We’re thrilled to announce that Return to Blue Water, written by Pam Rorke Levy, is now available for purchase at The Sailing Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, and through the Museum's website.

Pam—an award-winning documentarian, writer, and sailor—captured not only the remarkable story of Dorade’s modern renaissance but also the intertwined lives that shaped her legacy across generations. The book artfully blends the story of Olin and Rod Stephens—Dorade’s visionary young designers, whose early triumphs with the 52-foot yawl launched Sparkman & Stephens on its way to becoming the most successful yacht design firm of the 20th century—with the story of Matt Brooks and Pam Levy, who found each other and forged a deep partnership through their shared mission to restore and race the same historic yacht.

After purchasing Dorade in 2010, Matt and Pam spent a year returning the 1930 yawl to her original condition before setting out to recreate her golden era. Their audacious goal: to repeat all of Dorade’s legendary ocean-race victories of the 1930s—the Transatlantic, Newport Bermuda, Fastnet, and Transpacific races—and to match or better her original performance.

As Pam wrote in the book’s introduction:

“Like her creators, Olin and Rod Stephens, Matt and I were audacious enough to think we could win major ocean races with Dorade, in part because we had never tried to do it before on any vessel. Their naïve optimism was our impetus and inspiration, launching us on a course we set together... Hardest of all, Matt and I would have to overcome our own weaknesses and the differences between us. We would have to become true partners, willing to trust and support each other in ways we never had with each other... or anyone else.”

The results of that campaign exceeded even their wildest dreams. The team not only bettered Dorade’s original times in every race but also reached the podium in each, including winning the 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race overall on corrected time—77 years after Dorade’s first victory. The campaign concluded in 2015 with standout performances: second in class in a challenging, wind-whipped Transatlantic Race, and second in class and seventh overall out of 356 boats in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

Pam passed away four years after being diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. During that time, she completed her memoir, including these final sentences in the Epilogue:

“She taught Matt to be a true partner... and she taught me to take chances, to be fearless, and in writing her story, to rewrite my own. At first, I thought we were saving a beautiful old boat. Looking back on it now, I know that Dorade saved us.”

Return to Blue Water beautifully captures this dual odyssey—the Stephens brothers’ creation of a yacht that redefined modern ocean racing, and Matt and Pam’s quest to relive and reinterpret that legacy as both sailors and soulmates.

Purchase your copy at The Sailing Museum, 365 Thames Street in Newport or at the Museum's online bookstore, and relive Dorade’s inspiring return to blue water.