MoY Classic Yacht Regatta
PANERAI WRAPS UP NORTH AMERICAN CIRCUIT
WITH MUSEUM OF YACHTING 33RD ANNUAL CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA
8-Metre Fife Quest Awarded Panerai Timepiece for MoY Regatta – First Place Overall
12-Metre Valiant Wins PCYC North American Circuit Trophy for Best Overall Performance in the Series
Newport, RI, September 4th 2012 – The Museum of Yachting (MoY) 33rd Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, sponsored by Officine Panerai, was held September 1st-2nd in Newport, RI, with 55 classic sailing vessels participating in the final segment of the third annual North American Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge Circuit.
The impressive turnout of classic yachts was recognized by all participants and sponsors as a phenomenal display of annual commitment by the skippers and crews of the many classic and vintage boats that participated in the three New England regattas. The North American Circuit of the PCYC is comprised of the Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta (August 11th-12th, Marblehead, MA), the Opera House Cup (August 18th-19th, Nantucket, MA) and the MoY Classic Yacht Regatta (September 1st-2nd, Newport, RI).
On Sunday night, Captains and Crew joined in a festive Dinner and Prize-Giving Ceremony on the lawn in front of the Museum of Yachting and Panerai Hospitality Lounge. Winning in the 12-metre class was AMERICAN EAGLE, a 68’ red-hulled beauty built in 1964 by A.E. Luders Jr., and helmed by Rick Bready. Winning in the S-class was OSPREY, a 1936 Herreshoff owned by Sheldon Whitehouse. PLEIONE, owned and helmed by Bruce Dyson, took first honors in the Spirit of Tradition and Gary Gregory’s VALIANT, a 1970 Sparkman & Stephen’s 64.25’ 12-metre, took top honors in the Classic A Division, as well as bringing home the Panerai Trophy for top performance in the Overall Series. W-class 37’ sloop RACE HORSE, owned by Donald Tofias, won the Spirit of Tradition class award for the Series. Classic B Division Award for the MoY Regatta was won by the 8-metre Fife-designed QUEST, owned by Diane Palm, who also walked away with First Place Overall in the MoY competition winning the coveted Panerai timepiece, a Panerai Radiomir Black Seal Automatic 45 MM (PAM 0287). Two weeks ago in Nantucket, Toronto-based QUEST, a newcomer to the Series, also took home the Opera House Cup’s top honors.
Sail Newport, a respected and active sailing center in the region, served as the official Organizing Authority for the 33rd Annual Museum of Yachting Classic Regatta.
The much-anticipated regatta started off Saturday with crisp northerly breezes – typical of the seasonal change in the Bay – setting a course for an unusual downwind start. Southerly sea breezes kicked in later in the day, changing the playing field altogether as the trailing boats caught up with the lead contenders.
Sunday’s race did not disappoint the most competitive sailors. The day started out with light breezes that changed direction constantly, forcing the Race Committee to make a quick decision to alter the course as competitors circled in anticipation of the start. All classes were finally set on a course that took them south past Hammersmith Farm (childhood home of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis) to the mouth of Narragansett Bay, then on a downwind leg back past historic Fort Adams State Park, completing with a race under the Newport Pell Bridge and around the leeward mark near the U.S. Naval War College.
As has become Newport tradition, many of the participating yachts proudly hoisted their yacht club pennants and Panerai battle flags while circling Newport’s inner harbor for the Annual Classic Yacht Parade on Sunday morning. On -shore spectators and other sailing enthusiasts watched as the beautiful vessels embarked upon their race course start with precision, style, grace and plenty of spirit.
Likewise, Panerai’s tradition for each regatta has become to dedicate at least one day of classic sailing, before or after the race, to hosting patient and caregiver sails for the community residents who so generously host each of the N.A. regattas. Under the pennant of their founding sponsorship of Sailing Heals, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization whose mission is to take cancer patients and their caregivers out for healing days of respite on the water, Panerai and their Host Captains sponsored local ‘VIP guests’ on three separate sailing outings on the breathtaking Narragansett Bay on Monday, September 3rd.
For more information on the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, visit www.paneraiclassicyachtschallenge.com For more information on the Museum of Yachting, visit, www.moy.org.
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Press Contact for Panerai:
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Panerai N.A.
(212) 891-2318
michele.gallagher@panerai.com
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NIKE Communications, Inc.
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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, bringing together over 5,000 sailors and sailing enthusiasts from around the world. 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. It is through the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge that Officine Panerai continues to protect and promote the culture of classic yachting in the name of its own historical ties with the sea and the qualities of beauty, classic design, craftsmanship and excellence, which distinguish the uniqueness of a classic yacht as they do a luxury watch.
About Officine Panerai
Founded in Florence in 1860 as a workshop, shop and school of watch-making, for many decades Officine Panerai supplied the Italian Navy in general, and its specialist diving corps in particular, with precision instruments. The designs developed by Panerai in that time, including the Luminor and Radiomir, were covered by the Military Secrets Act for many years and were launched on the international market only after the brand was acquired by the Richemont Group in 1997. Today Officine Panerai develops and crafts its movements and watches at its Neuchâtel manufacture. The latter are a seamless melding of Italian design flair and history with Swiss horological expertise. Panerai watches are sold across the world through an exclusive network of distributors and Panerai boutiques.
For more information, visit www.panerai.com or call 1-877-PANERAI.
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 33rd 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. Twenty-five 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.
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, carivers 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 Host Captains, 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.