The fleet in the 25th annual Castine Classic yacht race struggled with a pea soup fog in the morning and light, dying wind conditions in the afternoon. None of the yachts in the two smaller classes were able to finish the race within the six hour time limit. Black skies threatened thunderstorms, resulting in a few light showers. Some sun and fickle light wind dying off almost completely towards the end. Only eight yachts finished out of a fleet of 23.
Gleam, a 68’ 12-meter design built in 1937 and sailed by Dennis Gunderson, led Classic A, besting Black Watch, last year’s winner, by less than two minutes on corrected time. Black Watch is a 68’ Sparkman and Stephens yawl built in 1938, skippered by Kyle Dufur. Third place was taken by Siren, a 45’ Sparkman and Stephens New York 32 sloop built in 1936 and skippered by Peter Cassidy.
In the Spirit of Tradition class, the three top boats were all built by Brooklin Boatyard. Jax, a Botin 43’ sloop built in 2023, and skippered by Oivind Lorentzen, took first place honors. Second was Tink, an Eggemoggin 47 built in 2022, skippered by Jack LeFort. Third was Outlier, a Botin 55 built in 2019, skippered by Harvey Jones.
Gleam, the overall winner in the classic classes, was awarded the Ames Cup, given in memory of the Ames family which 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.
This year’s race was preceded by a symposium on Maine’s extraordinary boatbuilding activities now in progress. It featured representatives from Artisan Boatworks, Brooklin Boatyard, Front Street Shipyard, John’s Bay Boat Company, Lyman Morse and Rockport Marine. A large audience at the Maine Maritime Academy auditorium was treated to an exposition of a tremendous variety of boatbuilding projects and techniques ranging from the traditional to ultra high tech.
(The below pictures are by noted maritime photographer Kathy Mansfield and may by used with appropriate credit and copyright.)
The Classic C race start
Spirit of Tradition start, Jax in foreground
Black Watch chasing Gleam to finish line
Gleam, winner of Ames Cup and Siren
Fickle weather
Jax, winner of Spirit of Tradition
