For
Immediate Release
Contact: Caroline Chetelat at ABYC
(410) 990-4460,
x22
cchetelat@abycinc.org

Westlawn Announces Acquisition of Yacht
Design Institute Schools Material
Addition of Valuable Course Material and
Expertise to Further Enhance Westlawn Curriculum
January 25, 2007, Annapolis, MD: The Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is
pleased to announce that it has acquired the rights to the course material of
the former Yacht Design Institute Schools (YDI). Founded in 1969, YDI taught
small-craft naval architecture via distance learning using a similar model as Westlawn.
Under the guidance of co-founder, world-renowned designer and author Ted Brewer
and YDI president Bob Wallstrom, YDI pioneered many innovations and improvements in
teaching small-craft design until it ceased operations in 1988.
“As director of Westlawn,
I’ve always felt that YDI had an excellent curriculum, with course authors such
as C.W. (Chuck) Paine, John Pazereskis, PhD, John Guzzwell, Robert L. Watkins,
Steve Callahan, Ted Brewer, and Bob
Wallstrom, to name but a few,” said Dave Gerr. “Both
Westlawn and YDI have excellent course curricula, materials and fine histories.
Since it’s close, YDI’s rich course materials that were so carefully prepared have
been languishing unused. It was clear to me that elements of YDI’s program
could be employed to further enhance Westlawn’s program.”
As part of the
acquisition of all YDI material and intellectual property, Westlawn is also
taking on YDI graduates under its umbrella. YDI graduates will remain YDI
graduates, but Westlawn will support them by providing them with an active
institution to confirm graduation, as well as the same technical support and
opportunity to purchase up-to-date Westlawn text books that Westlawn graduates
have. Westlawn director, Dave Gerr said, “I’d like to welcome all YDI graduates to the
Westlawn family. They are welcome to contact us at any time for technical
support and also to join us at all ABYC and Westlawn functions.”
Since Yacht Design
Institute Schools was also a Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
accredited institution, Westlawn will be happy to consider enrolling YDI
students who did not graduate but wish to continue their studies. Westlawn will
evaluate their standing when they left YDI and arrange appropriate placement in
Westlawn with advanced credit for work successfully completed at YDI.
In addition to the
acquisition of the YDI material, both YDI’s distinguished co-founder, Ted
Brewer and YDI’s former president, Bob
Wallstrom, are coming aboard as adjunct
Westlawn instructors to further enrich the Westlawn faculty.

Edward S. "Ted" Brewer
A graduate of
Westlawn, Ted Brewer began his career in the boating industry in 1957 working
for George Cuthbertson, who later founded C&C Yachts. In 1960, Brewer moved
to Connecticut to work as
assistant designer to A.E. "Bill" Luders Jr. There, he worked on
everything from 5.5. meter sloops to 12-meter America's-Cup racers,
ocean racing yachts, production yachts and power boats. Brewer assisted in
the modifications to Weatherly
for the successful 1962 Cup defense, did the drawings for the Bill
Luders-designed 12-meter American Eagle
and supervised her construction.
In 1967, Brewer moved to Brooklin, Maine to open his own
design office, and in 1969, Bob Wallstrom joined him in a partnership. Together,
they produced almost 100 custom and production designs, from 18-foot catboats
to the popular Whitby 42 and the exquisite teak 62-ft. ketch Traveller III.
In 1969, Brewer joined with Jim Betts to
found the Yacht Design Institute, which taught boat design via distance
learning. Brewer became the Educational Director of YDI, where he wrote and
illustrated much of the course material and graded nearly of all the student
submissions. In the mid '70s, Brewer pioneered the, widely copied, radius-bilge
method of building metal hulls and, over the years, has designed dozens of
steel and aluminum yachts from 30 to 100 feet.
In 1979, Brewer moved to Washington State where, over the
next 20 years, he produced 150 more designs, including the beautiful Whitby 55, the handsome
45' schooner Sophia Christina
and the powerful 70-ft. schooner Tree of
Life, winner of the 2000 Antigua Race Week. In addition to completing
over 270 designs, Brewer has written three books and scores of magazine
articles. One of the books, Understanding
Boat Design, is in its 4th edition and has been a
popular design primer for 30 years.

Robert E. “Bob” Wallstrom
Bob Wallstrom has 43 years of
experience in the small-craft naval architecture field working in the design
offices of
Luders Marine Construction Co., Philip L. Rhodes, Inc., and Atkin & Co.
(PT), before establishing the partnership of Brewer, Wallstrom &
Associates, Inc. with Ted Brewer in 1969. In addition to the drawing-board
work, Wallstrom also lofted several Brewer & Wallstrom designs and
eventually purchased YDI co-founder Jim Betts’ share of Yacht Design Institute.
In 1979 Wallstrom
formed the firm Small Craft Design & Survey, Inc. which then became
Wallstrom, Watkins & Associates, Inc., and in 1986 became Delta Marine
Small Craft Design & Survey, Inc. Design work encompassed sail and power,
commercial and pleasure in wood, steel, aluminum and fiberglass on vessels ranging
from 18 to 123 feet overall.
After Ted Brewer’s departure from YDI in
the early 1980s, Wallstrom became President and Bob Watkins became the
Educational Director. Under Wallstrom and Watkins direction, YDI developed the
first accredited degree-level course in small-craft naval architecture
available by distance learning or on campus. The first graduates completed
their on-campus program in 1987 and were awarded an Associates degree in
Applied Science in Small Craft Naval Architecture.
A member of SNAME since 1967 and NAMS since 1972,
Wallstrom has written numerous articles on small-craft design, marine surveying
and maritime history that have been published, as well as many of the YDI School’s various lesson
texts. Wallstrom also wrote Surveying Small Craft in North America, a
companion piece and translation from the original UK edition of Ian
Nicholson's Surveying Small Craft.
Founded in 1930, the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is
the only nationally accredited and state-certified distance-learning school of
small-craft design in the United States. As the not-for-profit educational affiliate of the American Boat and Yacht Council, the mission of
the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is threefold:
■ To provide our students with the skills and
knowledge required to build a rewarding career in the profession of yacht and
small-craft naval architecture.
■ To support continued growth of the
recreational and small-craft marine community through the development of
well-trained, safety-oriented, boat designers developing better products for
the benefit of the boating public.
■ To provide continuing education to
marine-industry professionals.
To learn more about Westlawn,
please call (860) 572-7900 or visit the Westlawn website at: www.westlawn.edu.