For Immediate Release

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Susan Daly (401-848-5777, ext 220)
Cynthia Goss (203-453-2731)

Robert H. Tiedemann Regatta Sponsored by Panerai Begins July 5

Museum of Yachting Combines Event with Holiday Festivities for the Public

Newport (Rhode Island) June 26, 2008 — On Fourth of July weekend, when the country salutes the nation's independence with fireworks and barbeques, a group of classic boat enthusiasts will also salute a figure who cut a monumental profile in the world of majestic classic boats. The Third Annual Robert H. Tiedemann Regatta sponsored by Panerai, which takes place in Newport on July 5-6, will celebrate the memory of the late Bob Tiedemann, whose passion for classic watercraft led him to rescue a substantial number of historic vessels. This year the Museum of Yachting, the organizer of the event, has combined the regatta with holiday festivities for the public.

The regatta will attract a fleet of some thirty classics to the museum's homebase at Fort Adams State Park. Sail Newport will handle race management, with racing taking place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

On Saturday morning, from 10 am to 12 noon, the public can see the fleet at Fort Adams and learn more about maritime history at the Museum's three new exhibitions. On Sunday, the public can view a Parade of Boats from the Fort, which begins at 11 am. Additional family activities and a display of fine cars from support sponsors Inskip Porsche and Bentley Providence are also included in the weekend's events.

The Tiedemann Regatta marks the arrival of the 2008 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge on U.S. shores. Title sponsor Panerai has grouped a series of ten events held in U.S., Caribbean, and Mediterranean waters into an annual circuit for classic yachts, and the Tiedemann Regatta is the first U.S. event in the '08 series. The company has a strong affinity with the watercraft that compete at these events. Like classic boats, their timepieces are designed to withstand the powerful elements of the sea while remaining true to tradition and impeccable style.

Two of those yachts that personify the classic spirit that Panerai identifies with are the 1930s-built 12-Meters Gleam and Northern Light. Both were restored by Bob Tiedemann and later chartered by the business Tiedemann ran with his wife Elizabeth. Both boats are competing in the regatta.

When Elizabeth Tiedemann—who serves as honorary chair of the regatta—sees the boats her husband restored racing at this annual event, she feels a mix of emotions. "I feel such a sense of pride," she said, "but also gratitude—gratitude to all the people who have chartered these boats and helped to keep them sailing." As head of Seascope Yacht Charters in Newport, Elizabeth Tiedemann continues the work she and her late husband started by chartering a fleet of historic vessels. She will be racing in the regatta onboard Gleam.

Individuals coming to Fort Adams during the regatta to see the fleet can also tour the Museum's three new exhibitions. The displays span a one-hundred-year period from 1883 to 1983 and are coordinated with boat building and restoration projects. 

Exhibits include: "Sparkman & Stephens: Evolution by Design," a tribute to S&S founder Olin Stephens, who turns 100 this year, that highlights the genius and personalities behind the firm's legendary yacht designs, coupled with the building of a replica S&S-designed 6-Meter, Cherokee; "The Grand Voyages of Arthur Curtiss James" (1867–1941), one of America's wealthiest men who maintained a home in Newport and owned and cruised worldwide onboard his two Aloha yachts and Coronet, the 133-foot 1885 schooner yacht being restored at the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) in Newport; and the "America's Cup: The Newport Years" covering Cup lore from 1930 to 1983. A water taxi stops in summertime at the Museum and IYRS.

Panerai returns to Newport in late August to sponsor the Museum of Yachting's 29th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta (August 29-31). The Classic Yacht Regatta will be the final U.S. event on the 2008 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge.

For more information, visit www.museumofyachting.org or call 401-847-1018.