“Daughters of Dorade”

Another Dorade mention in Classic Boat Magazine from December 2011. These S&S designs, Skylark, Argyll, Stormy Weather, Cometa and Manitou are billed as the "Daughters of Dorade" as the gathered for this year's Voilles de Sant Tropez.

“On the Hard”

Dorade "On the Hard" getting ready for the upcoming Newport to Bermuda Race

12 Metre Weathery

The Dorade Crew chartered the classic 12 Metre Weathery for the North American Nationals September 23-25, 2011. Weatherly came in 2nd in its class, three point behind American Eagle, skippered by Ted Turner. Ted Turner and I have agreed to return in the same boats for next year's 12 Metre Nationals for a grudge match. […]

1934 Dorade with Dinghy

1934 Dorade with Dinghy at Nevins Boatyard The dinghy is alongside Dorade as she is loaded-up. The photo shows a varnished sheer strake on the dinghy, which is both pretty and helps hide her tall topsides. Looks like the dinghy is ready to go on-board Dorade.

1936 Dorade

Photos and Clippings of Dorade from 1936

1936 Transpac victor Dorade wins again in 2013

The Transpacific Yacht Race from California to Hawaii is one of the most prestigious yacht races in the world. The race is held every other year and this afternoon the legendary sailing yacht Dorade sailed into Honolulu as the overall winner. The 52-foot boat was built in 1930 making it the oldest boat to ever […]

1937 Pacific Skipper Magazine Article – 1936 Transpac race

Forwarded / Posted by Hank Thayer

1st day on San Francisco Bay

This is Dorade's 1st day on San Francisco Bay in 30+ years. We were shaking her down after her journey across the country. Photo courtesy of Bill Meredith. http://www.wcmphotography.com/

2012 LES VOILES DE ST. BARTH REGATTA

America’s Matt Brooks and Canada’s Ashley Wolfe had a tremendous sailing experience at the 2012 Les Voiles de St. Barth Regatta and with some outstanding sailing skills as they were able to hit the ultimate victory in the Classic and IRC classes respectively. Both sailors along with their crews were consistent on the race course […]

2012 Technical Specifications

View as PDF document http://dorade.org/2012DoradeSpecifications.pdf Complied by Greg Stewart, Naval Architect, Nelson/Marek Yacht Design, Inc. e-mail: [email protected]

2014 Bermuda Race Photos

Bermuda Race 2014 - photos from the finish courtesy of Kris and Mary Foley.

2014 BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival

Dorade turns in a 2nd, 1st and 3rd Place Results at the 2014 BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival Dorade results: BVI Sailing Festival | Round Tortola Race Dorade 2nd in the Racing CSA Division BVI Sailing Festival | Caribbean Insurer Island Invitational 1st in the Racing Division BVI Spring Regatta 3rd in the Racing […]

2014 Corsica Classic Regatta Pics

Post Race Dorade Crew Meeting Dorade motoring to start of next race Matt preparing to test drive a new Ferrari at Bonifacio Harbor (Ferrari was a Co-Sponsor of the regatta) More Dorade racing in the 2014 Corsica Classic Regatta. Photos courtesy of Bernard Rubinstein.

2014 Regatas Royales

Photos from the 2014 Corsica Classic Regatta. Pictures courtesy of James Robinson Taylor

2015 Transatlantic Race May Take Longer

According to The Transatlantic Race organizers, this year's race may take longer than times past. One reason that this year's Transatlantic Race may take longer than ones in the past is the presence of icebergs further south in the Atlantic. This will force the fleet to go east for longer before turning north into the […]

2nd at the Anniversary Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Regatta

Dorade came in 2nd in its class today in the 2012 Anniversary Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Regatta The Anniversary Regatta of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club - Two races in Great Sound, off Hamilton, Bermuda on the Friday after the Newport Bermuda Race. In recent years the format has been altered to include a short […]

77 Years Later, Yacht Repeats Win in Transpacific Race – NY Times

To read the article in PDF, click here. It took a thousand or so miles of sailing with the long, powerful waves of the Pacific Ocean for Hannah Jenner, a rising star in ocean racing, to get comfortable in this year’s Transpacific Yacht Race. Jenner, a 31-year-old from Britain, is used to racing ultralight 40-footers […]

83-Year-Old Yacht Wins Trans-Pacific Race

...a feat it last pulled off in 1936. (Newser) – The boat that won this year's Transpacific Yacht Race was a feared competitor on the cutting edge of sailboat design … back in 1936, when it won the race for the first time. This time, the Dorade was a much less likely winner. When he […]

A Conversation with Joe Loughborough

Pictured above, Harry and Joe. Loughborough Marine Interests LLC has had q pretty good run of it these past several years, and Joe is a deserving fellow and long-time classic-boat owner. Restoration Quarterly: Restoration Quarterly: You seem like a fellow with boats in your DNA. Where did it all start? Joe Loughborough: In England with […]

A Course of Legend…

Article from the New York Yacht Club …with an entry to match. Eighty-two years after an historic win, Olin Stephens’ classic Dorade will once again challenge the North Atlantic.   Among offshore racing tracks, none traces its origin earlier than transatlantic. The first race from the United States to England took place in 1866, the result […]

A fabulous end to a successful Med season

All the way back in July, Dorade was lowered into the Mediterranean Sea from on board the ship that carried her across from Bermuda. After emerging from her new paint job in Palma none of us knew what we might come up against in the series of Med regattas we had planned. We knew the […]

A Few Words from the Crew

After wrapping up at LMI, Ben and crew moved Dorade to the docks at IYRS. After speaking with the crew, everyone is in high spirits and is happy with the state of Dorade.  The crew have arrived in Newport along with Matt Brooks and Pam Levy.  The positive energy coming from uniting Dorade with these […]

A Million Pieces

It has seemed like the boat has been in a million pieces over the last few weeks. With the butterfly hatch restorations ending up a bigger job than initially hoped for. Extra repairs were necessary to a couple of the lids and all the usual stuff that comes up when you do a job. Once […]

A New Lease of Life for Dorade

An article on the Sparkman & Stephens Association's website about Dorade's latest activities. It highlights her race victories from the 1930's as well as her recent Transpac win in 2013. The article also mentions the restoration work done on the yacht and Matt Brooks' plans to enter Dorade in all the races where she was […]

