Review August 2019

REVIEW

NANTUCKET August 2019

REVIEW NANTUCKET AUGUST 2019

home • garden • lifestyles • art • weddings NantucketOnline.com • IslandWeddingsOnline.com

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REVIEW NANTUCKET

August

• Lifestyles • home • garden • Art • Weddings

ANDERSON PUBLISHING | Box 1018 Nantucket, MA 02554 | P: 508.228.3866 | F: 508.228.9576

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Dear Readers,

Nantucket, a place unto itself. Its initial wealth came from the whaling days when majestic brick mansions and columned houses built by wealthy sea captains. Later it developed into a summer resort.

And yes, today, as a summer resort, the secret is out! The island is changing, but I do not feel that her beauty has disappeared. We just share it now with more people. The Grey Lady of the Sea is like a woman, so beautiful in her youth, but as she ages, that beauty does not disappear, it goes inward, more beautiful with the being of her essence and mature wisdom. It is the same with Nantucket. Her beauty is still here, you may just need to look a little harder.

The crowds, the cars, and development have removed some of that youthful beauty we first knew, but if you love her, the beauty is still there. The sky is still one of the clearest I know, the ocean and sandy beaches are pristine, the moors dress up in jewel tones in the fall and the cobblestones that line Main Street, coupled by mature, stately elm trees, are an undeniable beauty. The Nantucket Bay scallop is still a sweet, succulent pearl, harvested by devoted fishermen in the fall and winter, for us to enjoy. It is shipped off-island where people are willing to pay top dollar to enjoy just a little bit of heaven on their palate. Why, because it is the essence of Nantucket, a rare beauty still. The restaurants serve the freshest of fish, caught from our immaculate waters. You will understand when you are here and served fish prepared by a Nantucket chef.

Nothing compares.

So, please, do not be cynical when you say Nantucket has changed. Yes, she has. Everything that is alive changes . . . that is life. It is up to you to see her beauty still. It is up to us to help her maintain her beauty to the fullest. We must be guardians, always mindful of what we can do to preserve her for future generations.

More people, more cars, more houses, do not increase her life span or benefit the generations to come. Be mindful . . . we do not want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. We need to protect this God-given sanctuary and her natural beauty.

Organization and Town boards need to protect her in every way possible, so that those that have enjoyed her still will, and those that come after us can.

Be mindful of how you treat this grand, aging lady, she deserves our help and respect. And yes, she is still beautiful.

Sincerely,

Deborah Anderson Publisher

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living by the sea

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CONTENTS AUGUST EVENTS CALENDAR

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IT’S AUGUST – BLUES, PINKS AND WHITES!

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It’s the thick of summer on Nantucket.

The island is alive again with people .

The colors of Nantucket in August are stunning.

Flowers are in bloom, hot pink sunsets, blue skys and crisp white clouds.

NANTUCKET BLUE BOOK OF REAL ESTATE

See the “best of the best” brokers and agents to contact for sales and rentals on Nantucket. View some stunning properties that are available..

THE OPERA HOUSE CUP

Like so many other things associated with Nantucket, the Opera House Cup is so much bigger than the sum of its parts. Gwen Gaillard began it all!

ISLAND WEDDINGS

Wedding phototographers and vendors have a special touch for creating what couples have dreamed about.

NANTUCKET WEDDINGS

A wedding on Nantucket will evoke a lifetime of memories.

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ANDERSON PUBLISHING p ub l ishe r & e di t o r Deborah M. Anderson design, imaging & prepress Anderson Publishing s e n i o r d ir e cto r o f di gi t al gr a phic s a n d pr i nt p ro d uc tio n Gustavo Gonçalves o f fi ce ma nag er Angela Gray p u bl i c a t i on a nd o nl i ne sa l es ma nager Rebecca Devine w e bs ite man ag er Kelly Emery c o n t r ib uti ng p ho to g ra p he rs Deb Anderson Terry Pommett Zofia & Co. c o ntr i bu ting w r ite rs Andrew Spencer pr o o fre ad er Laura Ortiz cir cu la ti on

REVIEW is available on local newsstands and sold at Barnes & Noble and through Amazon.com Other sales are through subscription on our Website: NantucketOnline.com Complimentary issues are distributed by our advertisers and at local events.

