New Management for C&C 30 One Design Class

Stagg Yachts, the C&C 30 One Design Class, and USWatercraft have formed a new partnership, effective immediately, and covers a wide-range of services. Stagg Yachts has agreed to serve as class manager for the up-and-coming C&C 30 One Design Class, and is now U.S. Watercraft’s world-wide sales agent for the boats.

“Stagg Yachts possesses a tremendous amount of experience with regard to overseeing one-design racing at the grand prix level,” said Dan Cheresh, president of the C&C 30 class. “Geoff Stagg and his team are very adept at promoting the class, communicating with owners and establishing proper rules and procedures. Stagg Yachts has a proven track record for running very strict and fair one-design classes.”

The C&C 30 One Design is one of the world’s fastest-growing one-design race-boats. There are active fleets on the East Coast, West Coast and Great Lakes regions of the United States. The class is on its way to international growth with boats recently being sold to owners in Australia and Japan. A recent class membership meeting involved 22 racing owners from the U.S. and Europe.

“This class is gaining momentum and is on the verge of really taking off,” said Randy Borges, president of USWatercraft. “There is a need for a full-time class management team at this critical juncture and Stagg Yachts has a proven track record in this arena. Geoff Stagg and Tink Chambers bring a level of knowledge and expertise of one-design organization that is second to none.”

Stagg Yachts, based in Annapolis, has been managing one-design sailboat racing since 1991 and has overseen development of the Farr 40, Mumm 30, Farr 395 and Farr 36 classes among others. Stagg Yachts is known worldwide for overseeing the Farr 40 Class Association, the most successful one-design race-boat in history.

“We want Stagg Yachts to improve and enhance the way we communicate within the growing class while providing guidance to the executive committee,” said Cheresh, who became familiar with the firm when he owned a Mumm 30. “We also hope Stagg Yachts can help continue to grow the class in terms of participation.”

Stagg and Chambers have been together for a quarter century – dating back to their days overseeing classes, selling boats and conducting marketing for Farr International. Stagg purchased the full shareholding of that company from Bruce Farr and Russell Bowler in June, 2005 and renamed the operation Stagg Yachts, for which he holds the title of president.

Brady Stagg recently joined his father’s firm and will assist Chambers with the day-to-day management of the C&C 30 and Farr 40 classes. Stagg has resisted overtures from other one-design classes to take on management, but believes strongly in the potential of the C&C 30.

“I’ve done my due diligence and all the parts are in place. It’s a solid all-around race boat, there is a strong group of existing owners and a significant number of prospective owners,” said Stagg, who personally remains fully focused on the Farr 40 class.

“I think the C&C 30 stands out among the crowd and has an exciting future. It just needs to be coordinated and managed. Some of the class rules need to be firmed up and the network of owners needs to be brought together. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

Borges has been president of USWatercraft since 1988 and previously worked with Stagg and Chambers while building the Farr 40 and Mumm 30.

“We have a group of very involved owners with exacting standards who want things organized at the highest level,” Borges said of the C&C 30 Class. “From my standpoint, it was a no-brainer to bring in Stagg Yachts. They are uniquely positioned to manage the fledgling class association, while also working with USWatercraft to accelerate world-wide sales.”

Stagg said the involvement of Borges with the C&C 30 class along with his personal respect for several of the current owners combined to persuade him to come aboard. “We have worked closely with Randy in the past and have great faith in him as a builder. USWatercraft’s reputation for high-quality construction is well-known within the industry,” he said.

C&C 30 debuted as a one-design class at Quantum Key West 2016 with 11 boats hailing from the U.S. and Europe, and will be returning to that renowned regatta in 2017. Cheresh and his crew aboard Extreme2 just captured the inaugural C&C 30 North American Championship, which was contested as part of New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport, presented by Rolex. The C&C 30 One Design will make its West Coast debut at the prestigious Rolex Big Boat Series in September, where three new owners will join the fray.

“We wanted to solidify the class management at this time because 2017 is going to be a very important year for the C&C 30,” said Cheresh, noting there are eight official regattas currently listed on the season series. “We’ll contest our first overall season championship with a full circuit of high-level events. We’d love to see that grow on an international level and we look forward to working with Stagg Yachts to achieve this goal.”

Stagg Yachts will also take charge of marketing and selling the C&C 30 with Chambers having already begun the process of appointing dealers around the world. For further information on the C&C 30 One Design class, visit staggyachts.com or cc30class.com. Stagg Yachts can be reached at 410-268-1001.