A productive week

Despite temperatures plunging to all new lows and snow seemingly falling every other day, the refit project is forging ahead right on track. The deck team have been working meticulously to even up all the seems and remove old cotton ready for the re caulking stage to begin next week. It's always a satisfying part […]

A walk through the boat yard…

About the 2014 Corsica Classic Cup

The artists Dominique Campana and Carol Haas are the creators of the trophy for the 2014 edition of the prestigious regatta the Corsica Classic. Inspired by sailing, the trophy is realized in handmade colored glass and sculpted stainless steel. The couple is known for large scale glass and metal sculpture. Recently three monumental pieces by […]

Above Deck

Resting in Saint Barths. Photos by Christophe Jouany

Adkins Book Reviewed

The March/April 2012 edition of WoodenBoat magazine contains a review of “Dorade, The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht” by Douglas D Adkins. A copy of the review is linked below. Book Review

Air Ride Trailer for Dorade

Once Dorade is mounted in her new custom shipping cradle, she will be loaded onto a flat bed, low-height air-ride trucking trailer. The picture shows a nut that has not moved over the last 2,550 miles on the air ride trailer Dorade will be transported on.

Almost ‘one month to go’

We are getting close to that critical 'one month to go' point. The decks are in the final stages of sanding, the bottom is all faired and ready for painting and the topside paintwork is prepped ready for re spray in damaged areas. Last week also saw the arrival of the interior parts for the […]

Anegada Passage

Dorade's new captain, Alex Greenson joined the yacht in Tortola, BVI, on the 23rd of January.  The following day Dorade departed from Nanny Cay, Tortola, at 13:00.  The beginning of the sail was a beat, up the Drake Chanel.  At 18:30 Dorade sailed over the top of Virgin Gorda, which provided the perfect angle for […]

Antigua

Finally, Dorade is looking her best again after weeks of hard work in the blistering heat. We now have at least ten coats of varnish on everything and should be well set up until the end of the season. Having kicked off the varnish team it was a nice feeling to get the boat back […]

Antigua Wins

DORADE wins multiple honors in Antigua, for a clean sweep of Caribbean Series DORADE continues to rack up wins in a campaign designed to prepare her for a return to ocean racing, coming in first in her class in the 2012 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. This victory follows overall class wins at both the St. […]

Antique Boat Night

by Greg Stewart Dorade participates in Eastern Yacht Club's Antique Boat Night on August 9, 2012. This event featured the dockside viewing of five classic yachts followed by Dinner and a presentation. The event started with dockside viewing of the 1930 Dorade , the 1926 Alden Q boat Noreaster, the1903 Herreshoff gaff rigged cutter Nellie, […]

Around the boat

A few shots from around the boat this Friday. The sink being glued in, the table nearing completion, the forward hatch cover, and the new chafe strips along the bottom of the boom.

Around the Island Race

Friday was one of the best days of sailing I’ve had in a long time. The Race— Newport RI for the New York Yacht Club Round the Island Race, the prelude to the 158th Annual Regatta. 19 miles around Jamestown and Conanicut Island. 2nd in class by 14 seconds behind Rives Potts’ Carina and 14th […]

Arrival

Dorade arrived at its home dock, the IYRS dock in Newport, RI early this morning, June 28, 2012. The seas were rough the last 48 hours, but all was well with both crew and the boat. (The SPOT tracking devised failed the last two days.)

Arrival

We pulled in last night late, Friday. Clearance went smoothly. Boat and crew are excellent. Starting a big deep clean today and getting the crew out today or tomorrow.

Arrived from Corsica

Safely moored up in Port Grimaud.

Article on Classic Yacht – March/April 2013 Issue

Matt Brooks and Pam Rorke Levy, owners of the classic yacht Dorade, discuss 2013 plans for the historic vessel. Dorade was designed by the legendary Olin Stephens, creator of six out of seven successful America’s Cup defenders between 1958 and 1980. In 1936 Jim Flood purchased Dorade and brought her to San Francisco where her […]

At least it’s dry in here

The team working away at the re caulking job are cracking on at quite a pace. Now all the black rubber had been removed, they are busy reefing out the seams and evening them up so when it comes to re caulk, our new black lines will be super smart and exactly the same width […]

Awaiting Transport

Dorade at Bannisters Wharf in Newport, RI awaiting loading onto Dockwise Yacht Transport (DYT) www.yacht-transport.com tomorrow morning to transport to St. Thomas, USVI for the winter Caribbean season. Dorade is docked next to Nirvana. Nirvana is a 65' classic Bermudan Yawl designed by John G. Alden and built in 1950 by Henry R Hinkley & Co. […]

Back in Corsica

Dorade motored back to the harbour in Bonifacio, Corsica this afternoon after winning the final race in this year's Corsica Classic Regatta, cinching the top spot in her class and taking home the Skylark Trophy as the overall winner in the regatta. Eight days of racing took the fleet of classics around the island with […]

Back in San Diego

It’s just over a week now since we returned from Cabo and I must say it has been nice to be back in San Diego. I’m really starting to like this place with its beautiful weather and everybody is so friendly and happy. It was opening weekend for the yacht clubs this weekend and I […]

Back on the Water, Dorade Wins 167th Annual Regatta

Victory in the country's oldest regatta was sweet but simply sailing Dorade with a crew of long-time friends was even sweeter.

Back to work

It has been a busy week so far and there are no signs of slowing up ahead. After a productive training session a week ago with the Bermuda race crew on board, we got straight into the thick of what is basically a mini refit pre Bermuda race. New nipper Tim Cope arrived on the […]

Battery platform

The lower part of the forward starboard lockers has been fitted to accommodate Dorade'sbatteries. Twin lithium ion batteries will sit on top of the platform. Ample tie down and covering will be fitted once the batteries themselves arrive. After much deliberation, Joe has found a location that is both low enough and forward enough for these […]

Beating the stormy weather

A brief weather window opened up for us on Monday allowing us a smooth passage from Port Grimaud to Genoa. Since the end of Les Voiles, the weather here has been pretty wild. Epic squalls, driving rain and pumping mistral have made it feel more like England rather than the Mediterranean. We decided to take […]

Beauties on the Bay

Skipper Bill Belmont was naturally pleased to win the Farrallon Clipper class in last month's Jessica Cup (October 13),but to him the race will be especially memorable because he got to sail his 1952 woodie Credit alongside the classic beauty Dorade, which now graces San Francisco Bay once again. Read the full Latitude 38 article […]

Beauty of Antigua Classics

A few more photographs of Team Dorade in action at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta captured by photographer Cory Silken. Additional photos can be found in Silken's Gallery

Belay Pins at the Mizzen

Never mind the turquoise water! This post is for Paul, the gentleman building a scale model of DORADE for the SFYC.  Paul spent a good bit of time on the phone trying to convince me that these pins were here on the rail at the mizzen last fall.  Well, with credit to Tom at MHBW […]

Bermuda Departure

We are all set to leave Bermuda now. Just finished doing the last few jobs and are about to go out for some dinner and get an early night. We intend to leave at first light or just before. Our ETA to Newport is Thursday sometime and I believe we are going to Joe’s LMI […]

Bermuda Race – Dorade a winner!

