Travel & UnderSail

Strong Winds and Sunny Skies Welcomed Newport’s Museum of Yachting 32nd Annual Classic Yacht Regatta,

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Challenge Results:

S&S Yawl "Black Watch" Awarded Panerai’s North American Circuit Trophy for Overall Performance

12-M "Valiant" Wins MoY Classic Class and Takes Home Limited Edition Panerai Timepiece; Valiant Named Second Overall in Circuit

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Sparkman & Stephens yawl Black Watch, overall winner of the

North American Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge

The Museum of Yachting (MOY)'s 32nd Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, wrapping up the 2nd Year of North American Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge was a beautiful and ethereal display on Narragansett Bay. Sponsored by Officine Panerai, the Regatta was held in early September in Newport, Rhode Island, and wrapped up the final segment of the second annual North American Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. Unlike last year, when the 31st Regatta featured a de-masting, a collision, and a man overboard, a roiling southerly breeze and mostly sunny skies prevailed.

This year's Classic Yacht Regatta, in partnership with organizing authority Sail Newport, drew a fleet of 55 boats, the turnout recognized by all participants and sponsors to be an impressive display of commitment by the skippers and crews of the many classic and vintage boats that participated in nearly all of the three New England regattas that comprise the N.A. Circuit: Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta (August 12-14, Marblehead, Mass.), Opera House Cup (August 18-21, Nantucket, Mass.) and MoY Classic Yacht Regatta (September 3-4, Newport, R.I.).

Joe Loughborough, of Belle

Saturday’s course at the MoY Classic Yacht Regatta was clockwise around Conanicut Island. A building breeze out of the south pushing back against the ebb tide made for choppy conditions at the bay’s entrance, with S-boats sailing a shorter course, taking them north of the bridge toward Prudence Island and back.

Sunday's conditions saw the larger boats heading south to round R4 and then north toward Prudence Island before finishing between Goat Island and Rose Islands. Conditions mirrored Saturday’s breeze, with strong southerly winds again in the 15- to 18-knot range.

Celebrating a thrilling weekend

After the exciting weekend of competitive sailing, the skippers and crew members returned to the popular Panerai Hospitality Lounge to share stories and await the winners to be called at the evening’s prize-giving ceremony and Awards Dinner. Newport Seen mingled with wind-and-sunburned captains and crew, happy to recount their racing tales. Ed Kane, Emeritus Member of the IYRS Board of Trustees, thanked Panerai for their sixth year of sponsorship and recognized many of the individuals and sailing crews who are endemically dedicated to the regatta and the circuit.

Each boat that was first-in-class in the following categories received an heirloom-quality Panerai Barometer, which was presented by Panerai N.A. President Rafael Alvarez. The class winners were: Wild Horses, which won the Spirit-of-Tradition fleet; 12-Meter Valiant took first place in the Classic non-spinnaker class; Belle, helmed by owner Joe Loughborough, won the 6-Meter division; Firefly captured the S-Boat class; and Columbia took first place in the 12-Meter class.

Commodore Fred Roy Herreshoff, S- Class, Paul del Nero,

Dyer Jones, Cathy del Nero and Michael McCaffrey

Gary Gregory, owner of Valiant, was awarded with a Limited Edition Panerai timepiece as the overall winner of the Classic Yacht Regatta.

Trevor Fetter’s Sparkman & Stephens yawl Black Watch received the trophy for the overall winner of the North American Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge.

Summing up the spirit of the evening, Panerai N.A. President Rafael Alvarez invited Trisha Gallagher Boisvert, executive director of Sailing Heals, to the presentation platform to announce to the nearly 400 guests the news of Panerai’s founding sponsorship of Sailing Heals, a newly minted non-profit foundation for which the mission is to bring cancer patients and their caregivers, or anyone in need of a day of healing, out on the water in beautiful classic yachts.

Buck Margold, Terry Nathan of IYRS, and Grant Tankoos. Mr. Margold

sailed on Chuck Townsend'sFidelio, named as an homage to Beethoven

The Museum of Yachting Classic Yacht Regatta was first held in 1980, when a group of New England yachtsmen looked around Newport harbor and saw classic yachts that were once glorious decaying before their eyes, which led to the organization of this classic event to raise awareness for these "endangered vessels". In keeping with event tradition, each year regatta organizers present the prestigious Tom Benson Restoration Award to the boat in the fleet determined to be the best restored yacht—based on degree of originality and quality of restoration—done within the past two years. The Herreshoff-designed Spartan, skippered by Vincent Paul and Charlie Ryan, captured this year’s award.

On Sunday morning many of the participating yachts proudly hoisted their yacht club pennants and Panerai battle flags while circling Newport’s inner harbor for the traditional “Classic Yacht Parade".

Discussing the Regatta inside the Museum of Yachting

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About the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge
Featuring over 500 of the world’s most beautiful classic yachts in ten historical regattas, the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge is a major international event in the world of classic sailing. The Challenge includes two circuits – Mediterranean and North American – as well as the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and Panerai British Classic Week in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.

About Officine Panerai. Panerai luxury watches are sold exclusively through an international network of authorized retailers and in Panerai boutiques around the world. In North America, Panerai boutiques can be found in Manhattan, Beverly Hills and, later this month, Boca Raton. Officine Panerai is part of Richemont Group. For more information, visit www.panerai.com

Dinner awaited the Seafarers

About the Museum of Yachting
For more than 25 years, the Museum of Yachting has worked to preserve the culture and heritage of yachting. Situated in one of New England's most beautiful seaside locales, the Museum celebrates the traditions of yachting through the presentation of informative exhibits and educational programming. In 2007, the Museum converged with the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS), located across Newport Harbor. Together, these two organizations are creating a rich educational living heritage experience by coordinating exhibits, events, and restoration projects. For more information about the Museum and the Classic Yacht Regatta, visit www.moy.org.

About Sail Newport
Sail Newport is the Organizing Authority for the 32nd Annual Classic Yacht Regatta. The non-profit organization was founded in 1983 after the loss of the America’s Cup catalyzed the sailing community to attract more sailing events to Newport. Over 25 years later, Sail Newport is a thriving sailing center located in Fort Adams State Park that hosts local, regional, national, and world-class sailing events and offers a wide variety of sailing programs—including learn-to-sail programs, racing clinics, and advanced classes for youth and adults. For more information, visit www.sailnewport.org.

Historic images were on display

About Sailing Heals
Sailing Heals is a newly-formed U.S. based 501(c)(3) organization whose aim is to provide enjoyable sailing and boating experiences to individuals, families, caretakers and staff who may benefit from a congenial, healing day on the water. Persons who have gone through traumatic experiences, such as intensive cancer treatments or the death of a loved one from cancer or another serious illness, are invited to be guests of volunteer sailors, who donate their time, boats and talents to this important cause, or the guests of independent sponsors who provide the necessary funding to undertake the sailing outings and provide hospitality. For more information, visit www.sailingheals.org.