Nantucket REVIEW 2019 all rights reserved.

Reproduction of any part of this publication by any means without permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Requests for copies, subscriptions, advertising inquiries and editorial or photographic submissions should be sent to:

ANDERSON PUBLISHING

Box 1018, Nantucket, MA 02554 Tel: 508.228.3866 Fax: 508.228.9576 E-mail: office@NantucketOnline.com

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AUGUST on nantucket

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August

Events

What’s happening now!

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Thursday _ Saturday

August 1 – 11am and 6pm, August 2 – 7pm, August 3 – 6:30pm • Join us for Nantucket by Design, the Nantucket Historical Association’s premier summer fundraiser. This week of events during the height of Nantucket’s summer season celebrates the very best in creative and inspirational design across many fields and disciplines. • View site for different performance locations. • 508-228-1894 • nha.org

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UN-LEASHED: Animal Wonderland

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Nantucket Summer Antiques Show

Friday

Friday _ Monday

6:30pm – 11pm • Join us for one of Nantucket’s most-anticipated events of the summer. This year’s theme, “Animal Wonderland”, will take you on an extraordinary journey, while raising funds for homeless animals, humane education, and the many outreach and advocacy programs of Nantucket Island Safe Harbor for Animals (NiSHA). • Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm, 33 Bartlett Farm Road • 508-825-2287 • nantucketsafeharborforanimals.org

View the website for times. • The show will consist of 32 carefully selected fine antique dealers from the US and abroad offering antiques in every category that are sure to thrill collectors. • Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, 61 Sparks Avenue • 413-436-7064 • nantucketsummerantiquesshow.com

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Sunday Night Concert

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65th Annual House and Garden Tour

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4th Annual Dragonfly Fundraiser

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Annual August Fête

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Wednesday

Thursday

Thursday

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Friday

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Nantucket by Design

6pm – 7:15pm • Restless Leg Syndrome. Husband and wife duo Michael and Charity-Grace Mofsen blend a mixture of country, jazz, and traditional music into a jam-like session. • Children’s Beach, Harbor View Way.

11am – 4pm • This year’s theme is “A Summer Day on Brant Point”. Rain or Shine. Complimentary tea and gift boutique at US Coast Guard Station Brant Point. Proceeds support Nantucket conservation, scholarships, and community projects. Round-trip shuttle service from Federal Street to Brant Point beginning at 10:45am • Brant Point • nantucketgardenclub.org

5:30pm – 8pm • An event to inspire change with mental illness on Nantucket. Dragonfly will donate net proceeds to Fairwinds – Nantucket Counseling Center and NAMI Cape Cod & the Islands. • Great Harbor Yacht Club, 96 Washington Street • namicapecod.org

6pm – 9pm • Nantucket Preservation Trust’s August Fête is one of the summer’s most memorable evenings. This annual celebration of the island’s historic architecture and neighborhoods always sells out. This year’s theme is a Broadway Revival and will take place in ‘Sconset to honor the village’s historic actors’ colony. • ‘Sconset Casino, 10 New Street, ‘Sconset • 508-228-1387 • nantucketpreservation.org/events/august-fete

Pirates & Mermaids! Sail with Nanpuppets aboard Tall Ship Lynx 8:30am – 10:30am • Join Egan Maritime and Nanpuppets aboard Tall Ship Lynx for an enchanting morning sail with Nantucket’s favorite puppets, Millie the Mermaid, Clarence the Clam, Wanda the Whale and many more. Dress as your favorite pirate, mermaid or maritime character to enjoy this fanciful adventure at sea. Snacks provided. • Waypoint Marine Boat Launch, Straight Wharf. • eganmaritime.org

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Saturday _ Sunday

Nantucket Race Week Nine days of regattas, awards ceremonies and parties hosted by Nantucket Yacht Club and Great Harbor Yacht Club to benefit Nantucket Community Sailing. Nantucket Race Week is proud to be a Clean Regatta, certified by Sailors for the Sea.• 508.228.5358 • nantucketraceweek.org

