Vanguard Sailboats was one of the most successful sailboat builders. It was founded in 1967, and is now owned by

LaserPerformance LaserPerformance is an Anglo-American dinghy manufacturer- the world's largest producer of small sailboats. LaserPerformance manufactures many sailboats including: Laser, Sunfish, Laser Pico, Bug, Laser Vago, Laser Bahia, Club FJ, Club 420, Z ...

History

Vanguard Sailboats was founded in 1967 in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area that ...

, USA by Peter and Olaf Harken. The brothers started to gain attention after their sailing hardware was used on boats that won

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, and after Vanguard supplied the Finn class for several countries in the 1976 Olympics. The hardware segment was maintained somewhat separately, as it was marketed to competing boat builders. In 1986, the Harkens sold Vanguard to Stephen Clark, who moved the business to

Portsmouth, Rhode Island Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged ...

. The brothers focused their efforts on the performance sailing hardware business in

Pewaukee Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The population was 13,195 at the 2010 census. The Village of Pewaukee, which was incorporated out of the town before it incorporated as a city, is surrounded by the city. The name of the city ...

, WI under the name Harken, Inc., while Vanguard continued in boat building. In March 1997, Vanguard Sailboats, Inc., bought Sunfish Laser, Inc., which built the

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

, Sunfish and 49er sailboats. In 2007 Vanguard Sailboats was acquired by Performance Sailcraft Europe. The combined company is known as

Sailing Community

LaserPerformance is very active in the sailing community and was a major sponsor of the

Intercollegiate Sailing Association The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is a volunteer organization that serves as the governing authority for all sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. History The fi ...

until 2022. The ICSA is the organization that governs college sailing in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Most colleges and universities sail fleets of

420 420 may refer to: * 420 (number) * 420 (cannabis culture), informal reference to cannabis use and celebrations on April 20 **California Senate Bill 420 or the Medical Marijuana Program Act *AD 420, a year in the 5th century of the Julian calendar * ...

Flying Junior The International FJ is a Dutch sailboat that was designed by Uus Van Essen and Conrad Gülcher as a trainer and one design racer, first built in 1956. The boat was initially called the Flying Dutchman Junior (after the Flying Dutchman o ...

s or

Vanguard 15 The Vanguard 15 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Bob Ames as a one-design racer and first built in 1992.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 54-55. Houghton Mifflin C ...

s. Additionally, LaserPerformance is a sponsor of many adult and junior sailing

regattas Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

References

External links

Company website
{{Laser Boats Vanguard Sailboats

History

Sailing Community

See also

References

External links