Charles Townsend (in white) at the helm of his beloved Fidelio, a Sparkman & Stephens 39, during the 2016 New Yo rk Yacht Club Race Week. Fidelio, built in Germany in 1956, is a sister to the famous Fi nisterre, winner ofthree consecutive Bermuda races (1956, 1958, and 1960). Mr. Townsend purchased her six years ago and has actively sailed her in races throughout New England. He has owned dozens of boats over the years, but Fidelio is his favorite. A creation of Olin Stephens, Fidelio is "a genius design"-beamy and not the traditional long lean hull of most ocean racers. According to Townsend, "she is shaped like a watermelon but fast as a rocket."
Mr. Townsend served as commodore of the New York Yacht C lub from 2007-2008. He is a strong supporter of the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) in N ewport, Rhode Island. Founded in 1993, IYRS offers world-class experiential education through three accred ited schools: the School of Composites Technology, the School of Boatbuilding & Restoration, and the School of Marine Systems. Mr. Townsend, who has served as its trustee and vice chairman, was recently elected to lead IYRS as chairman. He is proud of the work that IYRS does, providing motivated students with valuable skills in the maritime industry and solid employment prospects: "It really works." In addition to his work with IYRS, he also serves as an advisory board member of the World Ocean Observatory, and actively supports the Herreshoff M arine Museum and the South Street Seaport Museum. As chairman of Conde Nast, C harles Townsend has seized the opportunity to lead his readership to a wider appreciation of the world of sailing. The National Maritime Historical Society is honored to recognize his support, dedication, and leadership with the Distinguished Service Award . The award will be presented by fellow yacht racer, George W. Carmany III, recipient of this award in 2014. Dinner chairman George Carmany III will present the NMHS D istinguished Service Award to Charles Townsend. The International Yacht Restoration School has two campuses in Rhode Island, in downtown Newport and nearby Bristol. The school s Restoration Hall (right) is an 18,000-square-Joot waterfront building that serves as the school's main teachingfacility. It has been completely refitted as an open-space shop where students work on coursework and projects. An elevated catwalk allo ws faculty, family, and visitors to observe work in p rogress. !YRS provides the opportunity fo r students to learn by doing. In the boat restoration program, for example, students start out their first year restoring Beetle Cat boats and work their way up to larger projects. Each summer, selected students also get the opportunity to work as interns for Coronet Restoration Partners on the historic 1885 yacht Coronet. In addition to the boat restoration p rogram, students can concentrate in two other tracks: the School of Composites Technology, and the School ofMarine Systems. For those seeking a bachelors degree, partnerships with three area colleges allow fo r the transfer of !YRS credits to their undergraduate programs. Post-IYRS employment rates are impressive. The school states that, on average, the job placement rate for each program is around 85%, though that number has been as high as 96% as recently as the Class of March 2014. (www.iyrs.edu)
SEA HISTORY 156, AUTUMN 2016
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