Panerai Classic Yacht Challenge 2012

More than 500 of the most beautiful vintage sailing yachts still afloat are expected to participate in the 10 regattas making up the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2012 calendar.
The Panerai Lounge will, of course, be open at each one of these events and will, as it does every year, welcome thousands of owners, sailors, journalists and enthusiasts as they immerse themselves in a world of beauty, nature and history for a few precious days.

This year, the start of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2012 ( sponsored for the eighth consecutive year by Officine Panerai) is marked with Eilean’s return to the Caribbean for the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and a celebration of the completion of the rescue of this extraordinary piece of vintage sailing culture.

Eilean’s story is that of a wealth of history and beauty saved thanks to the commitment of Officine Panerai, which, as a result of its own longstanding links with the sea, has been promoting the classic yacht culture for many years. Built in 1936, Eilean is one of the most beautiful yachts ever created by Scottish design wizard William Fife III. The Bermudan ketch was discovered languishing in an advanced state of disrepair in Antigua, and then purchased and brought to Italy to undergo a restoration that would allow the astonishing beauty of her original design to shine through once again. Having debuted in the PCYC Mediterranean Circuit regattas, Eilean now makes a triumphant return voyage to Antigua to open the 2012 season on the island on which she spent almost 30 years of her glorious life.
After the excitement of Antigua, the classic sailing fraternity will move back to Europe where, between June and the end of September, the PYPC Mediterranean Circuit plays out with regattas at Antibes (France), Porto Santo Stefano (Italy), Mahon (Minorca, Spain), Imperia (Italy) and Cannes (France). In the months of August and September, the focus will be shared with the East Coast of the United States where Marblehead, Nantucket and Newport all host rounds of the PCYC North American Circuit. The PCYC’s 2012 calendar concludes with the Panerai British Classic Week at Cowes (Isle of Wight, United Kingdom), which this year puts the vintage yachts at centre stage in the waters of the Solent, the venue for the 2012 Olympic sailing events.