Welcome to Flying Scot Fleet 163 at Lake Nockamixon

Come on out and sail with us.  We often have crew spots open for you, and we have good Scots available for purchase, if you want to jump in with both feet.  

Flying Scots have been sailing at Lake Nockamixon since 1974, and the Nockamixon Flying Scot Fleet # 163 was chartered by the Flying Scot Sailing Association in 1987. We are in the Greater New York District of the FSSA.  Several of the original Charter Members are still sailing with the Fleet — which currently has close to 30 Members. The Flying Scot is the most popular sailboat at the Lake with many boats in the Marina, and many more in the Dry Storage area – other boats are trailered in to the Lake to sail. The Flying Scot Fleet is also the largest One-Design Fleet at the Lake with almost 20 Flying Scot sailors as Racing Members of NSC and 10 as Cruising Members of NSC. The oldest boat in the Fleet, #520, was built in 1960 and is still competitive in Fleet racing with the newest boats, which now exceed boat #6200.

Most Flying Scots at Lake Nockamixon are sailed by families, and the Fleet emphasis is on family and fun sailing. Fleet Members are major participants in NSC Social events. The Fleet participates in both Racing and Cruising activities at the Lake, and is also regularly represented at Flying Scot National events. Four boats from Fleet #163 competed in the 2017 FSSA “Wife-Husband” National Championships held at Rockport, MA. Fleet boats also regularly attend the FSSA North American Championships.

A special Flying Scot Fleet #163 Trophy, the “Sterling Travel Trophy” is designed to encourage members to travel to Regional and National events sponsored by the Flying Scot Sailing Association, or to sail with other distant Flying Scot Fleets. The Fleet has been represented at the FSSA National Championships, the Midwinter’s Championships, and the Wife-Husband Championships, the Sandy Douglass Memorial Regatta, Atlantic Coast Championships, as well as at many other Regional events.

Two Flying Scot “Racing Series” are held each year at Lake Nockamixon – “Fleet” and “Regatta” series are held.  The Fleet Champion is determined by the best race results of the entire season. The Flying Scot races under a Supplement to NSC Sailing Instructions for Flying Scot Fleet Racing (PDF)

Flying Scot Cruising Activities are designed to support cruising sailors at the Lake to enjoy the boats.  The Fleet participates in fun cruises around the lake, sail training seminars, as well as joining Racing members for picnics and other social activities at the lake and at other local venues.

The Flying Scot Fleet issues a periodic e-mail “Fleet Report”, during the sailing season, and periodically during the winter. To join the distribution group, or obtain any other information about Flying Scot sailing at Lake Nockamixon, contact: Phil Scheetz, Fleet Captain.

• 2019 Fleet 163 Membership Application (PDF)
• Racing Fleet Constitution and Bylaws
• Cruising Fleet Constitution and Bylaws
• Flying Scot supplement to NSC SIs
• Fleet #163 Captains
• Flying Scot Fitting Guide
• Flying Scot Tuning Guide
• The Flying Scot
• The FSSA – Flying Scot Sailing Association
• Flying Scot Inc.

The Flying Scot

There are many good reasons for the success of the Flying Scot. First, the solid, almost indestructible, construction; the large open and comfortable cockpit, which can easily seat 8 in cruising mode (I have seen more on family holiday weekend sails at the Lake); the great sailing stability from the lead-ballasted centerboard; and the total support that Flying Scot owners get from their local Fleet, the Factory and from the Flying Scot Sailing Association (FSSA). Most Flying Scots are sailed by families in Cruising mode, but there are almost 2000 sailors who race their Flying Scots at the Local, Regional, and National level. The Flying Scot has frequently been used for the US Sailing “Champion of Champion” races and many other US Sailing Championship events.

The Flying Scot is the most popular one-design sailboat at Lake Nockamixon, and the boat celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2017! Flying Scot Fleet # 163, celebrated the boat’s 60th Anniversary during its traveling events during the year.

When Gordon (Sandy) Douglass designed the Flying Scot in 1957, it was the first production sailboat built from fiberglass with balsa core and aluminum spars. Sandy Douglass had previously designed and built the Thistle and the Highlander (both originally built of wood) and he employed the best features of both of these designs when he optimized the design for the Flying Scot.

Sandy clearly got it right, and the Flying Scot has far outsold his earlier designs. The Flying Scot has been in continuous production for all of those 60+ years, from the same molds, and in the factory near Deep Creek Lake in MD. In fact, the HIN of all Flying Scots begins with the letters “GDB….” out of respect for the original Gordon Douglass Boat Co. Production has exceeded 100 boats for every year since 1957, and 2017 was a banner year with the introduction of a “60th Anniversary Edition” Flying Scot. Sales have now surpassed # 6100. Sandy Douglass was not only a great designer and builder of sailboats, he was also a great racing sailor. He was the North American Champion in several different classes including the Flying Scot — 7 times between 1959 and 1971. Stories of “Sandy” are always heard at Flying Scot Regattas, and there is almost always a bagpiper playing at those events in his honor.

Anyone who would like to experience sailing in a Flying Scot should contact our Fleet Captain, Phil Scheetz. Because of their great popularity, Flying Scots have a high resale value and sell very quickly — Fleet # 163 maintains a list of used boats on the local market. Check out more details of the Flying Scot at the builder, Flying Scot Inc., and the class association, the Flying Scot Sailing Association.

Flying Scot Fleet # 163, Captains