MARBLEHEAD — Race Week, a tradition in the town that goes back 133 years, is back, beginning Thursday, July 28, with a new name and a slightly different format.
This year, it’s the Boston Yacht Club that will serve as host. The event rotates among three clubs — Eastern, Corinthian, and Boston.
Bonnier Events, which runs the racing series that includes the Marblehead Regatta, has rebranded the event as the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series.
The big change is that this year, the series will include more than just one-design boats.
Formerly called the National Offshore One-Design Regatta, the Sailing World Regatta Series encompasses more than larger one-design boats. Embracing popular fleets at each location, the regatta series now features many different boat types: dinghies, multihulls, and keelboats that race under established handicap systems.
The Helly Hansen Sailing World series will continue the traditions that have made it a sailor-favorite series like its post-racing parties and social events at each yacht club, and awarding one top-finishing team at each regatta a chance to compete in the overall season championship, held in the British Virgin Islands in October.
“The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series has grown exponentially since its inception and now reaches a very broad audience. It only made sense to evolve with the all-inclusive nature of our events,” said Sarah Renz, director for sailing events for Bonnier Corp. “The sport has evolved dramatically since Sailing World started this series more than 30 years ago, and our goal is to reflect the evolution in our name and branding. It remains a national series, but there’s now much more than just offshore one-designs.”
In 2022, the regatta series will feature races for cruising sailors, long-distance sailors, one-design fleets, handicap keelboat classes, dinghies, and even remote-control sailboat racing. Competitors can expect the ever-popular social events with new and exciting additions to the nightly parties.
Bonnier Corp. is an American outdoor adventures company with a broad portfolio of experiential events. Helly Hansen, founded in Norway in 1877, develops professional-grade apparel. It is a leader in both technical sailing and performance ski apparel. Its ski uniforms are worn and trusted by more than 50,000 professionals and can be found on Olympians, National Teams, and at more than 200 ski resorts and mountain guiding operations around the world.
