2015
July 8, 2015
Exactly 84 years ago today, Dorade was taking on day five of the 1931 Transatlantic Race. What follows are excerpts from the boat’s logbook* from July 7-9, 1931. 7 July 5:00 am: School of porpoises from 4 to 4:30 7 July 10:00 pm: Sea smooth. Steering beautifully 8 July 6:00 am: Practically sailing herself. 8 […]
July 7, 2015
Dave “Naval” Shilton, July 7 My adventure on Dorade has been a very interesting one. When it comes to the weather, we’ve have had it all; mostly strong winds with a few days of very strong stormy conditions and the occasional light breeze. We have really pushed the boat as hard as possible. It’s incredible […]
July 6, 2015
From: Boat Captain Ben Galloway Monday Morning, July 6, 2015 The day before yesterday (Saturday, July 4) was one of my most memorable days of sailing ever. Zach and I started our watch at 0600 surfing the waves in between 18 and 23 knots of wind and under an a lot of sails (A4, spin […]
July 5, 2015
Rod and Olin Stephens' fastest recorded speed on Dorade in the 1931 Transatlantic Race was11.4 knots, set when their father, Rod Stephens, Sr., was driving. In the 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race, Ben Galloway set what we think was the all-time speed record aboard Dorade of 15.9 knots (unless one of our followers knows better -- […]
July 4, 2015
July 3, 2015, 5 p.m. EST: We got into the Gulf Stream, so it’s been warm weather and lots of current. We are pretty sure we hit a 24-hour record onboard Dorade, but are still confirming. The biggest challenge now will be to make the transition through the “ice gate” to the “great circle route”. […]
July 3, 2015
From Dorade Captain Ben Galloway: Yesterday was a sunny day, which gave us a chance to air the boat out, wash some clothes and take a shower; it’s much more pleasant onboard now. At the same time, we still pushed the boat hard and gained some miles on the teams in front of us. Last […]
July 2, 2015
We must be coming up to a big 24-hour record for Dorade, as we just hit 17.8 knots onboard. It's amazing what you can do with this boat in the Gulf Stream down a big wave. Air temp in the boat is 91 °F and and it is wet and there is a lot of rocking and rolling at […]
July 1, 2015
From Dorade Captain Ben Galloway: Yesterday I mentioned something about “Champagne sailing conditions” but since that statement, it has been anything but. We are fighting to stay in the favorable Gulf Stream, but the wind has been challenging that desired course. David Shilton described his last watch as a sail-changing marathon, with at least four […]
June 30, 2015
Stomach-Churning Opening Night Instead of launching straight into a downhill sleigh ride, the 13 first starters in the Transatlantic Race 2015 have endured a tricky first night at sea. The course west to east across the North Atlantic between Newport, USA, to the Lizard, in southwest England, is renowned for conditions that allow fast sailing, […]
June 29, 2015
Photos dockside at IYRS and off Newport, R.I. prior to the start of the 2015 Transatlantic Race
June 28, 2015
Dorade started the 2,800 nautical mile Transatlantic Race today at 1:50 pm EST. The team, along with the 37 other boats, are bound for Plymouth, England. Race updates on Dorade will be posted daily on the Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To track the Transatlantic Race fleet in real-time, visit http://yb.tl/transatlantic2015. RETURN TO BLUE WATER CAMPAIGN: The […]
June 28, 2015
"We all have a deep affection for Dorade, and great respect for Olin and Rod Stephens. We want to do the boat and her makers proud by sailing her well, and hopefully matching her performance when she was a brand new boat, back in 1931. But we also recognize that she's an 85-year-old lady and […]
June 27, 2015
Built in 1929, the 52-foot yawl Dorade has won more ocean races than any other yacht in history and on June 28th, she will attempt to repeat her first and most significant win, when she takes on the 2015 Transatlantic Race from Newport, R.I. to Plymouth, U.K. Dorade first made her mark in the sailing world […]
June 26, 2015
“I hope you have about 10,000 pages, because I could fill them, I can tell you that.” – RC Keefe, St. Francis Yacht Club Commodore 1979 “I think of Dorade as the yacht that really put the St. Francis Yacht Club, here in San Francisco, on the map. Nobody knew much about St. Francis […]
June 25, 2015
“She’s gorgeous, beautiful, fast and famous.” – Douglas Adkins, Author of Dorade: The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht “I was introduced to Dorade when I was a little boy, when my father pointed her out to me at the Seattle Yacht […]