Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta kicks off the PCYCNAC in Marblehead

by Panerai BPCM on 16 Aug 2016 Thanks to many dedicated local classic sailors and a handful of passionate yacht club commodores—past, present and future—this small harborside community north of Boston continues to solidify their place in history as a classic sailor’s paradise.

High spirits paired with a congenial atmosphere was the mood of the moment at Corinthian Yacht Club this past weekend as hundreds of sailors came from near and far to celebrate the 17th annual Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta
in historic Marblehead. Fifty-five yachts registered for the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge (PCYC) North American
Circuit opener with 18 yachts competing for the Panerai prizes.

The two-day regatta began Saturday morning with a Skipper’s Meeting and concluded Sunday evening with the annual Prize-Giving Ceremony, presented by Panerai North American President Giovanni Carestia. In between, the competitors enjoyed two days of excellent sailing and warm Italian-inspired hospitality tendered by their Panerai
hosts and the participating yacht clubs.

Each year, graceful and historic sailing yachts came from all over the world to join in the competition. Notably this
year, TILLY XV, a 1912 sonderklasse gaff sloop built in Germany for Prince Heinrich Von Preussen (Kaiser Wilhelm
II of Prussia’s brother) came all the way from Germany to participate.

Sonderklassen are the “special boats” that are among the rarest wooden boats of the early part of the 20th century. TILLY XV’s visit was quite a nostalgic reunion for Marblehead, and specifically for the regatta’s co-host, the Eastern Yacht Club which in the summer of 1906 hosted the Sonderklassen when an arrangement was made between the Kaiserlicher Yacht Club of Kiel, Germany, and the Eastern Yacht Club, for a series of races for the Roosevelt Cup, presented by the EYC.

The transatlantic trip was worth TILLY XV’s owner and crew’s time and effort as this “special class” wooden yacht won First Place in the Vintage Day Racer division, with International 225 DAGGER, a class winner in 2015, taking home the silver plate again for their Grand Prix Day Racer first place win.

1929 S&S masthead yawl DORADE, a newly restored classic yacht who earlier in the 20th century famously won
the 1932 Bermuda Race and Fastnet Race in Cowes, and more recently in 2013 won the Trans-Pacific Race (a repeat
win from her earlier win in 1936), was named the Best Overall in the Vintage Corinthian Division and took home
the coveted Panerai Prize, a Radiomir Black Seal Logo Acciaio – 45mm (PAM00380) for Best Overall among the
Panerai Divisions. VALIANT, a beloved 12-metre racing yacht whose home port is Marblehead, took home the
silver plate for First Place – Grand Prix Division. Last year’s Best Overall Classic Division Winner NEITH, a 54’ Herreshoff cutter, also gave a terrific performance and finished second in their class.

Saturday’s weather started off cloudy with moderate winds of around 10 mph from the north-northeast as competitors lined up for their 17 mile course, which took them 8.5 miles toward Gloucester and back alongside Baker’s Island. The upwind course made for slower sailing in the first half of the race which got underway at approximately 12 noon with a pursuit-style starting sequence based on the competitors’ CRF ratings (Classic Rating Formula). Sailors awoke

Sunday morning to hot and humid temperatures, brilliant sunshine and changing wind velocities from the westsouthwest at 10-15 miles per hour. On this second day of racing, competitors followed a 14.5 mile course which first led them toward the tip of Nahant with the Boston skyline visible on the horizon and lots of downwind fluky, winds which made changing sails and tacking strategies par for the course. First to finish on both days and winner of the Corinthian Best Overall prize was local Marblehead racing yacht AGILA, a 33’ E33 class yacht which was not eligible for the Panerai prize but whose crew showed remarkable skill nonetheless.

2016 marks the 12th consecutive year the Florentine watchmaker Officine Panerai has honored its commitment
to promoting yachting culture and classic sailing with the sponsorship of a series of regattas (with two multirace
circuits among them in New England and the Mediterranean). For the seventh consecutive year Panerai has sponsored the Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta, the season opener for the now four-part North American Circuit, which this year added the two-day Sail Nantucket Regatta to the previous three-regatta circuit of Marblehead’s Corinthian Classic, Nantucket’s Opera House Cup and the Newport Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport, RI.

Classifications and Winners
The sailing fleet was divided into five racing classes within two major divisions: the Vintage Division including Grand Classics, Corinthian Classics, and Day Racers and the Grand Prix division which includes Grand Prix Yachts and Day Racers, comprised of both Spirit of Tradition yachts, Modern Classics as well as older designs updated for high performance.

Next stops on the PCYC North American Circuit
The 2016 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge North American Circuit continues with both the Sail Nantucket Regatta (August 19th-20th) and the Opera House Cup (August 21st) as next stops in Nantucket, MA; and the Newport Classic Yacht Regatta (Newport, RI September third and fourth), where the Overall Best Performers in the PCYC North American Circuit will be presented with their trophies.

The Healing Power of the Sea
As has become a Panerai tradition with each of the Panerai regattas hosted in New England, the Italian watchmaker continues to partner with the Massachusetts non-profit sailing organization the company founded in 2011, Sailing Heals, to take cancer patients and their caregivers, many of whom are being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and the Lahey Clinic, out on the water for a day of healing and respite. This year’s sail was be hosted on Friday before the racing on the gracious yachts GALAVANT, VALIANT and WILD HORSES and VIP Guests were welcomed with a seaside lunch at the Corinthian Yacht Club sponsored by Panerai and the generous Host Captains.

To date, with the help of Panerai and Sailing Heals’ volunteer Host Captains, Sailing Heals has taken more than 2,300 patients and their caregivers out for healings sails from nearly 20 ports of call and seven states nationwide. Sailing Heals’ mission is to provide unique sailing and boating experiences to individuals, families, and caregivers who may be experiencing a health setback or loss and can benefit from a peaceful day on the water.