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23rd Annual Boston Pops

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Family Day at the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

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Nantucket Sounds: American Troubadour Bill Schustik aboard Tall Ship Lynx

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Nantucket Autism Speaks Walk

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Tim Russert Summer Groove

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Rainbow Fleet Parade

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47th Annual Opera House Cup Regatta

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Wednesday

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Wednesday _ Friday

7pm • The Boston Pops Nantucket concert benefits Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Experience outstanding music followed by a stunning fireworks show on one of Nantucket’s most popular family beaches. Special guests The Spinners will join Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. • Jetties Beach, 4 Bathing Beach Road • nantuckethospital.org

10am – 2pm • Join Egan Maritime at the Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum for a family-friendly program full of crafts and activities for all ages.

Parting snack provided. The Nanpuppets will perform at 11:30am • Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, 158 Polpis Road • eganmaritime.org

5pm – 8pm • Join us aboard Tall Ship Lynx with renowned troubadour Bill Schustik for an evening of traditional folk music that weaves storytelling, rich history, and theatrical performance together. • Waypoint Marine Boat Launch, Straight Wharf.

9:45am start • The annual Nantucket Autism Speaks Walk is a unique fundraising event which creates a safe and fun day for families who are affected by autism. The day includes a two-mile walk, a community resource fair with educational resources, therapists, schools, recreational organizations and creative child-friendly activities. • Sandbar at Jetties Beach, 4 Bathing Beach Road. • 617-726-1515 autismspeakswalk.org/nantucket

6pm–11pm • For the past 18 years this event has evolved to become a highlight of the summer by featuring a fabulous evening of fine food and drinks and a festive dance party. • Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, 61 Sparks Avenue. • 508-228-0158 • nantucketboysandgirlsclub.org/ events/tim-russert-summer-groove/

9:40am start of race • The classic parade of Nantucket’s Rainbow Fleet around Brant Point, memorialized in the famous print by Marshall Gardner, kicks off the Opera House Cup Regatta. Boats should be in position in the harbor at 9:20am and the parade begins at 9:40am.

Spectators can watch from the beaches at Brant Point, Children’s Beach, or Coatue. • Jetties Beach, Bathing Beach Road. • 508-228-6600 • operahousecup.org

10:45am • The Opera House Cup Regatta is a cherished tradition held on the third Sunday of August on Nantucket. It is the first all-wooden, single-hulled classic boat regatta on the East Coast and attracts some of the finest sailboats in the country. The Opera House Cup Regatta is a Clean Regatta as certified by Sailors for the Sea. • 508-228-6600 • operahousecup.org

Moby Dick Rehearsed 7pm - 8:30pm • For the ninth consectutive year, Theatre Workshop and the Nantucket Historical Association join forces as John Shea leads the faithful cast mates of the Pequod on their fateful journey. One of America’s most celebrated stage and screen actors, Orson Welles, captures the great white whale in his adaptation of Moby Dick by Herman Melville. A Nantucket staple, not to be missed! • Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street • 508-228-4305 • theatreworkshop.com

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The Great Point Circle Annual Lighthouse Celebration

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Nantucket Sounds: Music with Susan Berman & Ray Saunders aboard Tall Ship Lynx

Thursday

Friday

12pm – 7pm • Grab your beach chair and join us for a festive reception featuring island-inspired fare and guided tours of the Great Point Lighthouse. Limited shuttle service is available. • Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

5pm – 8pm • Join local singer and songwriter Susan Berman and her partner Ray Saunders for an unforgettable sunset cruise aboard Tall Ship Lynx. They will perform original island-inspired songs enhanced by lively historical narratives. • Waypoint Marine Boat Launch, Straight Wharf.

View complete events calendar at NantucketOnline.com 21

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SUMMER on nantucket

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It’s

the season we live for!

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Deb Anderson

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summer

Blues

bluefish sailboats

summer skies

waves

delphinium

hydrangeas

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the

Pinks

of summer

sunsets in Madaket rosa rugosa

cotton candy

watermelon pink chanpagne

strawberry ice cream 35

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crisp is refreshing in the summer

White clam shells ocean spray

sails

vanilla ice ceam cones

tennis skirts

summer bride

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Nantucket Blue Book

Real Estate B ro k e r s Agents

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the best of the best . . .

