Class History

The International Comet has provided massive amounts of fun to sailors of all ages for over 80 years. The 16-foot doublehander was designed in 1932 by Star sailor and builder C. Lowndes Johnson to race in the shallow waters of the Chesapeake and other skinny-water regions of the East Coast. His design combined elements of both the Star and the local shoal-draft Skipjack, capped with a generously-proportioned classic sloop rig. The result? An easily-driven, quick-to-plane, trailerable centerboarder that became an instant hit!

Thanks to the classes’ openness to modern materials, design modifications, and hardware go-fasts, the Comet is thriving with active, strictly-controlled one-design fleets in the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Bermuda.

Boat Specifications

Length: 16 ft (4.877 m)
Beam: 5 ft (1.524 m)
Draft: Board up 6 in (152.4 mm), Board down 3 in (76.2 mm)
Weight: 265 lb (120.202 kg)
Main: 140 sq ft (13.001 sq m)
Crew: 2