The idea for the IC24, or Inter-Club 24, began back in 2000 when St. Thomas YC members pondered how to jump-start their racing program following the decimation of the sailing fleet after successive hurricanes. "We desperately needed a boat for club racing that was economical, fast, dependable and comfortable," explained Rosenberg. "And we wanted a design that could give rebirth to keelboat racing as well as promote inter-club competitions." As an avid Melges 24 sailor, Rosenberg naturally envisioned key aspects of this design, yet in less of a high performance form. "Basically, we've taken a Melges 24-style cockpit and put it in a J/24 body," he said. "There are around 3,000 J/24s on the U.S. mainland, of which only about four or five hundred are actually racing. We don't want to kill off the J/24, but with only one in six actually racing, we wanted to take some of the other hulls and actually do something with them." In the new design, a used J/24 hull is fitted with a new Melges 24-style deck that is wider, has no traveler, and is capable of carrying five sailors. "The stanchions are lower, and we put a cover on them to be more comfortable. The whole idea was to create a more comfortable cockpit," said boat builder Avery.

Comfortable doesn't mean the IC24 isn't competitive. "It's really exciting, because with all the boats the same, we're literally just feet apart much of the time, tacking and gybing the whole day," said Robert Phillips, Sherman's jib trimmer on Team Barefoot. The comfort factor was definitely a plus for Paula Gooden, Team Barefoot's mainsheet trimmer. "When I get done sailing, I'm not all bruised up like after sailing a J/24, so that's a real plus for women. The cockpit is open and easy to get around," said Gooden, an experienced sailor, who has competed in the last two Rolex Women Keelboat Championships. Adds Sherman: "This design is a winner. It doesn't bite, it's extremely crew friendly, yet highly competitive." Sherman envisions the IC24 catching on in Texas. "I can see doing one conversion and the design going like gang-busters," he said.