It was the slowest Bermuda race in history, with boats becalmed multiple times. A race that normally lasts three days stretched on to four... and then five... and some boats are still out there today. You might assume that would make it a relaxed affair, but in fact it was a physical and psychological marathon […]

Bermuda Race Prize Ceremony

Matt and Pam attended the Bermuda Race prize giving ceremony at a most spectacular setting -- high on a hill overlooking the water at Bermuda's Government House -- where Dorade placed second in the Team rankings of the Onion Patch Series , together with fellow NYYC Blue team members Stark Raving Mad and Temptation. The […]

Bermuda Race, June 14

The Dorade crew gathered at the New York Yacht Club at Harbour Court for one final group meal with friends and family. Matt and Pam presented a special gift to each member of the Bermuda crew — a bone-handled knife with a customized scrimshaw design commemorating this historic race, showing the Newport lighthouse on one […]

Bermuda Race, June 15

Friends and family of the Dorade crew gathered on the dock at IYRS today as the boat was readied for its first run at the Newport-Bermuda race in almost 80 years. There was a bit of a last-minute drama, as systems specialist Jim Thompson arrived at the boat just minutes before the scheduled departure, with […]

Big Wednesday at NHYC!

77 years after winning Transpac 1936, Dorade, arguably the most famous racing yacht in history, will be at NHYC, along with her owner, Matt Brooks. Click here to view flyer

Bill Schanen’s column in Sailing Magazine

It’s not breaking news that sailboats can make people do nutty things, but every now and then there comes along an example of sailboat lust defeating rational behavior that is so gaudy it takes our breath away...Read Article

Boom Crutch

DORADE'S original boom crutch has a new beautifully crafted cradle by Dan de Leiris.

Boot Stripe

Last night Joe from Diversified Finishes sprayed the boot stripe. We checked and rechecked to make sure the painted stripe sat true to the original plans. When Joe pulled the tape this morning we all got a glimpse of what is going to be a fantastic finished product.

Bottom

Despite the blazing heat in the shed the guys are hard at work resurfacing the seams on DORADE'S bottom. Every seam along the length of her bottom has been scraped to remove any loose compound. The seams were then wire wheeled to promote adhesion of epoxy primer. Tomorrow the seams will be payed with two […]

Bound for the USA

After a wait that seemed to go on forever including a change of flights to accommodate a late ship arrival, Dorade was finally hoisted aboard the ship this afternoon. It happens to be the exact same ship that sailed her over to the med for the highly successful summer season. Let's hope that her ride […]

Bow Cleat(s)???

One of the projects this winter is to install bow cleat(s). There is good backing along the king plank in the middle of the deck. If this option were chosen, only a single cleat would be installed. This is a good strong option - the windlass has already proven it's strength under tow with a […]

Bow fitting update

At long last the new bow fitting has been permanently fastened to DORADE. Picture 1, 2 and 3 show the fairing of the hull and shaping of the bow piece to match. Picture 4 shows the custom through bolts that were fabricated. In picture 5 splines are glued in to some checks in the new […]

Buddy Rego Article in Bermuda Sun

Great article on our crew member. Click here to read article: http://dorade.org/bdasun.pdf

Bulwarks and Covering Boards

  First coat of paint goes on the bulwarks and covering boards.

Busy boat yard

Cabin house winch placement

  Cabin top winch placement was discussed with Greg and Brad. We looked at moving the main sheet winch outboard (see previous photo) to clear a dodger when in "offshore mode". Also found the old Meissner runner winches that were replaced by LVJ self tailiers. We are considering using these slightly larger winches (port) in […]

Cabin Sole

The interior is being fitted with a new cabin sole. During her refit in Italy, DORADE'S sole was built out of a tropical hardwood. This type of wood not only seemed untraditional but is quite heavy. So with our eyes on weight savings and authenticity, we have Sam constructing a new cabin sole out of […]

Cabin top

Dorade's fine looking cabin top had some fine looking leaks, primarily over the navigator's berth. When we dug into it, the original plan of fixing the bad seam along the starboard hatch runner went out the window. When the cabin top was sealed with fiberglass and bog, it was only taken up to the seams […]

Cabin top covering?

There is a question of which material to cover the cabin top with, dynell or canvas. What do YOU think? Please comment! Below is a break down (thank you Jeff Grey) of the two. DYNEL: Dynel cloth is a synthetic fabric that has many uses in boatbuilding but has been the material of choice recently […]

Cabo Preparations

Every time we put to sea we learn a lot at the moment about what works and what doesn't on board. What is easy and what is difficult to do when the boat is pitching around. The simplest of tasks can seem like you are climbing Everest in the middle of the night. Lots of […]

Cabo Race Video

Cabo Update 2

We have sailed extra miles as this seemed like the best option to make sure we had wind. Perhaps this has not worked out as we have been in little wind all day. We have just changed up from the wind seeker to the 170 jib and are on the move again. Not much interesting […]

Cabo, Day 2 afternoon

By mid day the wind finally started to fill in from where it should be, and we are sailing again. After a long time struggling to keep the boat moving we are currently making a good 8 knots in the right direction. It was at about mid day the wind really started to provide enough […]

Cabo, Day 3

Last night the wind was great and we were enjoying some nice reaching conditions under the A2 and full sail. By the end of Hannah's and my watch the breeze had filled in to an unexpected 20 knots which signaled time to change to the S4 and bring the pole back to get on course. […]

Calvi, Corsica FRANCE

Dorade is in Calvi!!

