Fleets

This technical, 22-foot keelboat features an enormous sail area. The mainsail is larger than any other boat of it's length. Since 1932, Paw Paw Lake has been a charter fleet member of the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCYRA). The Star was originally designed in 1911 and served as the Olympic keelboat from 1932 through 2012. Despite its 100-year-old design, the class remains at the leading edge of innovation and has pioneered many aspects of modern sailing—the class incorporated manufacture from wood to fiberglass in the 1960s, hiking harnesses, aluminum spars, and upgrades to the rigging and sailing plan. The class remains the premier one-design racing class and has been the favored boat of many of the greats of sailing including Dennis Conner, Buddy Melges, Lowell North, Paul Elvstrøm, and even John F. Kennedy. Today, the Star continues to thrive with local, regional, and world championship level regattas and over 8,500 boats built.

Other Fleets - The Paw Paw Lake Yacht Club has previously held other types of fleets mainly as "feeders" to the Star fleet. Historically, these included the Penguin and Buccaneer 18 fleets. Though not officially chartered with the International Laser Class Association (ILCA), the sailors at Paw Paw Lake often hold races in Laser class boats. Other classes that have been seen racing on Paw Paw Lake include the Flying Scott and International 420. The Paw Paw Lake Yacht Club is open to adding additional fleets. Members interested in forming a new fleet should contact the fleet captain.