Coastal Sailing at MIT

"X Dimension" is a 1973 C&C Custom 43, one of less than a dozen custom 43-foot ocean racing yachts built by the famous Canadian yacht maker Cuthbertson and Cassain. She was originally custom-built by C&C for racing on Lake Michigan. Under her original name "Night Train," she spent her early years in Chicago with her owner, Blair Vedder. The Chicago Tribune described Night Train's 1985 performance in the famous Chicago to Mackinac race.

About 20 years ago, Night Train was purchased by David Collins, an MIT graduate who learned to sail at the Pavilion. An article about David Collins can be found on the MITNA Bluewater Wiki. As you will read in the article, David Collins was the "father" of the modern bar code. The "x dimension" is the narrowest feature in a bar code. David raced X Dimension all over New England, including a Marion-Bermuda race and won the prestigious 2002 Edgartown Yacht Club race around Martha's Vineyard. Most recently, X Dimension tied for first place in the spinnaker division of the 2011 Vineyard Cup Regatta. We are most fortunate that David Collins has made the generous donation of X Dimension to the MIT sailing program. She will be a fine addition to our bluewater cruising and racing program.

You can learn more about X Dimension at the MITNA Bluewater Wiki.

Because X Dimension is a much larger and faster boat than either Aleida or Nevermore, our priority in 2011 and early 2012 is to familiarize and recertify all the bluewater skippers. We are also developing the curriculum for crew and skipper ratings, performing extensive maintenance on X Dimension and developing a set of standard procedures.

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