Camp Four Winds Dorade Song

We read about Dorade's victory this summer, amidst all the craziness here at Camp. Everyone at Four Winds was pleased to hear that a Camp alum was doing so well. Click PLAY to listen to the Dorade song. The lyrics of the Dorade song that we sing at Camp are: Dorade, I adore thee, And […]

Camp Four Winds Westward Ho Camp highlights Dorade

Camp Four Winds * Westward Ho is a traditional summer camp for boys and girls ages 7 to 18 on Orcas Island in Washington State’s San Juan Islands. Dorade was used as the camp boat for many years.

Can we call it winter yet?

Since I arrived in newport back in November straight from the Mediterranean, I have complained of being cold! Well not really complained, I actually like the cold except for when you are working outside and can’t feel your hands. The usual response from the yard guys is “just you wait winter isn’t even here yet”. […]

Cap rails get first coat of varnish

A mile stone was reached over the weekend when we applied the first coat of varnish over the freshly stripped and stained cap rails.

Caribbean Boating/Newport Sailor

Newport watches proudly as classic yacht wins in St. Barth. https://sites.google.com/site/caribbeannewport/

Carina and Dorade join the NYYC Model Collection

Full-rigged models of Carina and Dorade will be added to the Club's unrivaled model collection this spring. Club Nights at 44th Street (March 26) and Harbour Court (March 21) will enable members to celebrate two of the most accomplished racing yachts in offshore sailing. The models are being donated to the Club by members Jonathan […]

Charter World Article

The famous Sparkman & Stephens 1930 yawl, sailing yact Dorade, has proudly entered the 2012 Caribbean regatta season after a major restoration in the USA. She will then returns to ocean racing – with yacht and crew in tune. Full article Photo by Corey Silken

China Storage – updated

*** Check out page 2 for more photos*** DORADE is a beautiful blend of elegance and speed. She will be used for racing and cruising. Lots of work has been going on down below the decks to preserve her classic look while increasing functionality. For example, each leaded glass cabinet is being outfitted to accommodate […]

Classic Boat – June 2014

Classic Boat Magazine June 2014 issue's article on Dorade’s Transpac 2013 victory. The Magazine cover is aptly titled " Winning Again - 1930 yawl takes the Transpac". The main article titled "How Dorade won the Transpac" narrates how Dorade won the 2013 edition of the Transpac race. Interviews with Eric "Chewy" Chowanski and Matt Wachowicz, […]

Classic Boat Magazine

The May issue has a fabulous article on Dorade written by crew member Chris Museler. Article in pdf form linked below. Classic Boat Magazine

Classic Boat October 2013 Article – How Dorade won the Transpac

Dorade’s victory in this year’s Transpac (TT’s, CB303) in 12d 5h 28m might be the greatest ever racing achievement by a classic yacht. It seems her owner, Californian sailor Matt Brooks wasn’t kidding, as they say stateside, when announced his intention to campaign his Olin Stephens yacht Dorade in the major ocean races that she […]

Classic Dorade First on Corrected Time in Transpac

HONOLULU -- Dorade, a 1929-built Sparkman & Stephens-designed 52-foot wooden yawl owned by Matt Brooks, was named first overall on corrected time in the 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race -- better known as Transpac. Transpacific Yacht Club, organizer of the 47th biennial competition, reported that Dorade finished the 2,225-mile Point Fermin-to-Diamond Head race at 3:32 a.m. […]

Classic DORADE Likely to Win Overall Transpac Title

It’s not over yet, but due to this atypical weather pattern the S&S 52-foot wood yawl Dorade will likely win the race overall in corrected time, a repeat of her victory in 1936. Impeccably renovated and maintained, her victory may be aesthetically pleasing for the classic boat crowd but will not be a fluke: with […]

Classic Yacht Article – Dorade Wins TransPac Race Again After 77 Years

Read the PDF here. Honolulu, Hawaii - The yacht Dorade, designed by Olin Stephens at age 21 in 1929, is considered the first modern ocean racing yacht. And she won the 2,225 nautical-mile Transpac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu this year, 77 years after her victory in the same race. She beat the most […]

Cockpit Storage

Bro has completed a teak platform for the under cockpit storage area.  The platform serves to divide the space into two levels of storage.  Items that get less frequent use can be nested into the frames and floors below the platform.  Upstairs allows room for keeping things that need to be close at hand.  The […]

Coin under the mast step

In ship building, Mast Stepping is a ceremonial occasion which occurs towards the end of a ship's construction. It involves placing or welding one or more coins into the mast step of a ship, and is seen as an important ceremonial occasion in a ship's construction which is thought to bless the ship and as a […]

Companionway Hatch

Dave has built a plexi-glass drop board to be used when we are offshore. The piece provides light and visibility from down below while blocking water from entering into the companionway.  This board will be fitted with hardware to be compliant with offshore racing rules.  It will be securely lockable, have a lanyard and be […]

Compass Adjustments

During Dorade's first week in St. Maarten two of the refit engineers, Jim Thompson and James Harrison, were on board fine tuning some of Dorade's systems.  Jim Thompson pictured above, designed Dorade's electrical system.  On Sunday the 29th of January Dorade left the dock at Puerto Cupecoy, to make compass adjustments.  The only place in […]

Compass Calibrations

Davis G. Murray the "master of deviation" made the trip over to Coral Bay from Saint Thomas yesterday to help sort out our compasses. Using his sun reading compass we re calibrated the B and G flux gate compass to exact precision. The box compass was adjusted and Davis wrote up an appropriate deviation table. […]

Concentrating on the 600

At last the interior varnish project is over! The interior now looks the best I've seen it but for how long I don't know. It's taken four of us the best part of eighteen days to get it done, we stripped most of the galley and nav area which had taken the biggest beating. Two […]

Congratulations

Congratulations on Dorade’s successful showing in the race, you must be thrilled! Michael R. Michael Wall, Director American Marine Model Gallery, Inc.

