Article from Restoration Quaterly – A publication of the School of Technology and Trades, Newport & Bristol, Rhode Island.
When IYRS trustee Edgar Cato purchased the legendary ocean racing yawl Dorade in 2006, sailors and history buffs alike were thrilled that such an iconic piece of American yachting history would be returning to the United States from Europe. Most were very satisfied just to see her well maintained at her berth in the IYRS marina. No one imagined she would ever relive her glory days of the 1930s by ocean racing around the world. But that is exactly what she’s doing now. Shortly after IYRS trustee Matt Brooks acquired Dorade in 2010, he announced his intentions of entering Dorade in all the races where she was victorious during her early years. Brooks was determined and set about restoring her to racing condition. In 2012, she raced in the Newport to Bermuda race where she had first raced 82 years earlier, in 1930. Last July, she successfully completed the Transpacific Yacht Race from California to Hawaii and placed as the overall winner to great surprise and universal cheers—77 years after winning the same race in 1936. Brooks plans to complete his quest to relive history with another Bermuda race in 2014 followed by the Transatlantic and Fastnet races in 2015. Dorade’s recent care and victory show that classic yachts can have their place racing today. Hopefully, Brooks’ vision and Dorade’s success will encourage others to restore and race classic yachts.
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