Storm 18s

As an active and convivial yachting community, our Club utilizes its fleet of eight 18-foot one-design keelboats throughout each sailing season to engage racers and casual sailors alike. From regattas to Women’s Sailing classes to individual use by qualified members, our fleet is foundational to the club’s mission to “foster a community of enthusiastic individuals and families brought together through their enjoyment of the boating experience.”

In the spirit of that mission, the club is excited to announce the 2026 acquisition of the Storm 18 to replace our beloved but aged fleet of Ideal 18 keelboats. The Storms offer a newer, faster and more stable design and will require significantly less annual maintenance.

By May 15, the Sailing Committee expects the entire fleet of the new Storms to be set up, tested and ready to go. Any EYC member who was previously certified in the Ideal 18 program will need a Storm 18 Orientation check-out (dockside review of the new boat, not an on-water checkout). Any member not previously certified in the Ideal 18 program will need a full, on-water proficiency assessment. See our "Qualify for Storm 18” page for information on how to qualify and connect with Club members authorized to conduct orientation check-outs and proficiency assessments.

OUR ANNUAL CALENDAR OF
STORM 18 EVENTS

  • The Storms are raced on Sunday afternoons from Mid-March through April and from October through November as part of the Frostbite racing series.

  • Each year, as part of our Founders’ Day activities, former Commodores and their chosen crew race for bragging rights as the year’s best skipper!

  • Held each year in May, this event involves inviting women from four nearby yacht clubs - Hamburg Cove, Pettipaug, Corinthian and North Cove - to sail together and socialize on four consecutive Wednesday evenings. No experience required - if you are new to sailing or the Storm 18s, you will be paired with more experienced sailors.

  • The Storm 18 portion of the Rum Challenge, sponsored by the Club, is run on the weekend before the big boat race / Awards Ceremony party.

  • Designed exclusively for women, this instructional program is intended for beginners as well as more advanced sailors looking to improve their skills on the water. Click here for more details.

  • Club members race weekly on Tuesdays (non-spinnaker) and Thursdays (spinnaker) from June through August.

  • EYC members use the Storm 18 fleet to participate with our friends at the Essex Corinthian Yacht Club in their annual women’s race.

  • Attracting a smaller subset of the Club’s more experienced Storm 18 sailors, EYC fields 3 skippers and 3 crew for races each year against Norwalk, Petipaug, and ECYC. The venue alternates each year between clubs.

  • Make a new friend, maybe win a prize, and go home well fed in your new hat, feeling happy, and proud to have been part of a fun EYC tradition!

    A favorite event of the season, drawing teams from out of town and out of state and supported by over 90 volunteers, the 2025 Special Olympics Team Race were held June 14.

    Volunteers are always welcome to make the running of this fun regatta a truly special day by participating as a sailor, an on-shore volunteer, or as a spectator boat host or crew. 

    Click here to contact Jack Frost for more information about this terrific event and plans for the 2026 race.

  • Each year, EYC joins neighboring Corinthian Yacht Club to invite qualified kids from other Connecticut River Clubs to race the Storms.

  • A decades-old event, this race draws competitive women sailors vying for the coveted Women’s Championship trophy.

  • In each of 3 sequential weekends in October, EYC, ECYC and Petipaug yacht clubs take turns hosting as members of the three local clubs compete for the host club’s trophy. Our club awards the Willets Trophy, ECYC awards the Clark Trophy, and Petipaug awards the Birch Trophy.

  • After a busy summer season, the Storm 18s rest on their trailers during December, January and February.

The Club’s Storm 18s are available for racing or sailing to any member who has been qualified.

Click here to learn how to become qualified.

FROSTBITE RACING

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

  • The first Eastern Frostbite Dinghy Regatta was held on the Connecticut River in 1933, and served as the genesis of the Essex Yacht Club. Continuing to the present day, the Connecticut River Frostbite Squadron at Essex holds Spring and Fall Frostbite racing from EYC.

  • Frostbite \ ˈfrs(t)-bīt     

    (noun)         
    : the damage to tissues caused by freezing 

     
    (adjective)         
    : of or relating to cold-weather sailing
    // what ardent racers do in the winter, while trying to avoid the above.

  • Frostbite races are run from EYC on Sundays from March - April and from October-November.

  • For more information, or to register, please visit www.fbyc.org

Whether you are a dedicated Frostbiter or simply curious, enjoy this fun documentary that provides insight into the insantity!