Bruce Kirby

1929 – 2021

A Canadian newspaperman and former editor of Yacht Racing (predecessor to Sailing World), Bruce Kirby is best known for designing the Laser. Kirby started as a reporter in Montreal before editing Yacht Racing and, in his spare time, taking up yacht design and drawing the Laser.

In 1970 Kirby became editor of Yacht Racing & Cruising (later Yacht Racing) where he stayed until 1975. Despite his duties with the magazine, Kirby was still designing boats which began with the International 14 class. Kirby's design won the world championships in 1958 and 1961. It was in 1969 that Kirby drew the Laser, one of the most successful sailboats ever. More than 200,000 have been built and it is currently an Olympic class.

Kirby represented Canada at the Olympics games in 1956, 1964, and 1968.

Amoung the other of his 63 designs are two America's Cup 12-Meters, Canada I and II, the Apollo, Sonar, Kirby 25, and 30, and Ideal 18 and San Juan 24. The latter with over a thousand built since its debut. Kirby also served as both designer and skipper on Runaway, Canada's entry in the 1981 Admirals Cup.

He is a member of the US National Sailing Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame, the International Yacht Racing Hall of Fame, the Canadian International Fourteen Foot Dinghy Hall of Fame, and the City of Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

Designs (35)

Name	LOA (ft)	First Built	Last Built	Rig
APOLLO 16	15.75	1977	—	Fractional Sloop
BLAZER 23 (KIRBY)	23	1988	—	Fractional Sloop
DS-22	21.67	1983	—	Masthead Sloop
FOX 18 (KIRBY)	18.5	1981	—	Cat (Marconi)
IDEAL 18	17.85	1989	—	Fractional Sloop
ILCA 4 (LASER 4.7)	13.88	2000	—	Cat (unstayed)
ILCA 6 (LASER RADIAL)	13.88	1982	—	Cat (unstayed)
ILCA 7 (LASER-INTERNATIONAL)	13.88	1970	—	Cat (unstayed)
IOTA	12.25	1986	—	Cat (Marconi)
KIRBY 1/4 T	25.92	1975	—	Masthead Sloop
KIRBY 23	23	1985	—	Fractional Sloop
KIRBY 25	25.17	1978	1982	Fractional Sloop
KIRBY 30	29.67	1981	—	Fractional Sloop
KIRBY 36	35.9	1983	—	Fractional Sloop
KIRBY 8M	26.33	1978	—	Masthead Sloop
KIRBY TORCH	13.92	2014	—	Cat (unstayed)
LASER 13	13.29	1988	—	Fractional Sloop
MIRAGE 30 SX	30	1985	—	Fractional Sloop
MYSTIC MINI-TON	21.5	1977	—	Fractional Sloop
NIGHTWIND 35	34.67	1980	—	Fractional Sloop
NORTH CASTLE 30	30	1986	—	Fractional Sloop
NORWALK ISLAND SHARPIE 18	18	1988	—	Cat Ketch (unstayed)
NORWALK ISLAND SHARPIE 23	22.75	1987	—	Cat Ketch (unstayed)
NORWALK ISLAND SHARPIE 26	26.25	1986	—	Cat Ketch (unstayed)
PIXEL	13.75	2003	—	Fractional Sloop
SAN JUAN 23	23	1975	—	Masthead Sloop
SAN JUAN 23-2	23	1977	—	Masthead Sloop
SAN JUAN 24	24	1973	—	Masthead Sloop
SAN JUAN 30	29.86	1975	—	Masthead Sloop
SEIDELMANN 24	24.18	1981	—	Fractional Sloop
SONAR	23	1980	—	Fractional Sloop
TICON 34	33.67	1983	—	Cat Ketch (unstayed)
TRAPPER 300	26.25	1976	—	Masthead Sloop
TRINKA 12	12	1990	—	Cat (unstayed)
VISION 660	21.67	1976	—	Masthead Sloop