www.sailingworld.com/regatta-series-marblehead/. Saturday and Sunday of this regatta constitutes our New England Championship. For members of fleets outside of Marblehead, the entry fees will be paid by our National Association. Should you decide to race Race Week and the Nationals, moorings will be provided in Marblehead harbor for the week in between.

Townie Worlds - The Townie Worlds will be held on Friday, August 2, starting at approximately 1:30 PM.  The start will be a harbor start off the Corinthian Yacht Club.

Friday Evening Cookout – Cookout will begin at 6:00 PM at Gretchen and Brendan O’Grady’s home. Hamburgers and salmon burgers will be served. BYOB

Saturday Evening Dinner and Social – Dinner and social will be at the CYC with cocktails at 6:00 PM and dinner at 7:00 PM. Dress is smart casual, no jeans. All Townie sailors, whether participating in the regatta or not are encouraged to attend.

Awards Ceremony – The awards will be presented in the Harbor Room at the CYC at the conclusion of the regatta on Sunday afternoon, prior to hauling boats. Chowder will be served.

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General election latest: Diane Abbott claims Labour will block her from standing at election; Tories don't owe Angela Rayner an apology, minister claims

Diane Abbott tells Sky News that although she has been given the Labour whip back, the party doesn't want her to stand; a minister tells Sky News the Tories don't owe Angela Rayner an apology after police said they will take no further action against her over housing claims.

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Veteran MP Diane Abbott has told Sky News that reports she will be barred from standing as a Labour candidate at this election are true.

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington was suspended by the party more than a year ago after suggesting Jewish people did not experience racism, but rather prejudice similar to red heads.

She swiftly apologised and withdrew her remarks.

While a Labour investigation into her comments is reported to have ended in December, she was made to wait for the outcome.

Although she had the party whip restored yesterday, a report in The Times yesterday suggested she'd been banned from standing for the party at the election on 4 July.

Ms Abbott has told Sky News this morning that the report is correct.

She added: "As of yesterday evening, I have not heard from the party directly."

It's not yet been confirmed whether she will stand for election again - Labour's deadline for picking candidates is 4 June.

The party has been contacted for comment.

The Tory party is today pledging to replace "rip-off degrees" with 100,000 apprenticeships each year by the end of the next parliament if they win the general election.

Speaking to broadcasters, Rishi Sunak said they would be taking "the bold action of closing down under-performing university degrees that are letting our young people down".

"That's the best way to transform people's lives and spread opportunity. The best way to deliver a secure future for our young people."

The PM did not respond when asked to name an underperforming degree course.

Asked what is wrong with university for many young people, he said it is a "fantastic option for many".

"But it's not the only option. I'm not someone who believes that you have to go to university, and all the apprentices I've been talking to this morning are proof of that, describing it as the best decision they ever made.

"And what we do know is that there are university degrees that are letting young people down."

To that end, he explained that "the regulator will be given the powers to look at underperforming degrees, looking at the progression rates, the dropout rates, the earnings of people on those degrees, and instead we will use that money to fund 100,000 new apprenticeships".

"And that's an example of the bold action that I'm prepared to take, because that's how we will deliver a secure future for everyone across our country."

Police said yesterday they will take no further action against Labour's Angela Rayner after accusations were made by Tory party deputy chair James Daly surrounding her living arrangements in 2010.

Reports suggested she may have lived primarily at her then husband's address in Stockport, despite registering to vote under her own nearby - which could be a breach of electoral rules.

Ms Rayner had repeatedly denied the claims ( read more here ).

Rishi Sunak was asked by broadcasters if the whole thing was just a waste of police time, but he replied that they are "independent of government" and it's "for them to decide who and what they're investigating".

"My understanding is that they've passed on a file to HMRC, the tax authorities, which again are independent of government."

It is understood that Ms Rayner asked HMRC to investigate and concluded she owes no taxes.

The PM then pivoted to policy, saying the Labour deputy leader "voted against our nuclear deterrent at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been at any point since the end of the Cold War" and is "committed to introducing French style union laws".

"It's the same old Labour Party, union laws that will cost jobs and damage the recovery and putting up your taxes. That's what Angela Rayner represents."

Rishi Sunak has been speaking to broadcasters this morning, and he was asked if Diane Abbott should stand as a Labour candidate at this election.

It comes after Ms Abbott told Sky News that reports the party is set to bar her from standing are true.

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"What I do seem to have picked up is that the Labour Party have been telling everybody that this investigation into Diane Abbott is ongoing.

"It now appears that it concluded months ago. So really, I guess it's a question for them to clear up."

He called on Labour to be "transparent with people about it".

The veteran MP, Diane Abbott, has just commented publicly after she told Sky News that the Labour Party is due to bar her from standing as their candidate at this election ( read more here ).

She said she is "delighted" to have had the party whip restored following her suspension over a year ago, and is now a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party once again.

"Thank you to all those who supported me along the way. I will be campaigning for a Labour victory."

