Nantucket Race Week finishes with Opera House Cup

by Icarus Sailing Media on 18 Aug 2015 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge – For the tenth consecutive year, Italian high-end watchmaker Officine Panerai sponsored the top performance awards for classic sailboat racing at Nantucket’s prestigious and highly anticipated Opera House Cup, which is the culminating event of Nantucket Race Week. The Opera House Cup is the second regatta of the three-part Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge (PCYC) North American Circuit.

On Sunday morning all 55 yachts registered at the Italian-inspired Panerai Hospitality Lounge situated behind Nantucket Yacht Club, with 51 of the yachts competing for the coveted Panerai prize. Twelve of the racing yachts were first-time Opera House Cup competitors and five were over 100 years old, including two NY-30s AMORITA and CARA MIA who were far ahead of the fleet in the early part of the race and battled neck-n-neck toward the finish with CARA MIA nabbing the duel by a few seconds. Winds were 10-12 knots from the southwest and the 20.3 nautical mile course provided plenty of reaches for the elegant classic sailing yachts, with the final leg allowing an opportunity to tack toward the finish line. In order to have a fair competition relative to the length, materials, structure, and age of yachts, the race fleet was comprised of two main divisions – Vintage and Grand Prix – with five classes among them: Vintage Corinthian, Vintage Day Racers, Vintage Grand Classics, Grand Prix Day Racers and Grand Prix Yachts.

After a day of perfect sailing conditions, the sailors gathered at sunset at Jetties Beach where Panerai North America President Rafael Alvarez presented the coveted Opera House Cup Panerai Award – a Radiomir 1940 three Days Acciaio - 47mm (PAM000514) – for the Best Performing Yacht Overall to BAPPLE, a 26’ Alerion, owned and skippered by Nantucket resident Bruce Failing. BAPPLE also took first place in the Grand Prix Day Racer class. Nantucket is known to be home to a large number of the Herreshoff-inspired one design Alerion fleet, of which only 28 made were made.

Class Winners and Other Special Awards
In addition to BAPPLE, other winners who took home Panerai engraved silver prizes were the Herreshoff-designed 1914 35.5’ DOLPHIN, a first time competitor skippered by Brian Simmons, who won first place in the Vintage Day Racer Class. The 1926 schooner FORTUNE, owned by John Taft and Tom Glassie, who were acknowledged by the OHC Committee for participating in the race for more than 30 years, won first place in the Vintage Corinthian Class. The impressive 72’ gaff sloop SPARTAN, built in 1913 and skippered by Charlie Ryan, captured first place in the Vintage Grand Classics Class and placed second overall on corrected time.

Winning the Opera House Cup with best corrected time, finishing first in the Grand Prix Class, as well as overall First to Finish, was the first time registrant 69’ newly built Spirit of Tradition yacht FOGGY, helmed by Richard Cohen, which hoisted majestic black sails above its varnished hull. WHEN AND IF, a 63.5’ Vintage Classic schooner, won the Robert H. Tiedemann Award for “Best Maintained or Restored Yacht.” TICONDEROGA, a 72’ ketch helmed by Scott Frantz, took home the Gwen Gaillard Spirit of the Race Award; Gaillard was one of the original founders of the Opera House Cup Regatta, which was famously named after her restaurant in 1973.

Other Performance Awards were given to WACHIWI, a 1902 Herreshoff gaff cutter; THE BLUE PETER, a 65’ Alfred Mylne sloop that hailed all the way from Cannes, France to participate in the PCYC North American Circuit; and RUGOSA, a 1926 NY 40 skippered by Halsey Herreshoff, grandson of the famed naval architect Captain Nathaniel G. Herreshoff.

Nantucket Community Sailing served as the organizing authority of the OHC, with assistance from the Nantucket Yacht Club and Great Harbor Yacht Club. The planning committees were aided by hundreds of volunteers who helped the organizers make the week a success. Nantucket Race Week and the Opera House Cup are the annual fundraising events for Nantucket Community Sailing, a non-profit organization which teaches over 1,000 children to sail each year.

Next Stop: Newport
The PCYC North American Circuit is comprised of three regattas spread across New England. The Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta, the first regatta of the Circuit, was held in early August in Marblehead, MA and the Museum of Yachting Classic Yacht Regatta will be held over Labor Day weekend in Newport, RI. At the season finale in Newport, in addition to the individual MoY Awards, Panerai Trophies will be given for Overall Best Performers in the Vintage Division and the Grand Prix Division for the North American Circuit.

The PCYC North American Circuit is part of the 2015 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge international series, which is comprised of nine regattas worldwide.