Opera House Cup News
45th Opera House Cup
August 8, 2017
August 7, 2017
Dear Opera House Cup Owner/Skipper,
PLEASE READ THIS!
We look forward to welcoming you to Nantucket for the 45th annual Opera House Cup on August 20th, the culminating event of the 14th annual Nantucket Race Week – the single biggest fundraiser for Nantucket Community Sailing (NCS). We are going to have an amazing regatta and fun social events, and are so grateful for your participation and support!
In case you are not familiar with NCS, our mission is to provide affordable sailing instruction to local youth, who otherwise would not have access to Nantucket’s waters. Nantucket is a great vacation destination, but it is a struggle for people who try to live on the island year round. Each year NCS provides $150K in scholarships and free sailing for local kids, teaches 1,000 young sailors, maintains a fleet of 100 small sailboats, and sponsors the Nantucket High School Sailing team – a tall order for a small non-profit organization. Support from Nantucket Race Week and Opera House Cup participants and sponsors makes this possible, and we need your support.
In order to be sure that you are prepared for your visit to Nantucket, here are some tips:
Registration – Please note that early registration for the OHC closes on August 12, and then the late fee of $100 kicks in. We currently have 49 entries and expect 60. We are going to have a wonderful regatta with everyone from antique Wianno Seniors to magnificent glorious schooners. You can register here. Check in will be at the Nantucket Yacht Club beginning Thursday, August 17 from 3:00 – 5:00pm. We are pleased to announce that Bob Stephens, renowned yacht designer and member of the Classic Yacht Owners Association Technical Committee, will be at the registration desk on Thursday to answer your questions about the new CRF MkII rating system.
Nantucket Regatta - Please consider racing in the Nantucket Regatta, August 18-19. Previously called Sail Nantucket, we changed the name to reconnect that event to its historical roots which began in 1930. It is also part of the Panerai Series. Spinnakers are allowed! We have a special course for schooners. Information and registration for the Nantucket Regatta is here.
Rating - Do you have your new CRF MkII rating? This is required for both the Opera House Cup and the Nantucket Regatta. The rating is free for this year and you can apply online at http://classicratingformula.com/. It takes the ratings team time to calculate the ratings, so please get on this asap. You can also see everyone’s ratings on the CRF website.
Mooring - Are you all set with your Nantucket mooring or slip? The Nantucket Harbor mooring field and the Nantucket Boat Basin will be completely full for the Opera House Cup weekend, so please let us know if you have any problems and we will do our best to help. We still have a (very) few complementary moorings available for Nantucket Regatta and Opera House Cup participants. You may have to raft, so find a buddy.
Social Events – We have really fun social events every evening! The social events include the Thursday evening NRW Regatta Dinner and the Friday evening fun and casual Sailors Picnic, both at the Great Harbor Yacht Club. On Saturday there is the Classic Yacht Exhibition at the Nantucket Boat Basin, where you can go aboard special, historic craft - which you will be sailing against on Sunday for the Opera House Cup. Then, after Sunday's Opera House Cup race, the Opera House Cup Awards Party will be at Jetties Beach, limited to sailors and guests. You can register for all of the social events except the OHC awards party here. If you want additional tickets for the OHC party, please call or email us. For those who have requested extra OHC tickets, we will start releasing those on August 13.
OHC Sponsor Trophy - To commemorate this 45year-old tradition of spectacular wooden boat racing, we are commissioning a trophy to honor the Opera House Cup skipper -- or boat -- who makes the largest donation to NCS. All OHC sponsors will receive a commemorative pin and be recognized at the OHC Awards Party. We are grateful to those of you who have already contributed and look forward to a new level of competition. For further information, please call us or check here.
How can we help - Please let us know if you have any questions. We know how difficult and expensive it is to get to Nantucket, and want you to know how much we appreciate you are here! We have a very special family of participants and supporters, and I cannot begin to thank you enough. You are helping change children’s lives. It will be so great to see you soon on Nantucket. I look forward to thanking you personally.
On behalf of the Opera House Cup Committee and Nantucket Community Sailing, thank you most sincerely,
Diana Brown
Chief Executive, Nantucket Community Sailing