Corinthian Sailing in St Barth

Having read some of the crew profiles, with championship wins galore, on dorade.org, I was a touch apprehensive joining Dorade mid regatta – especially as they’d already scored firsts in each race. Skipper, Jamie Hilton, soon put any concerns aside as he introduced me during the pre-race briefing in the cockpit: “Nick is aboard today […]

Corsica Classic Regatta

Photos from the 2014 Corsica Classic Regatta. Pictures courtesy of Bernard Rubinstein

Corsica Classic Winner

Dorade crew receiving the Corsica Classic Cup - August 31, 2014. In the picture (right to left) Kevin Miller, Eric ("Chewy") Chowanski, Greg Stewart, Hannah Jenner, Nick Bellico, John Hayes, and Dominique Campana (artist who created the Trophy). Other crew members not in photo: Tim Pope, Pierre-André Jeanne, Matt Brooks and Pam Rorke Levy. Photo […]

Cory Silken joins the team!

We are honored to have Cory Silken join us as staff photographer for each regatta. An avid outdoor explorer, Cory Silken's photographic and outdoor interests lie in yachting. He has crewed aboard the classic America’s Cup 12 Metre Class fleet in Newport, Rhode Island and currently enjoys racing Firefly, a classic wooden Herreshoff S Class boat, […]

Cotton

Jim buttoning up the wood keel to garboard seam with cotton caulking. Chet said watching Jim at this type of work is "like watching Stradivarius build a cello"!  The seam will be primed then filled with 2 part rubber adhesive caulk.

Courtesy of the Stephens Family

Across the Atlantic in Dorade (1931 Transatlantic Race in Dorade) By: John D. Fox Able Seaman Member of the Port Watch

Cove stripe

The bow and stern details of a yachts cove strip are a very important and unique feature. Much research has been done to find clear enough photographs to accurately reproduce these figures. Dorade's arrow head and feather have been changed many times over the years. With the help of Doug, who is publishing a new […]

Crew breakfast at Cannes

Photo courtesy of Jean-Pierre NICOL

Cruise

Matt, Pam, Jack and Bill have been cruising around the Virgin Islands on DORADE for the last couple weeks. They have enjoyed some of the more remote anchorages available to boats of DORADE's size, and have also shared the company of mega yachts lke MIRABELLA and RANGER. Strong trade winds have kept them sailing at […]

Cruising Club of America has a new member

Cruising Club of America Newsletter’s (CCA GAM) Spring 2014 issue article write-up of Matt Brooks as a new member. It tells of Matt Brooks' passion for racing and cruising classic wooden boats. The article mentions the two boats that Matt owns and races competitively, namely: the Dorade and Lucie. It also mentions Matt's accolades as […]

Current Refit

Latest photos of the current refit at Dorade's winter home at the Loughborough yard.

Daughters of Dorade

The caption reads: The famous Olin Stephens-designed yawls of the 30s and 40s all trace their ancestry to "Dorade", launched in 1930. Pictured here at this year's Voiles de Saint-Tropez are no fewer than five of her descendants. From left: Skylark (1937), Cometa (1946), Argyll (1946), Stormy Weather (1933), and Manitou (1932). Photo from Classic […]

Decks

Delivering Dorade

Before I flew out to Antiuga i told my dad that i was helping deliver a classic yacht called "Dorade". This caused a lot of excitement as he new the boat very well and even had a old article about the boat stored inside a old book from the early 30's. I think to him […]

Delivery from Cabo to San Diego

After such a slow race to Cabo it was almost time to start thinking about turning around as soon as we got there. In fact as we finished the race a couple of boats were already heading back to beat the weather they knew was coming in. Fortunately for me Dorade is far to slow […]

Delivery from San Diego to Long Beach

Dorade on its trip from San Diego to Longbeach in preparation for the Transpac Race.

Delivery to Coral Harbor, Saint John

After two productive days at Yacht Haven in St. Thomas, we delivered DORADE around to St. John. We have a mooring in Coral Harbor to use as home base until Matt and Pam arrive next month. The island hop went well in some very typical Caribbean conditions. Just outside the harbor in St. Thomas, we […]

Delivery Update 2014-08-12

August 12, 2014. We have pulled into Barcelona for a 24 hour stop over as there are still very strong mistral winds forecast for today/tonight. We have plenty of jobs to get on with so it won't harm the schedule. Just so you can keep the CIM guys updated Greg we should arrive in Port […]

Departed

We departed Hawaii after lunch today. We are just rounding the west side of the island and starting to head north. 2097 miles to go, weather looks like good sailing for a couple of days before the iron gonna comes on for a while as we cut through the high. Nice and sunny on deck […]

Design 7 – Dorade

Principal Dimensions LOA 52'-0" LWL 37'-3" Beam 10'-3" Draft 7'-7"

Detailing the rig analysis

Email to Mike Toppa (North Sails) from Nelson/Marek concerning sail configurations and analysis for each of the proposed masts Mike, Good to talk on Friday about all of the recent information RE the Dorade rig configuration. You are correct that we would like you to model sails for each of the following Rig configurations under […]

Details of Moving Across the Country

The many, many tasks to ready Dorade for its move across the county are almost countless. Today the carpenter, Dan, is working on splash boards to protect the hull during its transit. These boards will be mounted on the shipping cradle. They should be painted this afternoon. Syd, the welder, continues to work like crazy […]

Details, details

Shown above is the locust pin rail around the mast partners. The port and forward pieces appear to be original, or at least quite old. We are lining the holes with copper, flanged top and bottom. This will make a better fit for the belaying pins and will save the pin rail from unnecessary wear […]

Dinghy

The construction of the Dorade dinghy is making steady progress. The IYRS students are doing a great job planking the dinghy. The planking is likely to be completed in the next week. After that is completed, the students will begin work on the riveting and framing.

Dinghy

A centerboard trunk has been constructed and will be installed further into the construction of the boat. Pictured is the dinghy with the mahogany sheer strakes steamed in place.

Dinghy

The outside of the sheerstrake, transom (in and out), inwales, trunk, daggar board, rudder, tiller, thwarts, thwart risers, knees, oarlock blocks for the rowing stations will all be bright. The inside of the sheerstrake will be painted white. The picture from the aft end of the dinghy that shows several frames installed.

Dinghy

Dorade dinghy progress. To be completed by end of May.

Dinghy – Finishing Touches

The IYRS students are working on all the details now for launching tomorrow of the Dorade Dinghy. Jen McNally, Managing Instructor, IYRS.

