Sunfish: World’s Coolest Yachts

Yachting World has been asking top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times. Odile Van Aanholt (NED), reigning Olympic Champion in the 49erFX women’s skiff and a three-times world champion, picked the Sunfish dinghy. Here’s the report:

“The coolest boat ever would be the Sunfish,” says Van Aanholt. US duo Alex Bryan and Cortlandt Heyniger developed the Sunfish in the 1950s, and with an estimated 300,000-500,000 dinghies sold, it has become one of the most popular classes in the world.

Simple and stable, it has a flat board-like hull, distinctive triangular lateen sail, and two-line rigging system. Widely sailed in the Americas, it also has fleets in Europe.

“I grew up on a small Caribbean island called Curacao where this was the local class,” recalls Van Aanholt. “My dad – also a former Olympian – would race with all the other locals every weekend and it was the very first boat I sailed in! [At first] with my dad or one of my older siblings, then when I was six I was allowed to sail it for the first time by myself on the lagoon – that was scary but also very cool.

“I love the boat because to me it carries a lot of nostalgia. It’s also a class that brings young and old together with many seniors up to 85 years old still competing in the local regattas.”

Sunfish stats rating
Top speed: 10 knots
LOA: 4.20m/13ft 9in
Launched: 1952
Berths: 0
Price: $500-$5500 (used/new)
Adrenalin factor: 30%

For Yachting World’s list of cool boats, click here.