Porto Santo Stefano, Italy, a lush and mountainous peninsula located 150 kilometres (95 miles) northwest of Rome, on the north Tuscan coast of Monte Argentario, along with Officine Panerai, are preparing to host the 16th edition of the Argentario Sailing Week.
EVENT: Argentario Sailing Week
DATE: June 18th – 21st
PANERAI CLASSIC YACHTS CHALLENGE EUROPEAN CIRCUIT: Event 2
2015 Argentario Sailing Week is the second venue of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge’s Mediterranean Circuit. Forty-nine vintage, classic and spirit of tradition yacht have already registered, as of this writing.
Some of the notable yacht entered are the 72.83′ / 22.20m William Fife Bermudian ketch EILEAN, design number 822, was built in 1937 and conceived by the then eighty-year-old William Fife III, alongside his nephew Robert Balderton Fife.
The boat’s first owners were brothers James V. and Robert W. Fulton of Greenock, members of the Royal Gourock Yacht Club. EILEAN today is owned by by the Florentine fine watchmaker Officine Panera. The first Panerai watch prototype was created in 1936, in the same year of Eilean’s design birth.
The 19 Metre “Big Class” yacht MARIQUITA, one of the most beautiful vintage yachts sailing today, was built for industrialist Arthur Stothert , she was designed by William Fife III, and built at Fairlie on the Clyde in 1911.
Prince Albert Edward having retired his yacht BRITANNIA from competition 1896, left a void in “Big Class” racing until MARIQUITA was launched in 1911, joining OCTAVIA, CORONA, and NORADA in this resurrected new class just before World War I.
The “Great 19s” brought an unexpected high level of close racing, sometimes finishing half day races within seconds of each other. As good as the racing was, with the threat of war in 1913, brought an immediate end of racing. OCTAVIA was first put up for sale, by her then owner William Burton, with MARIQUITA changing hands in 1915 , marking the official end of “Big Class” racing.
And the oldest and one of the local favorites, the 1896 Arthur Edward Payne designed JAVELIN. Built from teak and pitch pine planking on an oak frame, Javelin is one of the 160 designs penned by Arthur Edward Payne. She changed hands several times between her launch and 1950 before being registered to the Reale Club Nautico in Barcelona.
Event Schedule:
Thursday June 18
09.30 – 17.00 – Registration and measurements
19.00 – Welcome cocktail at the YCSS Club House
Friday June 19
09.00 – Skipper meeting at the Race Village
11.00 – Races
Social
Saturday June 20
09.00 – Skipper meeting at the Race Village
Races
Social
Sunday June 21
09.00 – Skipper meeting at the Race Village
Races
18.00 -Prize giving ceremony at the Race Village