I’m so pleased that the 320th Colgate 26 sailing instruction boat hull to come off the line is moving across the country to Idaho.  Jon Totten, the college’s Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator, just sent me some of the reasons they chose the Colgate 26 for sailing instruction so I thought I’d share them with our followers. Here’s what he wrote:

New Colgate 26 heads to North Idaho College

“North Idaho College (NIC) is a community college located in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.  We have approximately 5000 students studying everything from nursing to auto mechanics. The Outdoor Pursuits program (www.nic.edu/op) , which has included a sailing element since its inception, has been getting students on the lake and in the surrounding mountains for over 30 years.

Our sailing program has evolved significantly over that time. The addition of the Colgate 26 is the final step toward our goal of owning all of the boats used for the program.  As you can imagine, this will eliminate many headaches. Last season we had over 100 sailing students in our program.  Due to the fact that we only had Hobies to teach on, our offering was limited to basic sailing only.  The addition of the Colgate 26 will allow us to offer advanced courses such as racing, cruising, advanced sail trim and more.

The Colgate 26 will be sailed primarily on Coeur d’ Alene Lake.  NIC has a mile and a half of lake front, which is where our summer program resides. Wind speeds range from 5–15 knots most days.  The lake’s a bit tricky due to the surrounding mountains’ influence on the breeze.  Our season begins in April/May and ends in October/November depending on the year.  We also plan to put a student race team together and campaign the boat regionally.  Regattas on nearby Lake Pend Oreille (Sandpoint, Idaho) and Flathead Lake (NW Montana) will be first on the list.  Eventually I’d like to race the boat at Whidbey Island Race Week in Washington’s Puget Sound.

We chose the Colgate 26 mainly due to the fact that is was designed specifically for instruction.  I’ve taught on a lot of different boats in a lot of different conditions.  The only challenge that’s consistent is the boat itself.  I was able to sail aboard a fellow instructor’s Colgate 26 in Bellingham, WA while I was working for San Juan Sailing.  I was immediately impressed with the function and form of the boat.  I’m confident that it will be a perfect fit for our program.

Colgate 26 used by many schools and service institutions, including Offshore Sailing School and U.S. Naval Academy

This boat will be an excellent addition to our program and community.  The excitement is mounting on campus as we have announced the purchase and we will be holding a student writing competition to decide on a name.  Very cool.”

I (Steve Colgate) designed the Colgate 26 primarily for my 46 year old company, Offshore Sailing School back in 1996. It debuted at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD that fall and won the coveted Cruising World magazine Boat of the Year Award in the Pocket Cruiser Division in 1997. The U.S. Naval Academy chose it as their training boat that year (they now have a fleet of 30) and other academies have followed suit, including the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Maine Maritime Academy. A lot of our boats (see www.Colgate26.com) are now day sailing and racing around the country in local fleets, owned by individuals. There’s even a sailing club in Qatar with 10 Colgate 26s going strong.

It warms my heart to see the 320th hull roll off the line, and have it go to a college with such dedicated goals. We wish Jon and North Idaho College all the best for their sailing program.

Steve Colgate
Chairman and Founder
Offshore Sailing School

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