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living in

Town

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his carefully created residence contains both the traditional infrastructure of our historic

past, yet resembles the craftsmanship of a modern establishment. Just a few feet from Main Street, this wonderfully updated Pine Street home has the framework to illustrate the configuration of an original 1830s Nantucket masterpiece.

Three floors of historical charm with four bedrooms, four baths, dining room, and several living rooms, creates a vibrant playground for gathering with family and friends. In addition, the private fenced in yard contains a rear porch and patio, outdoor shower, and garden.

17 Pine Street $ 2,895,000.

A n g e l C o n r a d Fr a z i e r a t N a n t u c k e t R e a l t y A d v i s o r s 15 North Beach Street, 2A • 508.367.9557 • angel@nantucketrealtyadvisors.com

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Town

stay awhile

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he Levi Starbuck House is one of Nantucket’s earliest and most exquisite examples of Greek Revival architecture. Built in 1838 and renovated in 2003,

this twelve room, five bedrooms, five and one-half

bathrooms residence has been carefully maintained with attention paid to preserve a myriad of historic features. The three levels of finished living space are introduced by a grand front entry porch, leading to an elegant foyer with a beautiful staircase with original wood detail, and a double parlor with two fireplaces. With views of Nantucket Harbor and unparalleled craftsmanship throughout, this is truly one of the most desirable offerings in all of historic downtown Nantucket.

14 Orange Street 5 beds/ 5 full baths, 1 half bath $4,950,000.

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A n g e l C o n r a d Fr a z i e r a t N a n t u c k e t R e a l t y A d v i s o r s 15 North Beach Street, 2A • 508.367.9557 • angel@nantucketrealtyadvisors.com

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tunning newly constructed contemporary beach compound with sweeping 1st-floor water views. The main house is 5 bedroom, 5 and 3 half bath with over 5,500 sq ft. of living space. There is a guest cottage, gunite pool, and luxurious cabana surrounded by extensive and thoughtfully designed hardscape. Less than 50 yards from the property is a grassy path to Squam Beach, and abutting the property is over 300 acres of unbuildable Nantucket Conservation Foundation land offering a unique and private setting. The chic and stylish estate was thoughtfully conceived and executed. This stunning property is offered turnkey and is available for immediate occupancy for family and friends to enjoy this summer!

Squam

stay awhile

56 Squam Road $8,595,000.

J Pepper Frazier Company 19 Centre Street • 508.228.3202 • jpfco.com

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Monomoy

seaside living

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eautiful brand new construction by Graham Goldsmith Architecture and decorated by Christopher’s of Nantucket. Delectable views of both Nantucket harbor and Monomoy creeks make this property a rare find. Three full floors of just completed living space include 6 bedrooms, a wonderful open floor plan, stately kitchen, see through fireplace, bonus office and media rooms, as well as spacious garage. A wrap around porch and nicely landscaped blue stone patio. This house has a refined and stylish feel that appreciates the dazzling water views. Private path access from the top of the driveway to Monomoy beach leads to summer boating or paddle board fun. Too many wonderful details to list, this special property really must be seen to be appreciated. Home has approved pool permit.

10 Monomoy Creek Road $5,495,000.

J Pepper Frazier Company 19 Centre Street • 508.228.3202 • jpfco.com

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Monomoy

serenity by the sea

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ouse is brilliantly sited on a natural peninsula to take advantage of views of both the Nantucket Harbor, Town and Monomoy creeks, stunning Brant Point sunsets, and easy direct beach access. Brand new construction with sophisticated and classic architecture lines and no execution detail excluded. This home boasts a spacious and deluxe chef’s kitchen, flowing floor plan, media room, central elevator, 6 bedrooms all en suite, and picture perfect balconies for sailboat viewing. Exterior features include wrap around porches, a lovely pool with integrated hot tub, stone gas fire pit and large blue stone patios.