But she went on: "I am very dismayed that numerous reports suggest I have been barred as a candidate."

Labour has been contacted for comment, but has not yet provided any clarity.

Labour is announcing a pledge to clear the backlog of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment within five years of government, if the party gets into power.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting explained to Sky News that they will deliver "40,000 more appointments every week, extra evening and weekend clinics - taking a reform we're seeing working spectacularly well in a small number of hospitals, rolling it out across the NHS".

Alongside "the investment needed" and new diagnostic scanners, Mr Streeting is confident he can "get more people through and start eating into the 1.6 million strong backlog".

He went on: "We're also going to use the spare capacity that exists in the independent sector because we're already seeing people who can afford paying to go private.

"And I'm not going to see working class people from backgrounds like mine left behind."

Asked how this will be paid for, he said cracking down on tax avoidance, along with closing non-dom loopholes, will raise £1.6bn.

"Labour's got a record - the shortest waiting times, the highest patient satisfaction in the history of the NHS.

"We did it before, we'll do it again if people choose change by voting Labour on  4 July."

As we've been reporting, veteran MP Diane Abbott is claiming that the Labour Party is set to block her from standing as a candidate for them at this general election.

But earlier this month, the Labour leadership welcomed Natalie Elphicke from the Tories, who was widely considered to have been on the right of the party.

Asked what qualities Ms Elphicke has that Ms Abbott doesn't, Wes Streeting noted that she is "is not standing for Labour at this general election either", and said both her and fellow defector Dan Poulter represent "millions of Conservative voters who can see the absolute chaos and incompetence of the Conservatives and are putting their faith in Labour".

Challenged again, the shadow health secretary reiterated that position, saying it "speaks volumes, actually, that the Conservative MP for Dover, who has been seeing the challenge of small boats arriving on the shores of her constituency, has said loud and clear that the Rwanda scheme won't work, and only Labour has a serious approach for tackling the challenge at our borders".

He went on to say Labour wants to "welcome millions of people who have seen the chaos and incompetence of the Conservative Party and are looking for change".

Asked if he is embarrassed by the way the Labour Party has treated Diane Abbott, he said he has "no authority over the decision", and is focused on his brief, which is the NHS.

A "more important problem" than the Diane Abbott situation is the state of the NHS.

We've just been speaking with Labour's shadow health secretary about the situation surrounding veteran MP Diane Abbott, who has told Sky News reports she won't be allowed to stand for Labour at this election are correct.

Labour has not confirmed what exactly the situation is, and Wes Streeting, a senior shadow cabinet member, said he only knows what is being reported in the news.

Asked Sky News' Kay Burley for clarity, he said: "I don't know. I've been relying on the news reports this morning in terms of the decision that may have been taken.

"I've seen what Diane Abbott said publicly, and I'm not involved in this process."

He went on to describe her as a trailblazer, saying: "Whatever our political disagreements we've had at times over the years, I have enormous respect for her and those achievements."

Challenged on reporting from Sky's Mhari Aurora that some Labour MPs are saying this situation has a "stench of racism", Mr Streeting replied: "I've got quite enough to worry about as shadow health secretary without being involved in those processes."

He explained that the disciplinary process is "rightly separate from the shadow cabinet" and is a matter for the party's National Executive Committee.

"I'm sorry this morning not able to shed more light on the decision. I'm sure further facts and statements will emerge from the party today, and no doubt Diane Abbott will make her voice heard too."

Mr Streeting added that he is "really proud" that the Labour Party is putting forward candidates at this election from "a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives".

"I hope that on 4 July, people can see a changed Labour Party from the one that went down to its worst defeat since 1935 in 2019."

MSP Michael Matheson is facing a 27-sitting day suspension from Holyrood and could lose his salary for 54 days over his £11,000 iPad data roaming bill ( more here ).

We asked the SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn about the case, and he said the MSP "made a significant mistake, and he's recognised that".

"But ultimately, I think all of us in life do make mistakes, it's due [that] process has to be followed. And that's what's happening this week."

He added that Mr Matheson has fully repaid the money.

Polls in Scotland show that the SNP faces a real challenge at this general election, with some suggesting they could lose half their seats.

But the party's Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, told Sky News that this is "the exciting thing about an election".

"Polls swing one way, they swing the other way. And what we know as the most important poll is on the 4th of July."

The SNP, he said, wants to be talking about the cost of living crisis, energy bills, and economic growth.

The most important priority for the SNP is to "see an end to Tory austerity", and hit out at both parties for what the Institute of Fiscal Studies has called a "conspiracy of silence" around the real sums of money required for the public sector in the coming years.

But more broadly, Mr Flynn said: "What we would ultimately like to see Scotland become that independent nation so that we don't have to rely upon Westminster to try and improve the lives of people."

Asked what the SNP's mandate would be if they lose half their seats, he replied that it would come from "winning the election".

