Stony Lake Yacht Club –
A leader in Sailing Instruction Programs chooses Fusion 15's

The Stony Lake Yacht Club (SLYC) has been teaching young Stony Lakers to sail for over fifty years. As we entered a new century, the club directors felt it was time to invigorate the sailing program by introducing a new trainer to replace our aging Laser II's. Our choice was the Fusion 15.

This decision was not taken lightly. Really, there were only two choices in a new double-handed dinghy – an older design and the F15. Comparing the two side by side, the F15 wins hands down.

Fun – One of the factors which makes or breaks a club's program is the "fun factor". The F15 increases this factor. Sailors of older designs talk about how slow and boring their boats are. Not the case with the F15. We have trouble getting kids out of the boat.

Comfort – The small cockpits of traditional designs make them difficult for larger kids to sail well. The large, open cockpit of the Fusion allows 3 or 4 kids to sail together which really makes it cost-effective.

Asymmetrical Spinnaker – We struggled with this until we realized that almost all of the newer boats – 29er, 49er, Tornado, J's, America's Cup – use "A" chutes. The Fusion makes a great lead-in boat for the 29er...which leads into the Olympic 49er. If we want to train our kids on a symmetric spinnaker, we'll use our flag pole. Back to the "fun factor" for a moment – allowing younger kids to fly a spinnaker early on in their sailing experience makes them want to excel. Fusion 15 makes this happen and it sells our program.

In sum, the SLYC is very happy with the F15 for its Bronze 4 and 5 program. Its comfort, fun factor, and speed set it apart from any other trainer out there. We are very happy with our decision.

Rob Welsh
Sailing School Director,
Stony Lake Yacht Club