Officine Panerai sponsors kick-off event for Nantucket’s legendary Opera House Cup and new charity Sailing Heals

Event to benefit Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center & Nantucket Cottage Hospital
 

Nantucket, MA – Officine Panerai is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a kick-off event in Nantucket August 18th to celebrate the 39th annual Opera House Cup as well as to celebrate the launch of the new non-profit organization Sailing Heals. For the second year in a row, Panerai will collaborate with Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and their local affiliate Nantucket Cottage Hospital, to take cancer patients and their caretakers out on the water, in the days and weeks following the competitive racing of the legendary classic regatta.

Many of the world’s most beautiful classic yachts will be sailing to the charming port of Nantucket to participate in this year’s Opera House Cup. High-end watch brand Panerai will kick-off the event with an Italian-themed cocktail event on the 66-year-old Nantucket Lightship, a recently restored privately-owned sailing vessel, beloved by Nantucketers and mariners alike. The on-board event will honor donors, doctors and staff of Massachusetts General Hospital and Nantucket Cottage Hospital, and will serve as the official kick-off for Panerai’s founding sponsorship of Sailing Heals, a newly-chartered independent non-profit organization based in Massachusetts. Sailing Heals’ mission is to bring cancer patients and their caretakers out on the water for days of healing and respite.

Sailing Heals Executive Director Trisha Boisvert commented, “We couldn’t be more pleased than to launch our new charity with such well-respected organizations as MGH Cancer Center, Nantucket Community Hospital and Officine Panerai. We see a true collaborative spirit among all the partners, and we look forward to taking patients and their caretakers out of the clinical environment to enjoy the healing powers of the sea.” Boisvert added that the charity will ultimately serve other regions and may be expanded to other “people in need of a rejuvenating day on the water,” but their initial focus is to draw attention to the need for ongoing care for cancer patients to help them re-claim their lives after a traumatic illness, such as cancer. “People sometimes forget that it’s not just the patients who go through the treatments, it’s the families and caregivers too. We want to celebrate their contributions as well,” Boisvert added.

“We are thrilled to partner with Panerai on this exciting event to kick-off the 2011 Opera House Cup and to celebrate the newly launched non-profit Sailing Heals,” said Sara Kelly, Senior Managing Director of Development for Massachusetts General Hospital. “We know that our patients and their caregivers appreciate a relaxing escape that a day at sea brings to their often challenging treatment schedules.”

Visitors to the island will also get to enjoy Nantucket Lightship as well as the breathtaking beauty of the classic and vintage sailboats that the OHC regatta attracts every year. All eyes and cameras will be pointed at the famous red and white Lightship, as she will have Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge flags and Sailing Heals burgees flying from her halyards and masts when she is anchored at her dedicated mooring off Brant Point throughout Nantucket Race Week.

The Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge - Opera House Cup will take place August 19th – 21st in Nantucket and is the second regatta in a three-part North American Circuit, which includes the Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta in Marblehead, MA (August 12th – 14th) and the Museum of Yachting Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport, RI (September 2nd – 4th), all sponsored by Officine Panerai.