J/111

Scott Nixon has been involved with racing his whole life. Scott grew up sailing on the Southern Chesapeake Bay in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

An All-American sailor at St. Mary's College of Maryland, Scott later coached many students to the All-American ranks at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. With decades of competitive racing, he has a wide range of racing experiences, including dinghies, one-design keelboats, inshore big boats, and offshore distance racing.

Scott joined Quantum Sails in 2000, and his experiences bring a unique skill set to Quantum's programs. Focusing primarily on one design classes, he is directly involved in testing, design, and development of Quantum’s One Design sail programs. He working directly with the design team and worldwide sales team to make sure Quantum sails are at the front of the fleet.

Scott has sailed with Quantum customers to win championships at the World, Gold Cup, European, North American, and National levels.

His hands-on approach includes active campaigns and racing in the following classes for Quantum: J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80, J/88, J/109, J/111, C&C 30, Farr 30, Farr 40, Swan 42, Swan 45, Melges 20, Melges 24, Melges 32, Melges 40, TP52, ORC, and GL52 classes. He is a three-time World Champion in the J/111, Melges 32, and ORC 52 classes.

Jeff Thorpe was eight years old when he started the Leo Robbins sailing program. The instructor told his dad that Jeff wasn’t cut out for sailing, but Jeff went back the next season and hasn’t stopped sailing since. Throughout high school he raced Sabots, Lasers, and Laser 2s. When it was time for college, he didn’t have the money, so he took a job building and racing Morc boats at Pinnacle Yacht Design Group.

Jeff stayed involved in the marine industry in a variety of ways, from an Olympic campaign with friends to fixing and rebuilding J/24s at his own shop to working in a sail loft. While working at the loft, he had the opportunity to sail on a J/125 with Quantum sails. Jeff was impressed with what he saw. He contacted Quantum Sails and told them he needed to work for them.

Today Jeff works as a sail consultant at the Quantum Pacific loft, giving his clients the attention to detail they need to find the right sails. With his extensive sailing history, he’s more than qualified to help others figure out exactly what they need to meet their goals. "I spent years running offshore racing programs, so I have a fair bit of knowledge that helps me provide my clients with a great resource when they have questions," said Jeff. "I make sure they understand all the options available to them to help them enjoy their sailing."

Jeff's sailing experience includes J/70, J/111, J/105, J/125, Melges 24, Olson 30, E-22, PHRF, ORR, IRC, TP 52, Santa Cruz 70, and Santa Cruz 52 classes, as well as offshore catamarans, cruising boats, and racing boats.

A New Zealand native and sailmaker by trade, Jason completed his 4-year apprenticeship in 1996. After working in Auckland for Boyd & McMaster sails, he moved to Annapolis Maryland in 1997 to start with the brand new Quantum Sail Design Group, and has been with the company ever since.

During his time with Quantum, Jason ran the service department before moving into sales in 2008. His leadership and expertise earned him a promotion to Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager in 2022, and today he leads Quantum’s U.S. sales team, overseeing strategic growth initiatives and client relationships nationwide.

Jason brings with him to Quantum a wealth of experience in both racing and cruising applications having been involved in the technical and hands on side of sailmaking for over 30 years.

Over the years he has competed successfully on all levels of Grand Prix, One Design
And ORC racing circuits ranging from J/70, Farr 30, Farr 40, C&C30, J/111, IC37, Melges 32, Cape
31, and TP52. In 2009, Jason was tasked with managing the sail development and design program for the Farr 40 class that has led to multiple national and world championship wins for Quantum clients.

Having grown up sailing and spending most of his life in the sailmaking industry, Jason holds a diverse range of experience that he happily passes on to his racing and cruising clients.

Wally started building sails in 1973 to pay for college, and over the years has had the opportunity to work with seven different sail making companies before joining Quantum.

During his years in the sailing business, Wally has raced many types of small boats, as well as sailing the Flying Dutchman in the 1980 Olympic Trials. He was involved with the winning boats in many national championships before shifting his focus to offshore one design boats. He's participated in six Canada Cups, 25 Key West racing events, over 40 Mackinac races, and hundreds of traveling regattas. Today, Wally spends his time racing a variety of boats, including large offshore boats, the Melges 20, Melges 24, and Melges 32 classes, and local offshore one designs, like the J/111 and Beneteau 36.7.

Wally enjoys mixing his sail making knowledge with all the other pieces of sailing, such as rig, trim, and sail settings, to not only make the boats sail faster, but to help people get the most enjoyment from their boats.

Travis Odenbach brings extensive one-design racing and sailmaking experience to his role as North American One Design Director at Quantum Sails. A native of Rochester, New York, Travis began sailing at age six through the Rochester Yacht Club junior program, progressing from Optis and 420s to Lasers before moving into high-level keelboat racing.

A longtime competitor and class specialist, Travis has built his reputation in one-design racing with particular focus on the J/70, J/24, and J/22 classes, while also competing in boats ranging from Melges 15s to Cape 31s and J/111s. His early years racing the Great Lakes regatta circuit and sailing in Newport's legendary J/24 Fleet 50 gave him the opportunity to compete alongside many of the top sailors in the sport and helped shape the technical and competitive approach he brings to every program.

Travis' accomplishments on the racecourse include winning the J/24 North American Championship and earning multiple podium finishes at J/24 Nationals, North Americans, and World Championships. In the J/22 class, he has posted multiple top-five finishes at both World and North American Championships, while also contributing to three Beneteau First 36.7 North American Championship victories. In 2024, Travis was recognized as a finalist for US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Award.

His sailmaking career has included roles with Waterline Systems, North Sails, Haarstick Sailmakers, and Quantum Sails, where he developed deep expertise in one-design sail development, construction, cloth testing, and performance consulting. After Haarstick joined Quantum in 2015, Travis became heavily involved in Quantum’s one-design programs, serving as a class coordinator for the J/24 and J/22 classes and working closely with sailors across North America and around the world.

Travis looks forward to helping sailors maximize performance on the racecourse while continuing to strengthen Quantum’s leadership across the one-design community.