In a fickle, light breeze and under an overcast sky, a 21-boat fleet inched their way down Penobscot Bay on a scheduled 19.4 mile course to Camden in the 26th annual Castine Classic Yacht Race. After about four hours of struggling 10 miles down the course, the race committee shortened the race to a mark near Mouse Island off Islesboro.
In the combined classic A and B classes, Cheetah Cheetah, a Luders 24 sailed by JB Turner, took honors and was awarded the Ames Cup, given in memory of the Ames family that hailed from Castine. Their two sons were lost off the Grand Banks in an unsuccessful effort to save their father who was washed overboard in the 1935 Newport to Bergen, Norway race.
In the Classic A class, Gesture, a 57’ Sparkman & Stephens sloop skippered by Alexander Mehran, came first. The New York 32 Falcon, sailed by Bob Scott, was second, followed by Canty, a Scheel 36 sailed by Paul Rogers. In the Classic B class, after the overall winner Cheetah Cheetah, Celia, a Sparkman & Stephens 40’ sloop sailed by Rob Parrish took second place, followed in third place by Otter, a Concordia 41 yawl sailed by J. Dinse and R. Keefer.
Jax, a Botin 43 built in 2023 at Brooklin Boat Yard and sailed by Oivind Lorentzen, won the Spirit of Tradition class. Restive, an Alden 48 sailed by R. MacAlpine and W. Sturdy, took second place and Outlier, a Botin 55 also built at Brooklin Boat Yard, sailed by Harvey C. Jones, came third.
The following pictures may be published with credit to Kathy Mansfield, noted marine photographer and writer. Further photos can be seen in the Castine Regatta galleries.
The start of Classic B
Jax, winner of Spirit of Tradition class
Cheetah Cheetah, winner of the Ames Cup and Classic B
Gesture, winner of the Classic A
