Classic Yacht Organization Establishes Board of Directors

The recently formed Classic Yacht Owners Association (CYOA) has established a Board of Directors to guide the member driven organization. The diverse, thirty-member Board of Directors is reflective of the association’s impressive membership base and includes:

Board of Directors
Executive Committee & Officers
Matthew Brooks—Secretary
Simon Davidson—Treasurer
Joseph Dockery
Clark Poston—President
Harry Rein
Timothy Rutter—Vice Chairman
Charles Townsend—Chairman

Directors
Stephen Benjamin
Donn Costanzo
William Druckemiller
Gary Jobson
Thorpe Leason
Joseph Loughborough
William Lynn
Giovanni Carestia, Panerai, NA
Suma Plowden
Gregory Stewart
Jim Taylor
Donald Tofias
Stephen White
Paul Zabetakis

The CYOA membership has reached over 150 individuals and partnering organizations. Fifty seven percent of the new memberships are individual yacht owners and sailors. Thirty four percent are partnering organizations that provide specialized professional services to the classic yachting community. The CYOA has Affiliate Partnerships with cultural institutions including the MIT Hart Nautical Collection, Mystic Seaport Museum and the Herreshoff Marine Museum. The CYOA has established Regatta Partnerships with race organizers and yacht clubs including the Opera House Cup, the Newport and Corinthian Classic Yacht Regattas, the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, the Camden Classic Cup, and the New York Yacht Club.

Many of the most beautiful classic yachts were produced as “one-off designs” or very small groups of sister yachts. At no time in America’s maritime history have these classic examples of maritime art and function ever enjoyed the support of an overall class association, and to this day no club or association has taken responsibility for advancing the interests of this historic fleet of boats. The CYOA was formed to help fulfill this need.

The CYOA is a member driven, nonprofit organization with offices at the Newport Shipyard in Newport, Rhode Island.

For more information, or to become one of the 150-and-counting members, contact Clark Poston at clarkposton@USCSYOA.com or visit www.ClassicYachtOwnersAssociation.org. Membership in the CYOA during its inaugural year will be free.

Background:
The Classic Yacht Owners Association’s mission is to promote the ownership, knowledge and appreciation of classic yachts and those yachts built in the spirit of tradition of classic yachts. It is the direct intention of the CYOA to preserve and champion these yachts to ensure their survival and enjoyment for future generations while encouraging, partnering and unifying the cruising and racing opportunities these yachts are able to participate in throughout the whole of the United States. The CYOA aims to accomplish this through the inclusive membership of the owners, builders, restoration yards and related craftspeople, supplier partners, archives and related maritime history community, and the regattas host authorities, and yacht clubs in which the yachts live and compete.

Source: CYOA