Eilean, the 1936 Bermudian ketch, splendidly restored by Officine Panerai, will be inaugurating the 2012 classic yachting season. More than five years after she left Antigua on her last legs, Eilean has returned for the first time to the Caribbean island where she was a key player for almost thirty years; this time, she will be participating in the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (April 19th -24th), the first stage of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2012.

In Antigua, Eilean will be playing an important part in a series of events to celebrate her return to the island after extensive restoration work that gave back all the harmony and beauty of her original design by William Fife III, creator of many of the finest yachts in the world, boats whose uniqueness and authenticity continue to offer an extraordinary sight during the Panerai regattas.

After the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, the 2012 season of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge will move to Europe, in keeping with tradition; the PCYC Mediterranean Circuit will be taking place from to June to late September and it is formed of races in Antibes (France), Porto Santo Stefano (Italy), Mahon (Minorca, Spain), Imperia (Italy) and Cannes (France). Conversely, in August and September the attention will be focused on the East Coast of the United States, whose waters will feature in the PCYC North American Circuit that includes the appointments of Marblehead, Nantucket, Newport.

However, during 2012, all yachting enthusiasts will be keeping a close eye on the English shores of the Channel, where all the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games will be held. Vintage yachts – including Eilean, of course – will have the opportunity to show off in the locations of this extraordinary international event, thanks to the Panerai British Classic Week (July 7th -14th), the legendary classic regatta held off the Isle of Wight and that has completed the international calendar of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge for the last two years.