New York
Classic Week 2008
Concours d’Elegance
- Oct
2, 2008
"Pride of Baltimore II" wins Concours d'Elegance.
Dennis Conner is the judge and presents bottle of Moet & Chandon as prize.
One of the most sought after prizes among classic yachts is the Concours d’Elegance, a beauty contest to determine which yacht has been best maintained, polished and presented according to authentic standards.
The
judge of this year's Concours d’Elegance
was America's most famous sailor, Dennis Conner.
Dennis knows quite a bit about classic yachts having restored "Cotton Blossom II" and campaigned her in the Mediterranean where she won races and Concours competitions. More recently, Dennis has acquired the classic yacht "Brushfire" and has been campaigning her on the West Coast.
The judge and his panel was ready and they began the dock walk stopping by "Black Watch," "America II," "When And If" and "Pride of Baltimore II." At each stop, Dennis used his encyclopedic knowledge of sailing and classic yachts to identify what each had done very well and where improvement could be achieved.
When the judges got to "Pride II," it appeared as if the crew had gone home and she was not going to be judged. But then captain and crew sprang from below decks dressed in blue blazers and greeted Dennis and his panel of judges. As the Pride II crew went to their stations around the yacht, Dennis walked carefully with the captain and first mate studying all the layers of skill, knowledge, craftsmanship and hard work which went into making the Pride II the gleaming, professional and proud vessel she is today.
At the regatta dinner that evening, Dennis took the floor and announced the results, presenting Captain Jan Miles of Pride of Baltimore II with a magnum of Moet & Chandon champagne as congratulations for winning the Concours d’Elegance.
