Superyacht Spectacle at Candy Store Cup

The transition of the former Newport Bucket into the Candy Store Cup 2016 Superyacht Edition appeared effortless and suitably fabulous when a dozen of the world’s grandest sailing yachts competed off Newport, R.I. over July 29-31 and benefited from the combined forces of co-hosts Newport Shipyard and Bannister’s Wharf.

“There was an infectious camaraderie in the air as sailors from around the world renewed old friendships, but the real story was the spectacle on the water as superyachts such as Adix, Meteor, Columbia, Zenji and Ranger unfurled their sails off Castle Hill to begin racing,” said Newport Shipyard’s Owner Charlie Dana, who also sailed in the event. “In true Bucket tradition, it was a jaw-dropping sight.”

After three races over three days, it was the 92-foot yawl Bequia that won the overall Candy Store Cup for having the lowest point score for the regatta. With Tom Whidden as team leader and tactician, Bequia also won its Class B with four points earned on two superbly-sailed race victories posted Friday and Saturday and a second-place finish on Sunday.

“The racing was really close,” said Whidden at Sunday’s awards. “The top-five finishers in our class (Bequia, Wild Horses, Sirona, Sapphire and Sejaa) were all within seven minutes on corrected time today (after the 13.6 mile race), and the top three were within three minutes yesterday (after the 13.4 mile race).”

Whidden added that the Race Committee’s decision to use a three-minute staggered start for each boat in the class was a good one. The staggered starts were substituted for the “pursuit” starts typically reserved for superyacht racing because of the light-to-moderate winds that prevailed and the diversity of the kinds of boats in each class. It enabled the starting sequence to be more compact, so that all boats started in the same breeze conditions.

“It was the perfect regatta for this kind of racing, which allows owners and their crews that wouldn’t race otherwise – because of the nature of their boats – to have a regatta experience,” added Whidden. “It’s what’s trying to be accomplished with other ‘Bucket’ races around the world.”

Also in Bucket style, a “yacht hop” was held Friday night aboard the participants’ yachts, and socials included a gathering at Newport’s famous Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf and a regatta dinner dinner with live reggae music on the grounds of a Newport estate.

“This regatta is going to gain a lot of traction and do very well,” said Whidden.

Royal Huisman, Perini Navi, Vitters and Rybovich, which are major players in the superyacht industry and were all stewards of the Newport Bucket, remain sponsors of the Candy Store Cup Newport. Supporting sponsors of the event are Pantaenius Insurance, North Sails, Sentient Jet and Southern Spars / Future Fibres.

Full results:

Class A
1. Adix – Schooner – 213’ (65m) – Astilleros PdM / Pendennis – Holgate & Dykstra NA
2. Meteor – Schooner – 170’ (52m) – Royal Huisman – Dykstra NA
3. Ranger – J Sloop – 138’ (42m) – Danish Yacht – S&S / Dykstra NA
4. Columbia – Schooner – 141’ (43m) – W. Starling Burgess / John W. Gilbert & Sons
5. Zenji – Ketch – 184’ (56m) – Perini-Navi – Ron Holland
6. Sunleigh – Sloop – 105’ (32m) – Jongert – Tony Castro

Class B
1. Bequia – Yawl – 92’ (28m) – Brooklin Boat Yard – Stephens
2. Wild Horses – Sloop – 75’ (23m) – Brooklin Boatyard – White
3. Sirona –Sloop – 72’ (22m) – Martin Marine – Tripp
4. Sejaa – Sloop – 82’ (25m) – JFA, Chantier Naval – Judel & Vrolijk
5. Sapphire III – Sloop – 75’ (23m) – CNB 76 – Philippe Briand
6. Audrey II – Ketch – 89’ (27m) – Jongert – Jongert

Event details – Scoreboard – Facebook

Source: Media Pro International