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| BVI Spring Regatta - Blackfish |
Carolyn and Ron Zarrella, from Nantucket, Mass, launched
their stunning Taylor ’49 Blackfish
in 2017, and the boat is special to the couple for many reasons. Over and above
being a true beauty, significantly it brought the pair together.
They met some
ten years ago when Carolyn was Sailing Director at the Great Harbor Yacht
Club on Nantucket – Ron had moved to the area and wanted to learn about local
sailing conditions. He owned a 32’ Nantucket Alerion (a modified hull-molded
wooden boat and 1916 Herreshoff design) and the two became acquainted as he began
racing his boat locally.
An avid sailor with Trans-Atlantic racing and three Sydney
to Hobarts under his belt, Ron missed big boat racing however, and thought
about building a boat. He sought Carolyn’s help and before long Carolyn was having
significant input into the ultimate look and feel of Ron's new boat. They fell
in love and tied the knot in 2016.
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| Blackfish owners Carolyn & Ron Zarrella |
Blackfish is a "Spirit of Tradition" boat designed by Jim Taylor and built by Steve White of the
Brooklyn Boatyard in Maine.Taylor’s work on Blackfish came about after Ron and Carolyn saw Dreadnought, a Taylor 49c, in Maine.The Zarrella’s were big on aesthetics and being based part of the year in Nantucket, they thought a boat like Dreadnought would fit there perfectly. They also knew that they wanted to race rather than cruise, so the overall design was modified to accommodate more race-ready parameters, Taylor explained.
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| Top right: Designer Jim Taylor |
Primarily designed to compete with other classics( she’s done well in
classic fleets the past few summers racing in New England), Blackfish does have a modern keel, rudder and a carbon fiber mast.
“The cabinhouse on Blackfish is one showerstall shorter than Dreadnought so
the cabinhouse became 24” shorter, and the cockpit moved 24” forward - these
changes made for less interior space but actually, it’s a considerably a more
attractive boat,” Taylor commented. “Those changes made a surprising difference.”
Taylor’s proud of the fact that Blackfish does
what she was specified to do and be: drop-dead gorgeous above deck and a race boat below.
“People look at the
boat and don’t expect too much,” Taylor says. “She looks old school and looks
like she behaves old school but she’s a race boat for sure.”
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| BVI Spring Regatta - Blackfish |
In the Caribbean for the first
time this year, she raced the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival where she was undoubtedly one of
the most beautiful boats on the docks. First time sailing under the CSA (Caribbean Racing Association) rule which
arguably didn’t do Blackfish any favors, she placed 7th overall in CSA Racing 2, and the Zarrella’s discovered that BVI competition was tougher than anticipated. Taylor trimmed main, Ron helmed, and Carolyn called tactics. Friends from New England and
boat captain David Abramski filled crew positions - spinnaker and jib trim,
mast and bow.
“We loved BVI racing – the venues, the courses – around islands
and rocks - we don’t get to do a lot of that kind of racing on the east coast,”
Ron said. “We are used to winning more (laughs) but the competition was very different. I questioned whether our boat fit there before we even went but we
always finished in the middle of the pack against really good sailing, really
top sailors - we were humbled and we learned a lot! We could have sailed better
but we’d been off the boat for 4-5 months and we’re just getting back into it.
The BVI was a great place to do that and it’s a spectacular place to sail.”
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| BVI Spring Regatta - Blackfish |
This week Blackfish is racing Antigua Classic Yacht
Regatta and the Zarrella's are looking forward to going up against more “like-minded” boats. As Ron says with a certain degree of seriousness mixed with humor, they didn’t build their
boat to race against plastic boats...
After Antigua, Blackfish
will be shipped back to Brooklyn Boatyard for a symmetrical spinnaker, pole, and
track on the mast ((she's currently set up with an asymmetrical spinnaker) so she can be better equipped for round-the-buoy windward-leeward
racing this summer in New England where they'll also compete in the Panerai Classic Yacht Challenge series.
“We’re really enjoying our boat and just love classics, especially
the theme of “Spirit of Tradition” boats,” Carolyn said. “We're typically racing to
the CRF (classic rating formula), against yawls and schooners over 100 years
old. It’s really fun.”
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| BVI Spring Regatta - Blackfish |
“Spirit of Tradition boats are all about the
design, not necessarily the materials they are built of. It is imperative they
have a nice sheer as this is the key to a pretty yacht and is what
differentiates a modern practically minded design from a more classic,
aesthetically driven one.”
Richard Gregson, Wooden
Ships Yacht Brokers
Photo Credit: www.ingridabery.com
