First established in 1889, Marblehead Race Week is a coveted midsummer event that takes place the last full week of July. It includes Junior Race Week, which begins this Monday, July 21, and Race Week, starting Thursday July 24.
This year, the main event will be hosted by the Boston Yacht Club, although all three major yacht clubs will have their race committees out on the starting lines. The Pleon Yacht Club hosts Junior Race Week.
“Race Week for me is a special time, starting with junior and then senior race week, involving what seems like most of the town and many of its resources,” said world class sailor and sailmaker Tomas Hornos of Marblehead who will be
competing in the Etchells fleet. “It’s a showcase of the town’s summer appeal and legacy in yacht racing history. For me, it harkens back to sailing’s more historical times with black and white photos and big names that roamed the streets of old town and the Neck.
“It is also a meaningful reminder for me of why my father chose to move our family to Marblehead in the early 90s, the contrast of the beauty of late July Marblehead compared to the chaos of Buenos Aires, Argentina,” he added.
There will be 11 fleets racing and this will include North American championships for the Town Class, Viper Class and Lighting Class.
“The one design fleets in the harbor are the true-life blood of local racing and are driven by passionate people who want to share their experiences,” noted Hornos. “It is nice to see the variety of classes that get sailed with strong Town Class and Rhodes fleets alongside, global grand prix classes like the Etchells and J70.”
This year, Hornos along with Ron Zarrella and Rob Scrivenor from Nantucket and Miami respectively, are trying to defend their Etchells title from 2024.
“I’ve traditionally helmed at Race Week but the last few years I’ve decided to continue my role as crew & tactician, a skill I would like to keep sharp for when I travel for Miami winter events,” Hornos said. “Ron is a retired businessman with home base in Nantucket and sails normally in the Alerion fleet, however he has a deep passion for racing and a penchant for winning.”
The International One Design Class is also looking forward to Race Week 2025, according to longtime IOD sailor Greg Mancusi-Ungaro. In fact, the IODs have sailed in every Race Week since 1938, making the class the longest-tenured class in the mid-summer regatta. Eight teams are expected to be competing in 2025, each of them trying to earn the right to see their name engraved on the Widnall Prize the perpetual award for the Race Week winner in the
International Class.
Thus far in 2025, five different teams have claimed at least one first place finish on Saturday MRA Racing, and each of them has high hopes for Race Week honors, according to Mancusi-Ungaro. If early season results define the racing form, Bill Widnall’s team Javelin will face stiff competition from Carolyn Corbet’s team Elektra for top honors at Race Week. Greg Mancusi-Ungaro’s team Viking will do their best to claim a podium spot but face stiff challenges from
Ian and Rachel Morrison’s team Tango, Marc Labros and Brian Lee’s team Gypsey and Pete Stahle’s team Spirit. Alejandro Camino’s Kungsornen and Petter Etholm’s Pompano round out the field.
Longtime woman sailor Joan Thayer began racing in Marblehead Race Week as a young girl and looks forward to welcoming teams each year.
“All I can say is that for those of us who grew up with Race Week being a five-day event, we’re delighted that it is still a strong three- or four-day event for most classes,” Thayer said.
For more information on Marblehead Race Week visit sailingworld.com/regatta-series-marblehead/ or https://pleon.org/regatta/la2AtNoFMW.
