|
|
Photo Pru Sowers
Ken DiGregorio, left, and Cooper Ray have rescued the Provincetown Schooner Regatta. |
|
|
Schooner regatta rescued
Banner Daily Update posted Fri. July 13
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN – The annual schooner regatta received a last-minute reprieve Thursday when two Los Angeles men stepped up and volunteered to lead the organizing committee.
Cooper Ray and Ken DiGregorio, both of Los Angeles but who spend summers in Provincetown, met with Don Murphy, the former head of the organizing committee, and other regatta volunteers and agreed to take the reins of the four-year old sailboat race regatta. The event had been cancelled when Murphy stepped down and no one stepped up to take his place.
DiGregorio said he is an avid sailor who has been coming to Provincetown “for years.” Ray, his partner, is a new sailor but said he has experience as an event coordinator and understands how to organize and produce large events.
“With Ken’s experience as a sailor and mine as event coordinator, we think we can make it happen,” Ray said.
One of the primary challenges for the new regatta leaders will be to raise approximately $15,000 to fund the two-day event, which includes a crew party the night before the race and an awards dinner afterwards. DiGregorio said he believes the organizing committee can raise the same amount as it did last year, but he also wants to target corporate sponsors, such as Ocean Spray or Unilever, which owns the Lipton Tea brand, the namesake of the Lipton Cup, the historic local sailboat race trophy which currently resides in the Provincetown Library.
“We’d like to find a great sponsor. We’d like to get as many boats signed up as we can. We want to throw a really great crew party,” DiGregorio said, adding, “We want to be part of it and make it a great year.”
The new regatta chairmen have the blessing of Murphy and Susan Avellar, a member of past regatta organizing committees and member of the Provincetown Yacht Club.
“We felt Ken and Cooper had the interest, had the skills and with support, could fill in and make it happen,” Murphy said. “It’s a team effort. It’s going to be a lot of work but it will be a lot of fun.”
The regatta, which involves multiple races between different classes of sailboats, will include several majestic schooners that will race against each other. The race is scheduled for Sunday, September 9.
|
Commercial Street repaving moves ahead
Whitecrest isn’t breaking.
Sputnik lands at the Beachcomber & readings Mon.-Tues.
Commercial bass fishing season begins
Entire ORV route closes
Krall at Melody Tent
Thomas releases CD, has concert
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 12th, 2007