Melinda Vallett’s husband Chris and 15 year old daughter Natasha raced in the 45th Opera House Cup Regatta, Nantucket’s pre-eminent wooden sailboat race. Natasha was at the helm of Defiance, her family’s Wianno Senior. Defiance, built in 1969, has been completely and meticulously restored over the past twenty years, single handedly by Chris. Natasha was awarded the Gwen Gaillard Spirit of the Race award for being at the helm of Defiance and for carrying on Gwen’s vision of this being a family race. The Opera House Cup was founded by Gwen Gaillard and Chick Walsh.
Natasha has been sailing with Nantucket Community Sailing since she was 6 years old, has worked her way up through their fleet of boats, and has been an instructor in training the past two summers at their Polpis site. This was her first Opera House Cup….and will hopefully be the first of many.
Photo courtesy of James Taaffe