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The Crew

Our founder and Master Rigger, Brion Toss, passed away in 2020, but lives on in our hearts and in our practices and techniques.

Brion is best known as author of The Complete Riggers Apprentice, first printed in 1984 and today considered an authoritative text on the subject of rigging.

Brion’s career as a Master Rigger was born from an obsession with knots over 30 years ago, which led him to work with some of the finest traditional riggers in the world. As his expertise and passion for the art of rigging grew, Brion’s education was taken to the highest levels, rigging everything from tiny daysailers to huge square-riggers.

Brion’s experience allowed him to take the ageless wisdom of traditional rigging and apply it to the materials and applications of today, pursuing the challenge of designing the ideal rig, that unique combination of details best-suited to a particular boat and its particular crew. The ideal rig will make any boat sail better, faster, and safer.

At Brion Toss Yacht Riggers we practice a systems approach to rigging, in which all components the rig, hull structure, and even the sailor are treated as an interdependent, interrelated system.

Our rigging loft is located in the Historic Victorian Seaport of Port Townsend, Washington, though our work takes us to harbors all over the world.

Rigging


  • Brion Toss – Master Rigger, Always in our Hearts
  • Ian Weedman – Co-owner, Rigger
  • Jen Bates – Rigger
  • Matthew Fahey – Rigger
  • Mary Darcy – Apprentice
  • Chance Bates – Apprentice

Office


  • Christian Gruye – Co-owner, Director
  • Shannon Africa – Bookkeeper, Shipping