A CLASSIC YACHTING WEEKEND

Classic Performances Down East

A series of regattas along Maine’s rocky coast provide a showcase for vintage yachts powered by North Sails technology.

Midcoast Maine is the place to be mid-summer, when fresh-picked corn and wild blueberries flood the farm stands, and classic yachts—modern and old, from daysailers to schooners—gather and joust for honors at five renowned regattas, spread out over the course of three weekends.

The competition was brisk for the 2022 season, with 109 classic yachts signing up for the series of harbor parades, shoreside social events, and, of course, spirited racing. And a number of top finishers owed their podium appearances, in part at least, to North Sails.

Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club Regatta and Shipyard Cup Classics

Launched as a superyacht gathering over a decade ago by Hodgdon Yachts, and reprised in 2021 as a venue for Vintage, Spirit of Tradition and Modern Classic sailboats, the ranks just keep growing. It was the 48th running of the regatta, which featured numerous PHRF and one-design divisions, and the second season for the Shipyard Cup.

After six races, The Hawk with full North inventory featuring 3Di technology nailed the first of what would turn out to be several top podium appearances in the various regattas, placing first among the six-boat Spirit of Tradition/Modern Classics class. The Vintage Classics 1 division was totally dominated by North Sails powered boats, starting with Black Watch took first, while Marilee, a restored New York 40, placed second with North Sails expert Jack Slattery onboard and powered with 3Di technology.

The Camden Classic

The following weekend, racing action moved to the heart of Penobscot Bay for the two-day Camden Classic Cup. As in Boothbay, racing included a mix of PHRF, one design and classic divisions, with nearly 100 yachts participating. Shoreside festivities took place at the new Lyman Morse Boat Building facility on the Camden waterfront.

Once again, The Hawk, with North Sails expert Tim Healy onboard, benefited from two solid days of racing, and finished first in the four-boat Modern Classic division. Two other North-powered boats also placed in that class, Vortex taking second, and Hound, a Aage Nielsen sloop, finished third.

North Sails designer Glenn Cook, who sailed on Polly and competed in the Vintage 1 division, shares “Every year this event builds on the success of the previous year. This year the conditions were superb and the new waterfront facilities at Lyman Morse raised the level of the shoreside events. In contrast to the typical sea breeze in Penobscot Bay the wind had a strong west component and was quite variable making for interesting racing. The Ocean 370 3Di sails we had onboard the Nevins 56, Polly, were well suited for the conditions. Most importantly we were able to effectively depower the sailplan as the breeze built on Saturday afternoon. This is the advantage of the 3Di sail versus the woven sails that are more common in the classic fleet.”

North clients prevailed in four other divisions where skippers took home hardware during the event. In the Vintage 1 class, New York 32 Siren took first with Black Watch finishing close behind in second. Marilee finished just out of the money in fourth place, followed by Polly, a 56-foot sloop finishing fifth.

Swan 42 Tio Loco, owned by Henry Brauer, took first in the CRF Contemporary division while Restive secured third in the Spirit of Division class; both powered by North Sails. Meanwhile another boat sporting North Sails, Mermaid, a 45-foot ketch, took third in the Classic class.

Castine Classic Yacht Race

Crews sailed deeper into Penobscot Bay, to Castine, for the August 4 Castine Classic Yacht Race, set along a 19.6-nautical-mile course to Camden. North Sails swept the podium with Siren taking first in the Classic A fleet, followed by Black Watch in second and Vortex in third. When the time came to hand out the hardware, the crew of Siren were called back and also awarded the Ames Cup as overall winner of the Classic A, B and C fleets, and to add to their winnings, they also took home the Sparkman & Stephens trophy as the top S&S yacht. North Sails was also front and center in The Spirit of Tradition class with Outlier, a 55-foot Botin design, taking first while Restive took third.

Eggemoggin Reach (ERR)

The ERR is an East Coast classic in its own right. The race, first sailed in 1985, was organized by Brooklin Boat Yard’s Steve White and Frank Hull as an event to bring wooden boat owners together for friendly competition on the water and spirited good times ashore. That year 13 yachts answered the call. And then, the word got out. In the following few summers, the fleet grew to more than 100 yachts as the Castine and Camden races turned a one-day party into a three-day festival of wood, varnish and sails.

This year’s race featured 10 divisions, with 112 boats participating. The event is now sponsored by Brooklin Boat Yard and Rockport Marine. What hasn’t changed are the rules—boats must be 24 feet or longer and wooden—and the course: a 15 mile run down Eggemoggin Reach and back, which is followed by shoreside festivities at the home of Wooden Boat Magazine.

This year, boats fitted out with North Sails took firsts in three divisions: Mermaid in Classic C, Siren in Vintage B, and The Hawk in the Modern Classics class. Also doing well among the Moderns were Starry Night, third, and Vortex, fourth. Siren was also the winner of the S&S Best Corrected Time award, the S&S Best Elapsed Time award as well as the Joel White Award for best corrected time for a plank-on-frame boat. Other boats making podium appearances included Marilee, finishing third, in Vintage B, and Cheetah Cheetah, which took second place in the Vintage A division.

In the Spirit of Tradition B class, yachts with North Sails took home honors in four of the top six finishes. Placements included second-place Lark,; third-place Outlier; and fourth-place Dreadnought,. Veteran ERR entry Wild Horses, a W-76 yacht placed sixth.

Several of the classic yachts serving up standout performances at the Down East regattas – Marilee, Siren, Mermaid, and Polly – all sported 3Di Ocean 330 and 3Di Ocean 370 technology. When it comes to 3Di Ocean sails, North Sails designer Glenn Cook shares, “The 3D sails have more range, it is especially noticeable how stable the sail shapes remain as the wind increases. And conversely how easy it is to power up the sail plan with small adjustments. Vintage 1 Classic winner Peter Cassidy and his team on Siren with a new set of 3Di Ocean 330 said “I recommend putting this on your calendar for next year if it is not already. It is also the perfect warm up for the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta and the feeder races the following weekend.”