EastBayRI.com has a great article by Bruce Burdett posted right now about the Sunfish sailboat and it’s manufacturer in Portsmouth, Rhode Island: Sunfish at sixty: Most popular boat ever still keeps them busy at Portsmouth plant
The little Sunfish, far and away the most popular sailboat ever built, just turned 60 and they’re still churning them out at the rate of four a day at LaserPerformance in Portsmouth.
HT: @LaserPerform
At four a day, how few workers are at that plant?
Hmm, not sure. Wonder if the other LP boats are also built there though?
They do build other LP boats at the Portsmouth factory (or at least they used to the last time I toured it.)
For the 50th anniversary of the Sunfish we had a special commemorative sail, a tour of the factory, a party, a picnic on Rose Island, a race to win a place at the next Sunfish Worlds, a parade of boats in Newport Harbor (ruined by a thunderstorm) and a Sunfish race around Jamestown Island the next day.
Sounds like the celebration will be a little more low key this year?
The 50th sounds like it would have been neat to attend. Will you go to the 60th, or are your Sunfish days behind you?
I don’t own a Sunfish any more, but I might be tempted to drop in at the celebration if there aren’t any Laser regattas on that weekend.
ha, I’d love to be close enough to just drop in for the weekend!
Nice article, I passed it on to the Sebago sailors. We just met to plan the season last night, I shoulda brought a birthday cake!
I’m pretty sure you’ll never go wrong if you bring a cake! (with or without a birthday)