Dinghy Mast

The mast is made of sitka spruce and was made using the bird’s mouth hollow construction method. It is light and easy to build (Tom is holding the mast with 2 fingers in the second photo). We purchased the wood at Downes and Reader in Stoughton, MA. The mast is 10’6” from the drawing from […]

Dinghy Model

This model of the orginal dingy for Dorade. It is going to be placed with the Dorade model at the St Francis Yacht Club. From the orginal 1929 plans, IYRS is constructing a replica of the dingy.

Dinghy Under Construction

Dockwise from Fort Adams

Lindsey caught these photos from Fort Adams on an early sunday morning walk.

Dockwise Yacht Transport

DORADE loaded onto SUPER SERVANT 4 this morning.  A full ship for this passage to St. Thomas.  It was the perfect morning for it, and all boats were loaded quickly and safely.  The ship plans to depart Tuesday with unloading scheduled for the 13th.  The loading was delayed a day due to high winds. Photo […]

Dorade During the 2007 Classic Yacht Regatta

Dorade during the 2007 Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport, RI. Picture was taken by Ken Murphy. Thank you to Peter D. Millard for the photo.

Dorade – 83 years of wet, salty smiling faces

A few weeks ago I was given an opportunity to join Dorade on her migration south to the Caribbean for the 2013 winter season. I was floored when I arrived at her berth, noticing the lines that have been emulated by designers ever since, the beginning of "classic". I could imagine Olin Stephens first drawing, […]

Dorade – Regates Royales 2014

Photos from the 2014 Corsica Classic Regatta. Pictures courtesy of Patricia Lascabannes

Dorade – St. Barth 2012

As the saying goes... "Better Late than Never". Attached is an article about Dorade from the German Magazine Yacht about her performance in the St. Barth Regatta 2012. YACHT-DORADE LVDSB

Dorade – Transpac “Return to Ocean Racing” – Mainsheet Article

It was July 11th 1936 at noon when Dorade .rst crossed the start line of the Transpac Race. Setting sail from Santa Monica, owner James Flood and his crew were about tomake history sailing the then 2210 nautical mile course in an incredible 13 days 7 hours 20minutes and 4 seconds. Not only did they […]

Dorade – Voile Magazine Nov 2014

Article by Bernard Rubinstein on Dorade's participation in the Corsica Classic. Published in Voile Magazine November 2014 Issue. The article is written in French. Click here to read the scanned PDF file.

Dorade (Dorado – a kind of Dolphin….)

Dorade was the boat that brought Olin Stephens to the attention of the nautical world. The young designer skippered his design to a spectacular victory in the 1931 Transatlantic Race with his father and brother in the crew. It earned them a ticker tape celebration in New York City on their return. Many articles have […]

Dorade 1931

Dorade being off-loaded from the liner Homeric upon her return from Europe after the 1931 Trans-Atlantic Race. Photo from the Rosenfeld Collection, Mystic Seaport Museum.

Dorade 1931 Transatlantic Binnacle and Compass

Dorade Binnacle Dorade has replaced it long lost 1931 Transatlantic Binnacle and Compass. Considerable time was spend researching the various binnacle and compass alternatives before identified the best way to handle this project. And there was much time discussing it in detail, making sure the “T’s” were crossed and the “I’s” dotted, to get a […]

Dorade 1939

Dorade anchored in the San Francisco Marina circa 1939

Dorade Arrives in San Francisco!

Sunday night / Monday morning, Dorade arrived by truck at the KKMI boatyard in Sausalito. Dorade arrived in good order. She did not shift at all during the 3,000+ mile journey in her new shipping cradle designed by Greg Stewart of Nelson/Marek Yacht Design, Inc. and fabricated by Syd Janes. Dorade rode smoothly across the […]

Dorade at 1:16 scale

This months Classic Boats Magazine features Dorade in two different articles. This blurb features Malcolm Darch who has been making maritime models for 35 years and whose works includes this model of Dorade.More model photos

DORADE at night

Two very nice long exposure shots of DORADE in the late evening taken by Meriah.  A passing cruise ship and approaching rain squall are highlights in the background.

Dorade at the St Francis Yacht Club

Dorade Back East

Dorade has made it back to the East coast in one piece after an epic year on the West side. After returning from Hawaii and enjoying the Americas cup she was broken down and loaded back into her cradle for trucking back to Rhode Island. Everything went smoothly in Sausalito and the guys at KKMI […]

Dorade Back in the Water

It's been just over two weeks since Dorade arrived in Rhode Island and now she is back in the water and ready to sail again. Whilst at LMI we managed to get a lot of work done and now Dorade is looking the best she has in a long time. In the last year I […]

Dorade box

The dorade box (also called a dorade vent, or collector box) is a type of vent that permits the passage of air in and out of the cabin of a boat, while keeping rain, spray or sea wash out. The basic form is a low, rectangular box fixed to the deck or cabin top, fitted […]

Dorade Container Leaves for the Cowes!

This morning we finalized the packing of the Container, locked the doors and got the seal on the entrance door. We then loaded the Container onto the truck and handled the paperwork. All went smoothly. The Container is on its way to NY, NY and then to Cowes in the UK. Click below to play […]

Dorade Coverage on Seahorse Magazine

Seahorse International Sailing Magazine May 2014 issue briefly mentioned Dorade's participation in the RORC 600. In two (2) sections: the Commodore's Letter and on its article about the 2014 RORC 600.

Dorade Crew Photos from 2014 BVI award presentation

Dorade crew sails like it’s 1936

Built for the same purpose but separated by decades of racing technology, two of the boats claiming prized positions in this year's Transpacific Yacht Race provided a striking contrast as they sat in neighboring docks. Lending Club, a powerful trimaran engineered to speed across the ocean, made a strong run at the course record and […]

Dorade Designated Sparkman Stephens Flagship

Sparkman & Stephens’ President Bruce Johnson announces the appointment of the 1929 yawl Dorade, designed by Olin Stephens, as the official S&S flagship. S&S has completed over 2,750 designs, winning countless races and acclaim worldwide. Dorade is considered to be the most famous of them, and is widely acclaimed as "the mother of modern ocean […]

Dorade Dinghy – Finishing Touches

The IYRS students will be priming and painting this week to get the dinghy ready for her launching on June 2, 2012. The dinghy would be white with a varnished mahogany sheerstrake. A question arose if it be preferred to have antifouling paint on the bottom of the dinghy The typical traditional bottom paint colors […]

