Dorade’s Quest to Repeat her 1931 Transatlantic Race Victory
NEWPORT, R.I. (June 4, 2015) – In late June, one of sailing’s most celebrated yachts will attempt to retrace the steps of her first, and most significant, victory. The 52-foot yawl Dorade, owned by Pam Levy and Matt Brooks (Tiburon, California, USA), will join 40 other boats competing in the Transatlantic Race 2015, which starts off Newport, R.I., and finishes off the southwestern coast of England.
Dorade, the seventh design from the Sparkman & Stephens design shop, was barely a year old when Olin and Rod Stephens and a crew of five sailors, including their father, started the 1931 Transatlantic Race off Newport, R.I., bound for Plymouth, England, 2,800 miles away. The trip took just over 17 days. Dorade was the first boat to finish and the race’s overall champion on corrected time.
Dorade present and past. (Photos courtesy of Dorade “Return to Blue Water”)
For the Stephens brothers, it was a transformative moment: in the coming years, they would each take on primary roles in the development of the sport. Dorade would make her own wake as well, stringing together an impressive, unparalleled for the time, series of victories on the East and West Coasts of the United States and in Europe.
Read more: Dorade’s Quest to Repeat her 1931 Transatlantic Race Victory
An Adventure of a Lifetime: the Transatlantic Race 2015
NEWPORT, R.I. (June 1, 2015) – Whether out to set records or tick another box on the bucket list, the 41 registered entries in the Transatlantic Race 2015 all have one thing in common: they will be undertaking the adventure of a lifetime as they sail a stretch of 2,800 nautical miles from Newport Rhode Island’s Castle Hill Light to The Lizard, the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain.
The Transatlantic Race was last held in 2011, and with 50 percent more entries set to heed the starting cannon fired at Castle Hill, one has to wonder how many of those taking on the challenging race are also heeding American writer Mark Twain’s famous words. "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron, the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Storm Trysail Club, the race features three separate starts (June 28, July 1 and July 5) to accommodate the yachts of varying size and abilities, with a primary goal of having all boats arrive in England in close proximity to each other. The smaller vessels will take the first start with the expectation of finishing in 15 to 20 days. The final start will feature the speed demons that are racing to complete the passage in less than six days, 22 hours, eight minutes and two seconds – the record-setting time established by George David’s Rambler 100 in 2011.
Read more: An Adventure of a Lifetime: the Transatlantic Race 2015
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