A Message from Stephens Waring Design
When the idea of the Camden Classics Cup started percolating almost a decade ago, one of our first partners (and our Admiral Sponsor) was our friends Bob Stephens and Paul Waring from Stephens Waring Design. Below, Bob and Paul share their thoughts on the event, their hopes for this year, speak to the enjoyment of one of our favorite pastimes—sailing.
“Stephens Waring Design is looking forward to this season’s 2024 Camden Classics Cup. This regatta represents deep beliefs for us and our mission as a company: promote good and safe competition, celebrate camaraderie among sailors, and enjoy the wonders and heritage of yacht design.
We’ve been a proud partner of Lyman-Morse and the Camden Classics Cup since its inception in 2016. Lyman-Morse has produced the only premier Big-Tent regatta event of its kind, by combining CRF and PHRF fleets they’ve created a unique sailing competition with boats spanning 12 decades of design with classic, vintage, custom, and production boats all in one venue.
Camden, Maine, is a winning location for this event. Surrounded by nautical history and stunning natural beauty, this annual gathering is a celebrated tradition—drawing sailors and spectators alike. The waters off Camden offer exceptional options for creating racecourses where we can quickly adjust in response to wind direction, and courses are easily tailored to experience the thrill of world-class yacht racing.
At the heart of the Camden Classics Cup are the boats. We can always expect a remarkable fleet of Vintage and Classic yachts to grace these waters. The mid-century modern classics and Spirit of Tradition designs represent a stylish transitional period of yacht design and construction, while the Contemporary classes and participating PHRF fleets bring a great deal of exemplary performance to round out a yacht racing demographic. This truly illustrates how a successful ‘Big Tent’ philosophy can create both a great social event, and an exceptional on-the-water experience for all sailors.
We have our eye cast particularly upon the Spirit of Tradition and Contemporary classes. These design areas interest us most in our everyday work and our enjoyment of sailing. The boats that meet the criteria for these classes bring a lot of excitement to people who are engaged in creating custom yachts for their families to enjoy, and the integration of high-tech sailing with exciting design aesthetics really raises the bar for our experience on the water at this event.
This year we expect to see a few of our designs on the course, including the 76-foot sloop Zemphira, the 68-foot sloop Isobel, the 65-foot sloop Anna, and the 39-foot sloop Wisp.
We’ll be participating aboard our 45-foot wood-composite Spirit of Tradition class yacht, Zingara. Have a look around the course to find her extra-large square-top mains’l and the enthusiastic crew who make the boat go! Then come aboard après-sail to say hi to us. For us, this yacht provides a lovely racing platform, but it is also intrinsic to our joy of cruising these coastal waters and connecting with friends and members of the sailing community.
We’re thrilled to be involved in this fantastic sailing event, and even more excited to catch up with all of you at the 2024 Camden Classics Cup. Please be well and sail fast!”
—Bob Stephens & Paul Waring
Stephens Waring Design