12 Monomoy Creek Road $15,995,000.

J Pepper Frazier Company 19 Centre Street • 508.228.3202 • jpfco.com

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Town

island living

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agnificent

on

Martins

Lane.

In-town turn key renovation with abundant

light, private garden area and exquisite architectural finishes located on a unique brick lane that is steps to Lower Main Street.

Renovated from top to bottom with the finest materials and craftsmanship. Being sold completely furnished and great rental history.

Town $2,395,000.

Marybeth Gibson at Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty 37 Main Street • 508.325.2897 • marybeth@maurypeople.com

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The

Opera House Cup

by ANDREW SPENCER photography by TERRY POMMETT

“What wonder, then, that these Nantucketers, born on a beach,

should take to the sea for a livelihood…

Two-thirds of the terraqueous globe are the Nantucketer’s.

For the sea is his. He alone in Bible language goes down to it in ships.

There is his home; there lies his business.”

– Herman Melville Moby Dick

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Nantucket’s Rainbow Fleet

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ere it not for the ill-fated whaleship Essex, it is entirely

just as there’s a story behind “Moby Dick”, so, too, is there a

possible that Nantucket would never have achieved her status

great story behind one of the greatest sailboat races to be

as a literary icon. However, as American literature students

found anywhere in the world.

the world over know all too well, the Essex was stove-in by a whale, Melville wrote “Moby Dick” and the rest is literary

Anyone who has been around Nantucket for many years has

history. Regardless of your feelings for the novel, there’s no

some recollection of the Opera House. I remember standing

questioning Nantucket’s status as the whaling capital of the

outside the restaurant one summer night during my childhood,

world in the early 19th century. The maritime tradition that

talking to my friend Chris Lowenstein and trying to figure out

sprang from the early whaling days survives today, but in a dra-

whose turn it was to pay at the Sweet Shop. My ninety-five-

matically different format. Sailboats still launch from Nantucket

year-old neighbor Bea Leger recalls the time that Judy

harbor daily, but these days, many of them are headed out to

Garland—“Judy Gaaahland,” as she tells the story – sang at

the racecourse to test their skills rather than out to the whaling

the restaurant, and as word circulated through town that the

grounds to make a living. One of the best-known races in the

young star was performing, people came from everywhere to

Nantucket sailor’s lexicon is the famed Opera House Cup.

listen. And the list of those who worked at the restaurant includes members of

Nantucket’s who’s who, like Cinco

Like so many other things associated with Nantucket, the

Restaurant owner Michael Sturgis and photographer Terry

Opera House Cup is so much bigger than the sum of its parts.

Pommett. Truly, the Opera House was a place of legends, both

Like so many other people, places and events on this magical

present and future.

island, there’s a great story behind it. And the story of the Opera House Cup begins with a little restaurant down on

Inside the restaurant, Gwen would sit at her table – Table 1 –

South Water Street called the Opera House and a strong-

and greet patrons as they arrived. “She was like Martha

willed lady with her own story to tell, Gwen Gaillard. Because

Stewart before Martha Stewart” remarked her son Michael

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Gaillard. And her restaurant was legendary. “The Nantucket restaurant scene back then wasn’t what it is today,” said Michael. “It was a lot more casual. But Gwen brought in that New York City sophistication. She was the first one to have Häagen-Dazs ice cream on Nantucket. She was the first to have escargot. She really raised the bar for restaurants on the island.”

Working together with her husband Harold, Gwen managed to create a formal Nantucket institution, in every sense of the word. And it stayed formal for many years — coat and tie were de rigueur — until Harold’s death in 1972. Harold was the more formal one of the pair, whereas Gwen had something of a wild side to her, a side that she kept in abeyance during her days of running the front of the house at the Opera House.

But after Harold’s passing, Gwen “let her hair down,” according to her son. A new, more relaxed atmosphere rose up from the formal airs Harold had left behind. But underneath that new casual savoir faire was the sadness that accompanied her husband’s death.

