Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology

For Immediate Release 04-11

Contact: Caroline Chetelat, (410) 956-1050, x22

Westlawn Graduate Wins Bluewater Sailing Magazine Design Competition

March 17, 2004, Edgewater, MD: The Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is excited to announce that Westlawn graduate, Doug M. Frolich is the winner of the current Bluewater Sailing Magazine design competition.

Judged by former Sparkman & Stephens design chief Bill Langen and designer Rodger Martin (former chief naval architect at Derecktor Shipyards, and himself a Westlawn alum), the Bluewater Sailing competition’s brief was for a serious cruising sailboat that could store a really good hard dinghy—a Walker Bay rigid-bottom inflatable; and in addition, launch and retrieve it easily.

Dave Gerr, director of Westlawn explains: “Doug’s design (a 45-foot Bluewater Cruiser) solved the dinghy issue with a unique approach using a cantilever jib boom to double as an electro-hydraulic dinghy-launch crane. You can see from Frolich’s renderings, the design is also handsome, well proportioned, and incorporates additional unique features.”

Doug credited his success in the competition to his Westlawn training:

I completed your Yacht Design program in '98. I wanted to thank you for posting the info’ regarding the Bluewater Sailing Magazine design competition. I was recently contacted by the editor and informed that my design was chosen as the winner. Thank you Westlawn. I would have never noticed this completion without your website, and certainly would not have been capable of developing the design without the know-how your course provided. Thanks again.

Working for North Sails for many years, Doug found the Bluewater Sailing competition gave him an opportunity to develop an idea for a cruising boat he’d conceived last spring while delivering a 52-foot raceboat from Puerto Vallarta to San Francisco. No longer with North, Doug has recently been in charge of projects like refits and repowers, such as for a 21-foot 70-mph bass boat, and a 30-foot whale boat. He is currently working on a proposal for a 58-foot long-range motor yacht for a long-time client.

We can look forward to more unique and exciting designs from Doug Frolich and other Westlawn alumni in the future.

For More information on the 45-foot Bluewater Cruiser contact:

Doug M. Frolich

Marshall Yacht Design

Tel: 415-250-5412

Email: dmfrolich@comcast.net

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, Westlawn’s primary function is to assure a continual source of highly skilled designers to the marine industry. To learn more about Westlawn, please call (410) 956-7100 or visit the Westlawn web site at www.westlawn.edu.