Designer Series in Bristol Launches New Scholarship for Marine Trades Students

By Cynthia Goss

BRISTOL, RI — The Designer Series--a new type of boating rendezvous that gives boat owners, the marine industry, and the public a chance to celebrate the sport’s iconic designers—will launch a new scholarship for students studying for careers in the marine trades.

“The Designer Series was conceived as an event that can both honor the past achievements of our iconic yacht designers, but also look forward—and an important part of the mission for this series is to help cultivate the Ted Hoods of tomorrow,” said Andy Tyska, president of Bristol Marine who is one of a team of individuals spearheading this new series.

Ted Hood was a sailmaker, rigger, yacht designer, and a skilled yachtsman who skippered the 12-meter Courageous to a win in the 1974 America’s Cup. A Massachusetts native, he founded Hood Sailmakers in Marblehead; in the mid-1980s he moved his business to Rhode Island and transformed a stretch of Portsmouth coastline once occupied by the Navy into one of the largest yacht service, design and building operations on the East Coast.

Hood brought an innovator’s mindset to his work and produced breakthroughs in yacht deign, rigging and sailmaking. When Hood passed away in 2013, he left behind a fleet of some 1,500 boats built from his designs.

The Designer Series Scholarship of $3,000 will support an individual who is pursuing a career in recreational yacht design or marine engineering, service or construction. Students studying at a trade school or an institute of higher learning can apply for this funding.

Individuals who wish to apply for the scholarship should visit designerseries.org/2017/scholarship. The application deadline is Sept. 1.