2022 Awards to be handed out at the new Sailing Museum in Newport in November

Photo: Alison Langley at Camden Classics Cup of ZEMPHIRA and GLEAM

As the colorful Fall is in full beauty in New England, the classic yachts are headed back into the barn. The Classic Yacht Owner’s Association is thankful for an amazing season of racing from the Gulf of Maine down to Long Island Sound. 11 classic yacht regattas were held culminating in over 200 boats competing in 20 races among the 3 districts (Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island / Connecticut).  

The Classic Yacht Challenge Series recognizes those teams who participate in multiple events with qualifying boats having started in at least 5 races across 3 events in at least 2 districts. District awards are also presented to those teams who sail in at least 3 races and 2 events in their designated home district. 33 boats qualified for the CYCS Awards, which will be presented during the CYOA’s Annual Meeting on November 11th at 6 pm at the new Sailing Museum in Newport, Rhode Island. (RSVP Here)

Finishing on top of their respective divisions was the 1928 12-Meter Onawa raced by a syndicate of co-owners (Vintage), the 1968 One Tonner The Hawk owned by Oivind Lorentzen (Modern Classic), and the 2017 Taylor 49’ Blackfish owner by Ron Zarrella (Spirit of Tradition).  In the new Contemporary Class, only one boat sailed the whole season which was Van Ki Pass owned by Freddy Mills.  This year no boats in the Classics division met the minimum number of races for the overall trophy.

When it comes to districts though, Maine saw the strongest turnout with 18 boats qualifying. The Vintage class, defined as yachts designed before January 1, 1950 that have been built, maintained, or restored with materials and methods consistent with the original design, continues to be the strongest class of dedicated owners with 13 qualifying for awards. Spirit of Tradition boats though are the fastest growing class with 10 qualifying (only 6 did last year). 

In the end, more boats participated and qualified than in 2021. The CYOA and their respective regattas hope this trend will continue and have already put together their dates for 2023 with the hopes that owners will start to plan to join for more events. 

Full Results of Qualifying Teams: PDF Version