Dorade Dinghy Update

The work on the construction of the replica of the original Dorade dinghy is proceed quickly at IYRS. The second planks on each side will be installed today on the Dorade Dinghy. The IYRS students will be starting work the rig soon as well. Related article

Dorade gets extreme makeover

(April 1, 2014) - Matt Brooks, owner of the classic Olin Stephens designed yawl Dorade revealed today that she has undergone some radical modifications for the up-coming Newport Bermuda Race which starts this June 20th. “This wonderful old girl has won just about every great race there is from the Fastnet to the Transpac. We […]

Dorade has returned to Ocean Racing

It is a vanishingly small group of people alive today who've had the honor to race Dorade in a major ocean race. On a personal level I'd like to thank them because every one of them are the caliber of person to whom I entrust my life. While we might often have people we really […]

Dorade in Classic Boat Magazine

Dorade is featured in the January 2012 article "25 Very Classic Boats". Click thumbnail above. You can see the article on the online version here:http://gb.zinio.com

Dorade in NHYC Newsletter

Article on Dorade's participation in the Cannes Regatta. Published on the NHYC newsletter by Brad Avery. Click on the link below to read the article in PDF. Dorade article on NHYC Newsletterhttp://dorade.org/wp-login.php?action=logout&_wpnonce=b98a6bdcba

Dorade in Saint Thomas

Good bye Rhode Island! Hello Caribbean! DORADE made the transit on Dockwise safely with no damage, other than a lot of salt and soot.  The off loading went as well as could be expected.  It was a challenge explaining to the Russian line handlers that DORADE backs in circles, and that they would need to keep […]

Dorade in The Hollywood Reporter

Dorade is in the May 16, 2015 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

Dorade in The Wall Street Journal

Olin Stephens's Radical Yacht The Wall Street Journal, November 2006 story by G. Bruce Knecht in PDF.

Dorade is almost in the Mediterranean

Dorade is almost in the Med! Latest AIS tracking shows the ship she is loaded on just off of Gibralter. Tim and Hannah fly to Palma on Monday ready to offload her and begin work at the STP yard.

Dorade is back in California

Dorade has arrived back in California, having left Hawaii in the afternoon of July 30, after winning the Transpac race in her class and overall. Welcome home!

Dorade is Back in the Water!

Dorade is back in the water! (Ahead of schedule) The results of the winter efforts in optimizing Dorade for its repeat this year of its 1931 Transatlantic and Fastnet Races is almost complete. These two Races will complete Dorade's "Return to Blue Water Series", which will have repeated all of Dorade's early historical races. This […]

Dorade leaves the dock

Dorade left the dock in long beach as scheduled at 10a this morning under cloudless skies and a light breeze, headed to the start at 1215p, with family and friends waving from the shore as she passed out the harbour past the queen Mary.

Dorade Log 3: Lessons in Light Air at St. Barth

Winds of 6 to 12 knots are a sweet spot for the 82-year-old Sparkman & Stephens yawl, as Boats.com’s editor discovered while aboard Dorade for Les Voiles de St. Barth. Read more: http://features.boats.com Rachael Burnham photo

Dorade Log 4: Bermuda Race Inspection

Things get busy in the weeks leading up to a major offshore race, no matter who you are in the crew. In the case of boat captain Ben Galloway and sailing master Jamie Hilton, aboard Dorade, it’s a full-court press. Read more:

Dorade Log 5: Entering the Gulf Stream

A report from John Burnham, not quite halfway to Bermuda on a 1930s Sparkman and Stephens design. Twenty four hours after the start, Dorade entered the Gulf Stream, after reaching and running in a northeasterly breeeze of 14-27 knots since the start. With it’s 6-foot tiller, the boat is sometimes pretty hard to muscle down […]

Dorade Log 6: Finished! Just After Midnight

The S&S 52-foot yawl Dorade completed her first race to Bermuda since 1934, finishing in just over 3 days, 11 hours. A few days ago, I wrote Dorade Log 5 late in the afternoon of our second day of racing the 635-mile course from Newport to Bermuda. The communications link subsequently went down, so reports […]

Dorade Log 7: Newport to Bermuda Ocean Race Video Takes You Onboard

John Burnham introduces his video narrative of the 2012 Bermuda Race and reflects on his Dorade experience. Last June, I helped Dorade sail from Newport to Bermuda for the first time in 82 years. Crossing the finish line represented the end of the first stage of what owner Matt Brooks calls “Matt’s Crazy Idea” — […]

Dorade Log No. 1: Skinny Genes

Boats.com editor-in-chief John Burnham gets ready to help campaign an iconic racing yawl. Read his entry at Boats.com

Dorade Log No. 2: Like Dating Marilyn Monroe

Along with several other crew in training for the Bermuda Race, Boats.com's editor learns some unexpected lessons while sailing for the first time on the iconic Sparkman & Stephens yawl. Read more: http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2012/03/dorade-log-no-2-like-dating-marilyn-monroe/#ixzz1orCEfWxE

Dorade Model

Latest photos of Dorade model by Paul Reck. The model will be presented at the St. Francis Yacht Club at a lunch on Thursday, the 26th of January. All of the Club's Flag Officers and Staff Commodores will be aboard for the lunch meeting and presentation. "Here are last shots before she goes on her […]

Dorade Model

From Richard Lawrence: My model is 20" long and I finished it several months ago. I usually have varnished spars but I must have seen an old photo and painted them white, otherwise I would have left them natural as on your beautiful vessel.

Dorade Model in the Works

A new full-hull, rigged model of Dorade is in the offing. The model will represent the yawl as she was when she won the Trans-Atlantic Race in 1931. The scale will be 1:32, or 3/8"=1', and this will produce a finished model 19-1/2" long. The first step toward creating a new ship model involves gathering […]

Dorade Model to be part of NYYC Marine Art & History Month

Dorade to join the New York Yacht Club's celebration of Marine Art and History Month. On Saturday, March 21 and Thursday, March 26 (44th Street). Carina and Dorade Club Nights. Please join Harry Morgan and the Model Committee as they unveil new full-rigged models of a pair of storied Transatlantic Race champions, Dorade, the 1931 […]

Dorade Move in Classic Boat

Article in the October issue written by crew member Christopher Musler.

