The 21st annual Scallop Cup was in full-effect on Saturday, October 20 as a small regatta of dedicated sailors tacked around Nantucket Harbor. About a dozen sailors came from off-island with homemade Cape Cod Frosties. No, it’s not a beverage. Frosties are small boats that people build at home and pray they float. “They’re pretty funny looking little sailboats,” said Nantucket Community Sailing Executive Director Nic Judson. Judson helps out Nat Philbrick who has been a part of the event since its inception in 1986.
"It's a great organic off-season event," said Philbrick, "There's no better time to sail on Nantucket than the fall. What's neat about this is there's really not a regatta like this."
“In the old days, you’d get 30 or 40 of these things to sail in Hyannis at what used to be The Dockside, they’d sail every Sunday in the winter,” Judson explained about the race’s heritage. Now, in Nantucket’s unusually warm waters, these Frosties aren’t looking so chilly, and the sailors had a grand old time doing what they love. “It’s a fun deal,” said Judson, “It’s something that, in the fall, you get people together who have a shared interest in sailing. It’s an opportunity for people that sail to share that experience and do a little racing.”
"Even though they don't race these boats anymore in any other regatta," said Philbrick, "they keep coming back for more because it's so much fun."
Take a look below at our slideshow from the spirited and exciting event, and, for more on sailing in Nantucket, check out our in-depth coverage from Race Week 2007 on Nantucket.
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