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Welcome to the Europe Dinghy Class! |
 The Europe dinghy was designed by Belgian Alois Roland in 1963, as a monotype which had resulted from 30 years of Moth class design experience. In 1989 the class was selected and then served as the women's single-handed boat for the Olympics from the 1992 Games in Barcelona to the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece. This popular boat is now as common on the European continent as Lasers and Optimists are in North America.
 The Europe is a unique boat because of its ability to adapt to the sailor's height and weight through sail and mast selection, allowing fair competition and ease of handling for a wide range of people. The competitive skipper weight ranges from 120 to 165 pounds, making it a perfect boat for women and men who are too light to sail Lasers competitively in higher winds. The Europe dinghy has a planing hull that is very lively and responsive, which is why regattas like Open Week, just before the World Championship, have been known to have 400 male and female skippered boats from all over the world.
Here in the US the Europe is a small but growing co-ed class. If you are interested in a fast, technical, and ultra-fun boat, we encourage you to give the Europe a try! There are boats throughout the country, with concentrations in the San Francisco Bay area - host to the 1996 Europe World Championships - the Pacific Northwest, and New England in particular. Boats are readily available from builders in Europe or through our excellent quality (the equipment is famously long-lived) second-hand market. For regions who would like to enhance fleet activities in their area, the class even has a grant program which class members can apply to for funds to host regional clinics.
 Despite our small numbers, the US Europe class has consistently attained a high level at international events (our sailors have won 3 World Championship and 2 Olympic medals over the years) while maintaining a friendly local fleet atmosphere at home. As a class organization we are dedicated to continuing both these excellent traditions, so whether you are looking for an interesting single-handed boat, or want to work your way towards the challenge of an international competition, the Europe could be just the class for you!
Thank you for visiting our website, which we are improving to serve you better. If there is anything you cannot find, or have diffculy using please drop us an email and
we will do our best to get you what you need and help you get out sailing !
Susannah Carr,
US Class President
president@europedinghy.org
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