CYCS closes out 2026 Massachusetts Region Events in Nantucket
by Classic Yacht Owners Association 27 Aug 10:03 PDT
August 14-16, 2026
CYCS closes out 2026 Massachusetts Region Events in Nantucket © Roger Vandenberg
The 2026 CYCS has officially capped off the Massachusetts leg of the competition with a thrilling three days of racing in the waters of beautiful Nantucket.
Two events—the Nantucket Regatta and the Opera House Cup—punctuated Nantucket Race Week and allowed for more CYOA members to qualify for the overall CYCS standings. Fourteen teams are now in contention for awards in their respective divisions.
In the Nantucket Regatta, Black Watch Alliance's Black Watch and NGH Restoration's Spartan traded first and second place positions in the event's two races. Ron Zarrella and Carolyn Grant Zarella's Blackfish took the third place spot. Having the stronger performance in the second race, Black Watch was declared the CRF spinnaker class winner. In the non-spinnaker class, Trevor Nelson's Firefly won both races, marking a strong opening appearance in this year's series.
Immediately following the Nantucket Regatta was the Opera House Cup (OHP), a single race event that has come to be a beloved finale for Nantucket Race Week. The event's single race was won by Ronald Zarrella aboard Fire Fly, beating out Bill Liddle's Fortuna by just over one minute on corrected time in the overall race.
Looking at the OHP's divisional standings, the closeness of the CYCS competition truly comes to light. With their second place finish in the event's Vintage Division, Spartan now needs fewer than six overall points to take over the lead in the CYCS overall Vintage Division from Black Watch. Peter Cassidy's Siren, which won the Opera House Cup Vintage Division is in third and hot in pursuit of the two leaders. Siren also captured the best time of all plank-on-frame boats in the competition.
Fire Fly and Fortuna won the OHP's Modern Classic and Alerion Divisions, respectively, with their strong overall performances. Blackfish won the event's Spirit of Tradition Division, marking a perfect scoring weekend in terms of CYCS points. McMillen Yachts' Onawa took the top spot in the 12 Metre Division.
"After a two hour postponement due to a lack of wind, the new front came in with southerly winds at 10 knots, which built to 12 knots by the end of the afternoon. The Opera House Cup had two winners, SEA HORSE, a cold moulded Modern Classic skippered by Ron Zarella which crossed the finish line first, followed by SIREN, a New York 32, with the best time of a plank-on-frame boat sailed by Peter Cassidy," Event Chair Phil Smith added about the regatta.
"A total of 54 boats competed, with 11 in the new Lighthouse Invitational Division. Those boats are either not made of wood, or have non-traditional sails, but add to the spectacle of the event. The CRF handicapping system seemed to work well as the first 32 boats crossed the finish line within 20 minutes over a 17 nm course from a pursuit start."
With the two Nantucket events being the last of the CYCS season in the Bay State, the Massachusetts Region award winners are set:
- Classic: Juno, Scott DiBiaso
- Spirit of Tradition: Zebra, Frank Sutula
- Vintage: Siren, Peter Cassidy
Now just one region remains to be decided this summer! The fleet returns to Southern New England this coming weekend with the 2026 Herreshoff Classic Yacht Regatta.
Starting on Friday, August 28 with the Newport-to-Bristol Feeder Race, the popular regatta is hosted by the Herreshoff Marine Museum. This year, the regatta is collaborating with the Huckins Rendezvous for the popular "Docktail Party" at Bristol Marine on Saturday night.
The 2026 CYCS is now entering its homestretch! The remaining regattas will see the Classics fleet remain in Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound for the rest of the season. Great late summer and early fall sailing are on the agenda! Current results and standings can be found at ClassicYachts.org/Results.
2026 CYCS Results and Standings
To qualify, a boat must sail in 5 races across 3 events, 1 of which must be outsdie thier home district. Points are based on percentage of perfection, 100 per event so maximum is 500 points.
Vintage Division
1. Black Watch — Black Watch Alliance — 496.15 points
2. Spartan — NGH Restoration — 482.86 points
3. Siren — Peter Cassidy — 443.21 points
4. Viola — Kostia Belkin — 427.20 points
5. Onawa — McMillen Yachts — 375.58 points
6. Gentian — Ben Sperry — 354.52 points
7. Spirit — Lars & Peter Forsberg — 307.08 points
8. Polly — Peter Gallant — 268.36 points
9. Kirawan — Jim Wetherald / Ted Huffman — 187.33 points
Classic Division
1. American Eagle — Alexander C. Valcic — 323.81 points
2. Juno — Scott DiBiaso — 251.09 points
3. Sisyphus — Matthew Twomey — 86.89 points
Spirit of Tradition Division
1. Ponyo, Paul Koch - 375.64 points
2. Cavallino, William Kahane and Mike Toppa - 360.27 points
2026 CYCS Scoring