Penguin Class

Penguin Patter 2025-2026 Winter

15 February 2026

2025-2026 Winter edition Penguin Patter newsletter published

Class members should have received (via email) the latest edition of the IPCDA’s newsletter, Penguin Patter, including:

Full content below

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Penguin Patter 2025-2026 Winter


photo by Will Keyworth

IPCDA - 2026 Regatta Schedule and other cool news

Dear Fellow Class members, In an attempt to share more information on the going’s on within the Penguin Dinghy Class, we developed this short newsletter. We hope you find it informative and useful!

Visit our Website

Happy 2026 Penguin Sailors! Given the cold and icy start to the New Year its only fitting that we start to think about the upcoming Penguin Class regatta schedule and what we need to do to get our boats ready for the Season!

Lots has been happening behind the scenes this past year. In addition to our new website design ( check it out here!! New Website ), Mr. David Cox, long time Penguin class member, yachtsman, yacht broker, TAYC member and all around great guy has been campaigning in an effort to reignite energy and interest in the class.

Please give a few minutes to read David’s message below.

February 13, 2026

On November 1, 2025 at a small meeting in Oxford I was able to talk with a number of Penguin sailors about what I believe is happening to the Penguin class and suggested that we plan for “an event” on February 15th (day after tomorrow). Since then I have only heard from 2 people asking about what was going to happen. Here is what I would like to propose:

On Sunday, February 15, 2026, YOU as an interested party in the FUTURE OF THE PENGUIN CLASS spend a little time putting down any ideas you may have which specifically addresses:

  1. The advantages and positive features of the Penguin
  2. Who are the Target Customers we need to market to
  3. What are the best ways to market to that Target Customer

PLEASE RESPOND WITH YOUR THOUGHT AND COMMENTS TO david3476@live.com chaskrafft@comcast.net jonathan@sales.northsails.com cjc_0815@yahoo.com BY EMAIL

I NEED YOU TO HELP ME STOP THE COLLAPSE OF THE PENGUIN FLEETS

If you would like to read where my thoughts are on the subject, feel free to continue to read:

Where is the Future for the International Penguin Class Dinghy Association.

I have often heard if you don’t have a goal or plan, it doesn’t matter where you will end up. As I have said before, the IPCDA is currently running on Auto-Pilot and no one knows how to take over controls or where to point it. There are all kinds of issues that add to the confusion. Everyone of them is a potential challenge that at some point in time needs to be addressed. I believe however that the Priority right now is the IPCDA needs to come together and develop a NEW Mission Statement for the future of the Penguin Class that spells out a strategy for giving the class a direction into the future.

I believe one of the first things needed to be part of the Mission Statement is to develop a plan for re-energizing the Penguin Class and the IPCDA. I believe the goals should focus on what made the Penguin so successful in the first place and how can those concepts best be applied to today’s market.

What are the reasons the Penguin was such a great success in the 1950’s through the early 2000’s and how can we develop a Marketing plan around those assets to be applied to today’s YOUNG sailors. Not to be a broken record, but I strongly believe the original reasons the Penguin was a success are the reasons it can be re-energized.

  1. Everything is “relatively” simple and inexpensive.
  2. Affordable
  3. Depending on skill level it can be built in a short time from scratch
  4. It’s a 2 man boat that can be put on a trailer or car roof, unloaded and rigged sailed then packed up and go home. No boat is perfect for everyone, but the Penguin hits a sweet spot for a wide variety of sailors and crew (At least for a period of time). I believe the original Penguins were sailed mostly by family members (husbands/wives, father/sons/daughters, mother/sons/daughters, brothers/sisters).
  5. The Penguin was a very popular boat for Junior sailing and was the preferred boat for many College Sailing Programs for many years.
  6. The Penguin was not the only boat the owner sailed. It was a seasonal program and some areas ONLY sailed the boats in frostbite regattas. Most of the early Penguin sailing was done during the Off-Season.

I believe there is a tremendous opportunity to accomplish 2 other objectives which will benefit the future of the class:

  1. Get people energized and excited about restoring the old neglected boats
  2. Building a new wood boat

Being of sound mind and aging body, I can no longer pretend I can sail (let alone race) a penguin. It does not however diminish the passion I have for the boats I raced with, with my wives (yes 2 wives), daughter, son, and many other young boys and girls. I am still emotionally attached to the penguins I sailed. I believe this is true for most of the older penguin sailors that are out there wishing there was someone to take their penguin and restore it, care for it, and sail/race it again. I believe there is a supply of old boats that can “affordably” be restored and sold to potential new Penguin Sailors.

In my recent postings on Facebook and other connections with todays penguin world there have been several inquiries from people interested in building their own wooden penguin. That is who built the original penguins………… DUH!!! (MY opinion, we don’t need to find a builder for new fiberglass penguins!) We need to recruit and promote the sale and certification of a new fleet of home built wood penguins! (Does Wooden Boat Magazine come to mind) … Gray Shannahan suggested Chesapeake Light Craft…..I believe there are a lot of potential builders of new wood penguins BUT is the penguin being promoted to them?

Please take a moment to share your thoughts this Sunday February 15th and help me

If Sunday does not work can you send me your thought today or when you can.

2026 Penguin Class Regatta Schedule

(see website for updates)

DON’T FORGET TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Penguin Class dues are now being billed and payable to the IPCDA, care of Treasurer, Chris Conway, 1356 Washington Dr., Annapolis, MD 21403

Regular dues are still only $25 and an associate membership is $15. We appreciate your continued support of the Penguin Class.

If you sent in your renewal, THANK YOU! If you haven’t please take a few minutes to complete the form and mail it the address listed.

2026 Class Renewal <-CLICK HERE

The web site remains our primary means of communication, with e-mails from the Chesapeake region and Skokie Lagoons Fleet providing a reminder of events and summary of results. If you are not on their e-mail distributions lists, send us a note and we will see that you are added.

Boats for Sale

Please check out this boat and others that are available in the class website. Penguin for sale

Penguin 9333, a classic Horner with 2 sails, trailer, cover, 2 masts (one wood, one unrigged Proctor C-section aluminum). Always stored indoors. Needs varnish refresh. Asking $1000, boat is located in Salisbury, MD Contact Bill Day wmgday@comcast.net
Jim Stearley’s self-rescuing Beaton Penguin, #6355 is available. This classic boat was converted to self-rescuing with the addition of a false bottom, similar to the Burtis Penguin, and the thwart was moved to the forward end of the space between frames 4 & 5, making it optimal for a single-hander, although this could easily be converted back for double-handed sailing. Jim’s boat is in Marlton, NJ and needs to have the rigging reinstalled but comes with metal spars and 2 North sails and a dolly.

Doug Reedy’s Beaton Penguin is also available. Doug had considerable work done restoring this boat, prior to his untimely passing last year. The boat is in Easton, MD.

Don Boehl has a penguin for sale. The boat was recently refurbished. He can be reached at Full Moon Boatworks , vollmond1@gmail.com, 410-253-8550

Calling all Fleets

For those outside of the Chesapeake region, please send any results, news or other information to my email address so I can include it on future newsletters. We’d love to know what is happening in your area!

Penguin dinghies at start line of race

Start at Oxford Annual, photo by Will Keyworth

This newsletter contains information about the Penguin Class dinghy, and it’s Association with Fleets located on the U.S. East Coast, Mid West, Argentina, and Brazil.

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Penguin Dinghy Class | 1356 Washington Dr | Annapolis, MD 21403 US

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