Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2008 NANTUCKET ISLAND, Mass., Aug. 20
NANTUCKET ISLAND, Mass., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The 36th annual Nantucket
Opera House Cup Regatta presented by Panerai has come to a close.
Demonstrated by the growing list of competitors, with 63 yachts participating
this year, the event was an enormous success. The weather was ideal and the
competition was well rounded, ranging from the 162ft Herreshoff designed
Eleonora to several tiny and lovely Alerion class boats and of course a
healthy showing of 12-Metres. For many, the Opera House Cup is the highlight
of the season: the grand finale of Nantucket Race Week and the essence of a
Nantucket summer. A crisp 15 - 20 knot breeze and sunny skies characterized
the quintessential Nantucket day as the fleet of classic wooden sailing yachts
competed for the prestige of winning the beloved Opera House Cup -- as well as
a Panerai Luminor Chronograph Regatta watch.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080820/NYW067 )
The 1947 Johan Archer designed Elska, was the overall winner as well as
the Classic Division this year and the enthusiastic family claimed their
prizes at the annual OHC Awards party on Sunday evening under tents on Jetties
Beach. The W-Class racing yacht Equus won the Spirit of Tradition Division,
the 12-Metre class was swept by American Eagle and the Alerion Class by First
Tracks. The winners of all the divisions took home a Panerai Wall Clock.
The Awards Party is considered the party of the summer and the Opera House
event in its entirety is now the primary fundraiser for island youth programs
through Nantucket Community Sailing. The Opera House Cup was the first
all-wooden, single-hulled classic boat regatta on the East Coast to welcome
all classes of boats to compete for a single trophy. The idea for an all
classic wooden boat regatta was hatched one evening in 1973, at the famed
Opera House Restaurant, by the owner and maitre d' -- Gwen Gaillard and Chick
Walsh and the enthusiasm has grown over the last 36 years, as the OHC Regatta
has grown to be the Northeastern summer's premier event.
With the many parallels between the sport of classic yachting and the
making of Panerai timepieces, skilled yachtsman and classic yachting
enthusiasts hold a devotion to this brand that is unmatched in the industry.
The world of traditional sailing, with its wooden vessels and timeless designs
supported by the passion of yachting enthusiasts, is united with the values of
haute horlogerie, well embodied in Officine Panerai, the leader and symbol of
love for the traditions of the sea.
www.panerai.com
SOURCE Panerai North America
