Intercollegiate racing traces its origin to the founding of yacht clubs and sailing associations in the late l9th century. Yale, Harvard, MIT, and Brown were early clubs. Activity was limited to occasional "pick up" races in summer months between private yachts, with many prestigious owners.

Arthur Knapp, P '28, was the organizer of the first truly intercollegiate race series held in 8 meters at Pequot Yacht Club in June l928. Princeton beat Yale and Harvard, winning the George May Trophy. Sherman Hoyt, a Brown Alumnus, was ever present in arranging for borrowing boats in the '30's. From this beginning the ICYRA has grown mightily. Alf Loomis, in his column UNDER THE LEE OF THE LONGBOAT editorialized in August '28 YACHTING "Intercollegiate racing is a fine thing for the sport". The presence of dozens of Intercollegiate veterans on the U.S. Olympic Sailing team in 1992 is evidence of his foresight.

The first college fleet was established at Princeton in 1934, and the first intercollegiate dinghy series occurred on Lake Carnegie in TIGER class dinghies, between Princeton and Dartmouth. As FROSTBITING became popular, an intercollegiate regatta was held at Manhasset Bay in Dyer dinghies in 1935. This was a very brief series (one race) as high winds and cold took their toll. Other Christmas vacation series were held at Indian Harbor in 1935 and 1936.

The Intercollegiate Yacht Racing Association was formed June 16th, 1930, during the annual series raced for years in sloops borrowed at various east coast Yacht clubs. The MacMillan Cup, a perpetual trophy, was presented in 1931 to replace the May trophy retired with Princeton's third victory.

The sport really owes continuing growth to the establishment of dinghy racing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1936 when the Sailing Pavilion and 36 Herreshoff built dinghies, designed by M.I.T.'s professor George Owen, were launched. Thanks to the very fine reporting in the sports pages of the Herald Tribune, the Boston Globe and the TIMES, by Bill Taylor, Len Fowle, and Jim Robbins there was publicity. YACHTING Magazine reported regattas faithfully and careful race records of all regattas have been preserved. The AFTERGUARD, a regular publication of the Association begun by Len Fowle in 1950, and recently revived, has been a fine reporter of the Association's activities. Fowle was appointed graduate Secretary of ICYRA, an office he held for over 25 years.

The participation of the Naval Academy, and of the Coast Guard Academy, assured the continued expansion of college racing during WW II along the east coast. The simultaneous growth of the sport in California, Hawaii and northwest was assured by the founding of the Intercollegiate Yacht Racing Assn. there in 1940 greatly abetted by the activity of Bob Allan, Stanford '39. The present Intercollegiate Yacht racing Association was incorporated in 1949, and continues to this day with over 200 colleges with sailing fleets.

James Rousmaniere , ICYRA