Dorade named flagship for state of California – Sept 20 declared Dorade Day in California

Dorade on ESPN

Excellent video clip from the 2012 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. Click here to advance video to the Dorade feature

Dorade on San Francisco Bay

Two and a half years ago, Matt and I started looking for a classic boat to sail on the Bay. And finally today we got a chance to sail that boat for the first time on the Bay and out under the Golden Gate Bridge, on a spectacularly warm and clear day. We were in […]

Dorade on Sparkman & Stephen’s 2014 Yearbook

Dorade on the cover of Sparkman & Stephens 2014 Yearbook. An article on her recent accomplishments are also included. Click here to read the complete article.

Dorade on the ABC7 News

Newsclip on Dorade's Transpac win on ABC7 News 4pm, August 22, 2013

Dorade Photos

Photos of Dorade

Dorade Presentation

Linked below is the presentation which was made at the Spaulding Center. http://dorade.org/DoradeRising.pdf

Dorade Progress to Newport (May 17)

Position Report: May 17 Position: She is at the IYRS Dock in Newport, RI Comments: Looks to be in good condition. Terry Nathan President, IYRS May 16 Distance Run from last Reported Position: 201.1 Km or 124.96 statue miles or 108.58 nautical miles. Date: 5/16/2012 Time: 1030UTC Weather: Wind 185 at 22 Knots, gusting 29 […]

Dorade races in the BVI Spring Regatta

After a month away from Dorade, the team are back in the sunshine and competing in the BVI Spring Regatta. Dorade's program is predominantly based around offshore and ocean races but for the next two regattas we get to return to the dock after the days racing. We are now two races into the the […]

Dorade Racing in Corsica

Photos from the 2014 Corsica Classic Regatta. Pictures courtesy of Alexis and Vanessa de Prévoisin.

Dorade Readies for MOY Regatta

The main rig is going back into Dorade this morning (the mizzen was not un-stepped for Irene). Dorade is ready to launch thereafter. All is looking good for the MOY Regatta event this weekend. Dorade will likely leave the LMI yard dock for IYRS dock with Kyle, Mariah and Matt first thing tomorrow, barring any […]

Dorade Reuniting with its Original Burgee

The original blue burgee that flew on the Dorade during the 1931 Trans-Atlantic Race is currently undergoing conservation treatment at Riley Textile Conservation’s lab (RTC) in Oakland, California. Hannah Riley, RTC Principal Conservator, remarked that, “Taking into account the effects of salt air, time, and moths, the 80+ year-old woolen artifact shows amazing integrity.” RTC […]

Dorade sails through De Moines

Tracking device shows her nearly halfway through her journey to San Francisco.

Dorade sails to S.F. after winning Transpacific race

Read the San Francisco Chronicle article here. The America's Cup races might have the fastest boats in the world, but those high-tech wonders can't hold a candle to the yacht Dorade, which at 83 years old has just won the 2,225-mile Transpacific Yacht Race from Long Beach to Honolulu. It was the second time the […]

Dorade Selects Reel

Compilation of Video Clips from Sail Revolution.

Dorade Tender Launched!

June 2, 2012 was Graduation Day at the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) at the Newport, RI campus. As part of the graduation activities, it was also Launch Day for the Dorade Tender of the IYRS dock. The Dorade Tender looked great out on the water on Launch Day as Tom Cahir and Kelly Crawford, […]

Dorade TransPac Celebration – Transcript of Toast

Here’s how Olin Stephens described his decision to build Dorade back in 1929: “The scenario must be as old as sport. Competition builds along certain lines which suit the participants and thus a norm is established. From year to year marginal advances are the rule. Then along comes someone, something of an outsider and more […]

Dorade Unleashed on Transpac Run

The 83-year-old ocean thoroughbred was a winner before she started this year's Transpac. Then she sailed to Hawaii in 12 days. I’ve got to hand it to Matt Brooks for his determination, his persistence, and his fundamental belief in Dorade and the easily driven hull shape given to her by young designer, Olin Stephens, in […]

Dorade Update – Twelve Days to Launch

In general: great progress and team work, good coordination and communication between all parties involved. Lots of hard work going on these day on DORADE… Brightwork Deck How to best measure the progress? DORADE decks are now officially a “No Shoe Zone”, all blue protective foil is gone and shiny brightwork is emerging. Everything went […]

Dorade Update: 120 miles to go

Following Dorade on her way to Bermuda? Here is her latest position. According to the Yellow Brick Race Tracker, Dorade was making 8.4 knots toward Bermuda at 8 am Monday morning. She is the easterly most boat of her class. Read more: http://www.boats.com/blog/2012/06/dorade-update-120-miles-to-go/#ixzz1yAHdpuLc

DORADE VICTORIOUS: First Overall in the 2013 Transpac

Not everyone else has finished yet, but it is certain that Dorade has won the whole shebang on corrected time, 77 years after she last did it in 1936. Which ain’t too shabby for a boat built in 1930. She bested her 1936 elapsed time by over a day and covered the 2,225-mile course from […]

Dorade weathers Hurricane Irene

Dorade has successfully weathered Hurricane Irene with crew, team members, and all equipment safe and sound. During the storm, Newport lost power along with 60 percent of Rhode Island residents and businesses. As we await a return of normal power, the Dorade team is busy with hand tools working on finishing details, while we wait […]

Dorade wins at the 5th Edition of the Corsica Classic Regatta

Dorade won all but one of the six races in the 5th Edition of the Corsica Classic Regatta, held from August 23 - 31, 2014. In the Regatta, Dorade raced with a fleet of classic boats, including one of the "Daughters of Dorade", the S&S yawl Argyll. Dorade won the Regatta overall and was presented […]

Dorade wins Class in Caribbean 600 Race

Dorade won her class IRC Three in the 2014 Caribbean 600 Race, finishing Thursday, February 28th at 08:35 AST. Dorade secured in addition to her 1st in IRC 3, IRC Overall -35th place and CSA Overall - 25th place. The race has been a learning experience, and we will have lots of feedback and lessons […]

Dorade wins her class in the Newport to Bermuda Race

I had never experienced preparing a boat for a race and then waving goodbye as it sailed over the horizon until the start of the 2014 Newport Bermuda Race. Having taken over as boat captain just about a month before the race start I had a jobs list of over 150 items to work through […]