For Immediate Release
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Susan Daly (401-848-5777, ext 220)
Cynthia Goss (203-453-2731)
29th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta Comes to Newport August 30-31
Sponsors Panerai and Best Life Help Draw Fleet of Majestic Classics to Newport
Newport (R.I.) August 20, 2008 — When the fleet racing the 29th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, sponsored by Panerai and presented by Best Life, begins its trip to the racecourse for the opener of this two-day regatta, Newporters and their visitors will be treated to a once-a-year display: a showcase of majestic classic yachts and traditional one-designs that grace Newport Harbor for two days each summer.
Hosted by the Museum of Yachting, the regatta's first race begins Saturday morning, August 30. Racing concludes on Sunday afternoon, August 31. The regatta's traditional Classic Yacht Parade takes place Sunday, starting at 10:30 AM, and will trace a course along the Newport harbor front. Race management will be handled by Sail Newport, with assistance from the Conanicut Yacht Club on Sunday.
The fleet will mix restored classics with "spirit of tradition" yachts that are of contemporary build but classic design. Among the current entries are a pair of rare and beautiful Q-Boats—Tom Hill's Falcon (San Juan, PR) and Ted and Sheila Graves' Nor'Easter (Stamford, Conn.). The Q-Boat racing class was first developed in the early 1900s and only eight of these original classics still exist. Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), who was winning tactician for Ted Turner in the 1977 America's Cup, will step back aboard a classic 12-Meter when he sails the 1958-built Weatherly to the starting line. Newport's Donald Tofias has entered his W-Class sloops White Wings and Wild Horses; launched in the late 1990s, these 76-foot sloops meld the best of classic styling with modern construction. Michael Dominguez (Barrington, R.I.) returns to the starting line with his 39-foot custom-designed sloop Halcyon after capturing a class win earlier this summer at the Robert H. Tiedemann Regatta, hosted by the Museum in July. A fleet of some 40 boats is expected to compete.
Individuals coming to the Museum's home at Fort Adams State Park during the regatta to see the fleet can also tour the Museum's three new exhibitions, which are open from 10 am to 6 pm. The displays span a one-hundred-year period from 1883 to 1983 and are coordinated with boat building and restoration projects. The Museum will also host activities for young classic-yacht enthusiasts at Fort Adams during the weekend.
Sponsors Panerai and Best Life will be joined by event sponsors Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, Clarins, Land Rover, MetLife, and Smartwater. Land Rover will be offering test drives at Fort Adams throughout the weekend.
For more information and a schedule of events, visit the Museum's website at www.moy.org or call 401-847-1018.
About Panerai
The history of Panerai watches began in 1860 in Florence (Italy) and has always been linked to the sea. The high standards of quality and great reliability that have contributed so much to the Royal Italian Navy, to which the company supplied watches, reflect Panerai’s dedication to research, innovation, and tradition. Similarly, every classic yacht is a symbol of the age-old art of sailing, handed down through generations. It is therefore an ideal counterpart to the world of high-quality watch making, where the emphasis on tradition and quality are not the result of good fortune, but the outcome of persistence and longevity.
About Best Life
Best Life is the fastest-growing men’s magazine in the country and is the very first men’s magazine to provide topical and compelling editorial that addresses family, marriage, and fatherhood. Best Life’s mission is to inform, entertain, and guide the successful 35-plus man in managing the issues that truly matter to him—his family, his finances, and his physical and emotional health. With practical and passionate service journalism and imagery that challenges and inspires, Best Life helps men address the ultimate question: How can we better understand our lives, and how can we live them to the fullest?
About the Museum of Yachting
The Museum of Yachting launched three exhibitions for summer '08, including: "Sparkman & Stephens: Evolution by Design," which highlights the genius and personalities behind the firm's legendary yacht designs, coupled with the building of a replica S&S-designed 6-Meter; "The Grand Voyages of Arthur Curtiss James" (1867–1941), one of America's wealthiest men who maintained a home in Newport and cruised worldwide onboard his yachts, including the 1885 Coronet now being restored at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport; and the "America's Cup: The Newport Years." A new exhibit of small works by local artists, "Capturing the Sea," opens on August 15.