SAVE THE DATE: VICTORY AT SEA 2005
Saturday & Sunday, July 16-17

On Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, August 1, 2004, Battleship Cove held its 4th annual Victory at Sea Twelve Meter Charity Regatta. Chaired by Dominic DiMaggio (the former Red Sox slugger and subject of the bestselling book Teammates) and his wife, Emily, Victory at Sea drew a record 400 guests who anted up nearly $130,000 for the nonprofit's preservation and educational programs.

President Reagan's Secretary of State, General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., was Guest of Honor, and former Navy SEAL, pro-wrestler and Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura was Special Guest for the event, which included two days of races in the steely waters of Mt. Hope Bay on board America's Cup yachts and a gala dinner on board the U.S.S. Massachusetts.

Freedom, winner of the America's Cup in 1980, battled her way to victory in Saturday's races, winning the "Walter Cronkite Cup" for sponsor Feitelberg Insurance of Fall River, MA. Clinching 2nd place for the "Admiral Whiting Cup" was 1967 and 1970 America's Cup winner Intrepid, sponsored by John Keith and Shelley Hoon of Canton, MA.

After a great day of racing, guests adjourned to the battleship's fantail for haute cuisine on the high seas during an evening gala sponsored by Cardoza's Wine and Spirits, WJAR NBC 10, Blount Seafood, Corporate Image Apparel, and Lincoln Press. Hosted by political satirist Dick Flavin, Master of Ceremonies, guests enjoyed music from the Blackstone Valley Swing Band and a live/silent auction.

Two fierce contenders prevailed in Sunday's races to Newport, RI. Weaver's Cove Energy of Fall River, MA, took home the first place "Dominic DiMaggio Cup" when Intrepid, the last classic wooden yacht to defend the America's Cup, whisked past American Eagle. Ted Turner's former famous champion took the 2nd place "Veterans Memorial Cup," sponsored by the Yawkey Foundation of Dedham, MA.

The event concluded with a Bon Voyage reception at Harbor Court, the palatial clubhouse of the New York Yacht Club.

Did you know that President Kennedy watched the 1962 America's Cup Races from the deck of Destroyer Kennedy?

A 12-METER PRIMER: When the exorbitant expense of J-Boats drove them from competition as an America's Cup class after the Second World War, the Royal Yacht Squadron suggested contesting the cup in an International Rule 12-Meter. The British 12-Meter, a class that draws its title from the formula governing its design, first appeared in 1907 but didn't become popular in America until two decades later. The first 12-Meter defense of the Cup occurred in 1958 when Sceptre lost to Columbia, a yacht considered by many to be the most elegant example of the class.