But the story of the Opera House Cup is one of joy, not sadness, so our story does not end there. Rather, it’s only beginning. It was the new casual atmosphere that was created by Harold’s passing that helped to brighten the somber mood. Sailors — charter boat captains who offered day sails from Nantucket

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White Hawk in Nantucket Sound

Here was a woman who had fished with Ernest Hemingway, hunted with Babe Ruth and sailed with Errol Flynn.

—began to congregate more and more inside the restaurant.

These old salts were like Gwen’s other kids. “Gwen loved that sailor irreverence,” Michael explained. “She loved laughter.

And those guys were always good for a little irreverence and a lot of laughter.” This merry band of men of honor sensed their adopted mother’s depression. So they did what any children would do for their mother, they sought to cheer her up. And these young men, being sailors, did what they did best: they took her out sailing with them.

Gwen, as it turns out, was no stranger to sailing herself. She grew up in New York, sailing in wooden-hulled Stars. She loved to sail, and she loved to compete in races, but most of all, she loved the camaraderie that came with sailing. So when her young friends invited her out on their old wooden-hulled boats, she gladly accepted. As a sailor, she appreciated the company and the entertainment these trips afforded her; as a former antique shop owner, she appreciated the older boats, with their graceful lines and wooden hulls created with skill and craftsmanship.

Gwen Gaillard, the originator of the Opera House Cup, in her glory.

Here was a woman who had fished with Ernest Hemingway, hunted with Babe Ruth and sailed with Errol Flynn. She caught a 792-pound bluefin tuna on a rod-and-reel off Nova Scotia.

She was a celebrity restaurateur before such a concept even existed. The world was her oyster.

But it was the simple charm of old wooden sailboats that buoyed her spirits when she needed it most. It was those old

wooden sailboats that remained her true love.

Time passed, and Gwen regained her happy spirit as she kept the Opera House going strong, welcoming all who darkened the door. While sitting at the bar one summer evening, a bunch of those sailors who had come to her aid were lamenting the fact that all the modern sailboat races were geared towards the new, sleek, faster fiberglass-hulled boats. The old wooden boats were literally being left for dead in the water in the world of competitive sailing.

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention, and Gwen saw the need for a sailboat race featuring the old boats that she loved so dearly and that had helped her when she’d needed it most. Then and there she offered to host the awards party for any such race held in Nantucket Sound, and even went so far as to offer an old silver wine bucket as the trophy.

And thus was born the Opera House Cup race.

Opera House maitre d’ Chick Walsh summoned his friend Dick Deutsch at the Nantucket Yacht Club to assist with the organization, and the pair formed a race committee. That committee decided on a race scoring system that would allow boats of different lengths to race on equal footing, and the first-ever race for the Opera House Cup was scheduled for the third Sunday in August 1973.

Chick Walsh (on the left)

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From humble beginnings, the Opera House Cup has grown to become one of the most prestigious wooden boat races on the East Coast.

A 54-foot mahogany and white oak yawl named Mariner won

of the most prestigious wooden boat races on the East Coast.

that first race in 1973, held on August 16, but it seems that victory wasn’t so much the ultimate goal of the day. Rather, it

Now we fast-forward to 1995 when a group of Nantucket

was all about that fun and camaraderie on the water that had

sailors—in what could be called a near-mimicking of their

fostered Gwen’s love of sailing from the start. “It was all about

Opera House brethren some twenty-two years earlier — were

a good day on the water,” recalled Michael Gaillard. “It was

lamenting the fact that easy public access to sailing on

about a good day being had by all. And it just happened to

Nantucket was remarkably limited. Given the Island’s maritime

be a race, too.” Back at the Opera House, Gwen remained

history, they felt the need to do something to correct this

true to her word. A silver wine bucket — the same one that is

situation. That group of dedicated men and women created

hoisted today by the winning crew — was filled with Dom

Nantucket Community Sailing with the primary purpose of

Pérignon and the champagne shared with all in attendance.

making access to the water on Nantucket easy for everyone.

The ensuing revelry lasted until the wee hours.

