Forty eight entrants so far, as of this writing, have registered for the 43rd Opera House Cup Regatta, including the Vintage Grand Classic’s by N.G. Herreshoff, NY 1 Rugosa, (skippered by Halsey Herreshoff); NY 50 MARILEE; NY 30 AMORITA, and NY 6 SPARTAN, and L.F. Herreshoff’s famous TICONDEROGA, The Classic 12s, COLUMBIA, NORTHERN LIGHT, WEATHERLY, AMERICAN EAGLE, HERITAGE, Nicolas Potter gold medal winner ANGELITA, W-Class yacht WILD HORSES, skippered by Donald Tofias, local favorite A-6 MAGIC, skippered by Matt Sanford, and Vineyard favorite JUNO, skippered by Scott Dibiaso.
The Opera House Cup Regatta – A cherished tradition, is held on the third Sunday of every August on Nantucket. The Opera House Cup Regatta was the first all-wooden, single-hulled classic boat regatta on the East Coast, and it attracts some of the finest sailboats in the country. Past participants include former America’s Cup winners (Intrepid, Weatherly, Columbia), well-known competitors (Ticonderoga, Wild Horses, Blackwatch) and such other notable yachts as the Mystic Seaport schooner Brilliant and General Patton’s When and If. On the smaller side, prestigious boats in the Dragon class and the classic Herreshoff-designed and Nantucket-built Alerions challenge the big boys. There are nine primary awards presented to the winners of the Opera House Cup Regatta: Overall Winner, Panerai Best Performance, Vintage Grand Classic, Vintage Corinthian Yacht, Vintage Day Racer, Grand Prix Yacht, Grand Prix Day Racer, 12 Metre Class, and Alerion Class. In addition, there are other awards at the discretion of the Organizing Authority.
The Opera House Cup Regatta is the grand finale of Nantucket Race Week, and the events culminate with the OHC Awards Party, held under the tents on Jetties Beach on Sunday evening. Good food, Spanky’s famous raw bar, drinks, photos of the OHC race, a silent auction, raffle drawing, presentation of the awards and music keep the party jumping late into the evening. The OHC Awards Party is considered “the party of the season” on Nantucket, and there are easily over 1000 attendees.
