# Rod Johnstone > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rod_Johnstone > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rod_Johnstone.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Johnstone > Source revision: 1348444420 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American sailor (born 1937)}} {{infobox person | name = Rodney "Rod" Johnstone | birth_name = Rodney Stuart Johnstone | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|01|15}} | known_for = Founding "[J/Boats](/source/J%2FBoats)" | spouse = Lucia Johnstone | children = Alan Johnstone (VP & chief designer of J/Boats) | honours = America and the Sea }} '''Rodney "Rod" Johnstone''' (born January 15, 1937) is an American sailor who founded the [boat builder](/source/boat_builder) "[J/Boats](/source/J%2FBoats)". == Personal life == Johnstone has a brother, Bob, who he founded their company [J/Boats](/source/J%2FBoats) with, a wife, Lucia, who he lives with in [Stonington, Connecticut](/source/Stonington%2C_Connecticut), and a son, Alan who is the chief designer of [J/Boats](/source/J%2FBoats).{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Mystic Seaport |date=2017-05-11 |title=Rod and Bob Johnstone – J/Boats: 2016 |url=https://mysticseaport.org/america-sea/rod-and-bob-johnstone-jboats-2016-2/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=Mystic Seaport Museum |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Johnstone, Rodney Stuart |url=https://nshof.org/inductees/johnstone-rodney-stuart/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=National Sailing Hall of Fame |language=en-US}} He is a member of both the [Wadawanuck](/source/Wadawanuck_Yacht_Club) and [Stonington Harbor](/source/Stonington_Harbor_Yacht_Club) yacht club as well as a member in the [Stonington Harbor Management Commission](/source/Stonington_Harbor_Management_Commission).{{citation needed|date= November 2023}} In 2016, he and his brother received the ''America and the Sea'' honor, an honor that recognizes the contributions to elements of the sea. They received the honor for their company, [J/Boats](/source/J%2FBoats). Despite his old age, Johnstone likes to sail, winning championships in several J/boat classes in various [Race Weeks](/source/Race_Weeks). He also competed in the [Bermuda Race](/source/Bermuda_Race) with his nephew in 2017.{{Cite web |date=2017-09-05 |title=Living Stronger: Rod Johnstone's passion keeps him sailing at 80 - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/living-stronger-rod-johnstone-passion-keeps-him-sailing-80/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}} == Early life and careers == === Early life === On January 15, 1937, Rodney Stuart Johnstone was born in [Glen Ridge, New Jersey](/source/Glen_Ridge%2C_New_Jersey). At a young age, Johnstone raced various boats at the [Wadawanuck Yacht Club](/source/Wadawanuck_Yacht_Club) in [Stonington, Connecticut](/source/Stonington%2C_Connecticut) and won several club and ECYRA trophies from 1947 to 1954. He and his father, Rob, constructed a homemade Lighting #3310 boat in a garage, which Johnstone used for racing boats like Thistles, 505s, and 470s. He stated that these ships played a role on designing a 24-foot sailboat that would become the [J/24](/source/J%2F24). In the 1960s, Johnstone has attended a Westlawn School of Yacht Design correspondence course,{{Cite web |last=Browning |first=Randy |title=J Boats |url=https://sailboatdata.com/builder/j-boats/ |access-date=November 11, 2023}} but he has never graduated from there (though he did receive an [honorary degree](/source/honorary_degree) sometime later).{{Cite web |last=Cronin |first=Carol Newman |date=2020-10-29 |title=Rod Johnstone: An Amazing Legacy of Yacht Designs |url=https://carolnewmancronin.com/rod-johnstones-great-passion-yacht-design/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=Carol Newman Cronin |language=en-US}} During the 1970s, he borrowed his neighbor's to spectate a [New York Yacht Club](/source/New_York_Yacht_Club) reaching start. === Careers === From 1959 to 1962, Johnstone began designing and constructing sailboats while teaching history at the [Millbrook School](/source/Millbrook_School). He became a yacht [broker](/source/broker), operating a brokerage in Stonington and soon took a career as a planner for the submarine builder, [Electric Boat Co.](/source/Electric_Boat_Co.) He also sold Soundings ads from 1970 to 1977. In 1988, Johnstone and his nephew, [Clay Burkhalter](/source/Clay_Burkhalter), went on to co-found [Johnstone Yachts, Inc.](/source/Johnstone_Yachts%2C_Inc.) to produce his [JY 15](/source/JY15) sailboat designs. ==== J/Boats ==== {{main|J/Boats}}Johnstone, along with his brother, has owned the [boat builder](/source/boat_builder) "[J/Boats](/source/J%2FBoats)" since 1977. == References == {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Rod}} Category:1937 births Category:Sailors from Connecticut Category:20th-century American sailors Category:American boat builders Category:Living people --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rod Johnstone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Johnstone) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Johnstone?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.