To that end, Community Sailing has set up two sailing centers on the Island and offers lessons to individuals and groups,

Today, that friendly little get-together has grown pretty

children and adults. Taking a note from Gwen Gaillard’s own

substantially. Twelve boats raced the first year; today, it’s not

story, Nantucket Community Sailing Executive Director Nick

uncommon for close to 100 to challenge for the bucket. The

Judson told me that Community Sailing was about making

scoring system — still based on the original CCA/Storm Trysail

sailing fun for everyone at all levels.

scoring system used in the first Opera House Cup — has been adapted over the years to allow for more boats of different

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Given that both Nantucket Community Sailing and the Opera

classes to race, and there are today awards given for division

House Cup shared such similar ideals, perhaps it was

winners and class winners, as well as first to finish. But the

inevitable that the two should join together in 1998 when Nan-

sailors know that there’s one trophy that really counts, and it’s

tucket Community Sailing took over the organizational

the elusive silver wine bucket. In 1980, the Opera House Cup

duties of the Opera House Cup. The race became part of the

became one of the legs of the National Schooner Race

larger Nantucket Race Week, 10 days of sailing and festivities

Association, and in 1990 the race became an event in

that culminates with the true crowning event of the Nantucket

Wooden Boat Magazine’s Regatta Series. From humble

racing season, the Opera House Cup and the awards party

beginnings, the Opera House Cup has grown to become one

following. And there, at that moment, old rivalries are forgotten

White Hawk racing in the Opera House Cup

as new friendships are formed. The sailors on the racecourse are competitive, on that, you can bet your bottom dollar. But after the race, it’s handshakes and smiles, congratulatory pats on the back for well-sailed legs and good-natured jabs for mistimed tacks. In other words, it’s all about exactly what Gwen wanted from the beginning: a good day on the water and a good time had by all.

Gwen never missed a race in 30 years. For many of those years, she was an active participant, sailing with whatever crew was lucky enough to have her aboard; in her later years, she was relegated to the role of spectator. But one thing remained true throughout the years: the Opera House Cup was always Gwen’s race. The grande dame of South Water Street left us in the spring of 2005, but her spirit remains steadfast and her little race is still one of the major highlights of the Nantucket sailing and social calendars every summer.

Competition and post-racing revelries aside, there is one major component of the Opera House Cup that is, above all else, the true guiding spirit of the race, and that is the fact that the Opera House Cup benefits youth sailing programs on Nantucket. And that fact is something that Michael Gaillard knows his mother would have approved of: “It would be her joy that kids are benefitting from her little race,” he said with a smile.

Gwen, always looking out to sea.

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Zofia & Co.

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Island

WEDDINGS

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Katherine &

Graham Righi

Zofia & Co.

JUNE 6 . 22. 19

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Zofia & Co.

76

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CUISINE all about restaurants and take-out

NANTUCKET PHONE BOOK all about who services the Island

Home & Garden Resourse Directory for all building and garden needs

ANDERSON PUBLISHING 508.228.3866

79

Directory Anderson Publishing, Inc.

78 – 79

Miller, Carol

43

Audrey Sterk

25

55

Bellevue, Linda

43

Nantucket Architecture Group Nantucket Bike Shop

76

Nantucket By The Sea

26 – 27

BPC Architecture

14

Christopher’s Home Furnishings

17

Nantucket Diamond

IFC – 1, IBC

Cliffside Beach Club

16

NantucketOnline.com

22 – 23, 79

Coastal Charm

38 – 39

Nantucket Post-A-Notes

29

Coast Home

13

Nantucket Realty Advisors

Coffin, Carol

43

OBC, 4 – 5, 43, 45, 46 – 47

Colony Rug Company

15

Nantucket Summer Antiques Show

10

DCL Painting

28

Nantucket Windmill Auto

76

Finn’s Fish Art

24

Sarkisian, Robert

43

Four Winds Painting, Inc

2–3

September Productions

77

Frazier, Angel Conrad

OBC, 4 – 5, 43, 45, 46 – 47

T.C.E.Contractors

28

Trudel lll, John F.

43

Ty One On Sportfishing

24

Gibson, Marybeth

52 – 53

Holdgate, Dawn

43

Huber, Mimi

43

J Pepper Frazier Co.

48 – 49, 50 – 51

Michelle Duarte Anderson

28

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