Newport beginning, end of sailing event celebrating 12-meter boats

A NEARLY THREE-YEAR schedule of sailing events celebrating the traditional 12 meter yacht will begin in Newport in June and end at the City by the Sea in July 2019 with the 12 Metre World Championship. / COURTESY DAN NERNEY
A NEARLY THREE-YEAR schedule of sailing events celebrating the traditional 12 meter yacht will begin in Newport in June and end at the City by the Sea in July 2019 with the 12 Metre World Championship. / COURTESY DAN NERNEY

NEWPORT – A 900-day schedule of international regattas and social events, beginning with the Newport Metre Fest in June 2017 and culminating in the 2019 12 Metre World Championship, which also will be held in Newport, known as the Road to the Worlds, was announced Thursday by the competition’s management.

Peter Gerard, vice president of the Americas Fleet and chair of the 2019 world championship, explained the schedule will include mostly European-based events with at least 16 major regattas taking place in North America.

“The goal is to encourage more participation by existing 12 Metre owners and to provide an exciting competitive and social program to attract new owners and charterers to this historic class,” he said in a statement.

More than 30 historic 12 meter yachts are expected to attend the July 15-21, 2019, event, which
has been scheduled to coincide with the 175th anniversary of the New York Yacht Club. Participating Twelves will come from the Americas Fleet, which includes a number of Newport-based vintage, traditional, modern and grand prix 12 meters as well as other America’s Cup-era Twelves from around the United States; the Northern and Southern Europe Fleets, which consist primarily of Vintage and Antique Twelves; and the southern continents.

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“The prospect of a Jubilee-caliber event in Newport, hosted by the New York Yacht Club, has generated incredible enthusiasm on the part of past, present and potential 12 Metre owners and enthusiasts,” said Gerard.

For more information visit 12mrclass.com.

Designed to the International Rule, the first 12 meters were built in 1907 and selected for Olympic competition in 1908, 1912 and 1920. Prior to World War II, the Twelves were highly sought-after racer cruisers, both in Europe and the U.S. Chosen to replace the massive J-Class yachts for the post-war revival of America’s Cup competition in 1958, the Twelves then became synonymous with the Cup and the New York Yacht Club until 1983, when Royal Perth Yacht Club’s Australia II bested New York Yacht Club’s Liberty to end the 132-year winning streak that is the longest in sporting history. The Twelves competed for the Auld Mug for the last time in 1987, on the waters off Perth, Australia.
The 2019 12 Metre World Championship will revisit the halcyon days of the America’s Cup when social events, the traditions of sailing, and the boats sailing Narragansett Bay earned the class an unrivaled place in both the history of the City by the Sea and the America’s Cup, still the sport’s most illustrious event.

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