He hit out at Labour in Scotland, saying they are taking their poll lead "for granted", and said: "We have of course taken a slight dip in the polls, but I'm very confident that with that positive message we have put in Scotland first we can get over the line and deliver for the people of Scotland again."

Pushed by Sky's Kay Burley, he said they are "looking to retain every single seat that we have and also looking to win all the seats from other parties."

"Bacon, prime minister," said the political editor of the Times.

File that one under sentences you only hear on the campaign trail.

Rishi Sunak had just got off the overnight sleeper train from London to Penzance when he headed immediately into the tiny Sullivan's Cafe outside the station to pick up breakfast for the travelling media pack.

Making a spectacle of feeding the press is something of a campaign ritual.

But it's unlikely to produce more sympathetic coverage, especially when the sausage sandwiches are as lacking in ketchup as they were this morning.

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‘I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It.’ Tornado Devastates Arkansas Town.

Rogers, Ark., was one of many places hit hard by the rash of storms over Memorial Day weekend across the South.

By Bret Schulte and Katie Benner

Bret Schulte reported from Rogers, Ark.

Melisa Swearingen woke up early on Sunday morning as a tornado bore down on her home in the northwestern corner of Arkansas. As she raced down the stairs with her toddler, she looked out the window and saw a 40-foot tree falling toward the house.

“The whole house was shaking like a roller coaster,” Ms. Swearingen said in an interview outside her home. “I thought, This was it.”

But the tree smashed through a room above the family’s garage, giving her time to gather her 7-year-old son. As another tree crushed the other side of the home, she, her husband and their children huddled in a first-floor bedroom. “I thought the house would be torn open and we’d get suctioned up,” Ms. Swearingen, 35, said.

Nearby, Byron Copeland, 38, had sent his wife, their three children and the family dogs to the basement, while he monitored the storm. Then came the terrifying booms of exploding electrical transformers. “I ran toward the basement like a little girl,” Mr. Copeland said. As they waited for the weather to pass, he said, the family sang the lullaby “Jesus Loves Me.”

The Swearingens and the Copelands were among the millions of families whose lives were upended by the rash of tornadoes that ravaged parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Kentucky over Memorial Day weekend. At least 23 people were killed, including eight people in Arkansas.

One of the hardest hit towns was Rogers, Ark., a city situated between the Walmart headquarters in Bentonville and Arkansas’s largest state park. Nearly two-thirds of Rogers lost power. Downed trees have made it difficult to move about. And Rogers’s mayor, Greg Hines, had to make his way through the limbs of a 120-year-old maple tree that blocked his front door before he could take a helicopter tour of the damage.

“You could see tops of trees just shaved off. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Mr. Hines said.

The tornadoes tossed trucks onto their sides and tore apart buildings and homes. At nearby Beaver Lake, storms ripped from the shore a 20-slip dock, which was found floating in the lake with boats still attached.

A tree on Fifth and Cypress Streets hit a fire hydrant, setting off a geyser that flooded the road. And a 250-year-old catalpa tree was destroyed.

Mr. Hines said he hoped that by sundown on Monday all roads would have at least one passable lane, and that on Tuesday the city would open a command center to help people obtain housing and food assistance.

He estimated that more than 30,000 people in Rogers did not have power, but that most of them could be back online in the next few days.

People in Rogers said they were determined to repair and soldier on as a community.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders visited the remains of the beloved Susie Q Malt Shop, which has operated for nearly 64 years. Tornadoes had torn off the roof and knocked down walls, exposing the kitchen and the soda fountain. Not much was upright but the heavy steel freezer.

In a video of the rubble taken by a local photographer, packs of Oreo cookies were visible in cupboards whose tops were blown off. One of the building’s walls remained intact, with the Susie Q menu painted across it in pink and turquoise.

Mayor Hines said that even amid such widespread devastation, losing Susie Q was particularly painful. “I got maybe 18 to 22 photos sent to me from constituents,” he said. “Every single one was of this building — not their own houses. That underscores what this building means to this community.”

In downtown Rogers on Monday, a city worker used a backhoe to remove branches and deposit them on lawns. Residents spent much of Memorial Day clearing the streets of debris and uprooted trees that had ripped apart pipes and pavement.

“We just keep going,” said Will Swearingen, 40, Melisa’s husband. He and his family plan to live in their house while they rebuild. “Chain saws, water, oil, gas. That’s all we need.”

Nearly two dozen members of the extended Swearingen family live in the Rogers historic district, and they participate in an annual Fourth of July parade through the neighborhood. Up to 300 people attend the celebration, following the route on foot or on horseback, on riding lawn mowers or on golf carts.

As Mr. Swearingen’s cousin, Scott Swearingen, 41, walked through a wilderness of shattered wood, leaves and homes, he pointed to two evergreens that were still standing. That spot is where a large American flag is traditionally draped for Independence Day. The storm will not change that tradition.

“One hundred percent, without a doubt, we’ll have a parade this year,” he said. “One hundred percent.”

Katie Benner is a correspondent writing primarily about large institutions that shape American life. More about Katie Benner