Monday, August 24, 2026 | 5–7 p.m. | The Sailing Museum, Newport
The Sailing Museum, in Newport, R.I., will host a special reading and panel discussion on Monday, August 24, celebrating a new book about one of sailing’s most famous yachts: the 1930 yawl Dorade. Admission is free.
Return to Blue Water explores Dorade, her pioneering designers, Olin and Rod Stephens, and her current owners and crew who successfully returned the historic yacht to the world’s great ocean races.
The evening will feature Pamela Healy, an Olympic medalist, Dorade crewmember, and friend of the book’s late author, Pam Rorke Levy, one of Dorade's owners until her passing last year. Pamela will be joined by other members of the Dorade crew for selected readings and a conversation about the book, the yacht, its remarkable sailing history, and the author who brought the story together.
Pamela Healy, 1992 Olympic sailing bronze medalist and vice commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club
A Yacht That Changed Ocean Racing
Designed by a young Olin Stephens and launched in 1930, Dorade became one of the most influential offshore racing yachts of the 20th century. The slender yawl sailed by Olin and his brother Rod Stephens achieved a series of victories that established both the boat and her designers on the international stage.
More than 80 years later, Dorade’s current owners and crew set out to prove that the yacht could still compete successfully in the races that made her famous. Between 2012 and 2015, the team undertook an ambitious bluewater campaign inspired by Dorade’s original achievements.
The program will explore both chapters of the story: Dorade’s breakthrough successes during the 1930s and the modern campaign that brought the yacht back to offshore racing at the highest level.
Remembering Author Pam Rorke Levy
The evening will also celebrate the late Pam Rorke Levy and her work documenting Dorade’s extraordinary history. Pamela Healy and members of the crew will share their memories of the author, discuss the creation of the book, and reflect on the people whose commitment has kept Dorade sailing.
Guests will have an opportunity to hear passages from the book and engage the panel in discussion of yacht design, restoration, teamwork, offshore racing, and the preservation of maritime history.
Purchase at the Sailing Museum gift shop or online at Bluewater Books & Charts