Unveiling the Chelsea Clock Mariner Perpetual Trophy

Chelsea Clock Mariner Trophy –Marblehead to Halifax Race 2011 Chelsea Clock
Mariner Trophy

Come July 10, 2011, yacht racers from across the country and around the world will have something brand new to set their sights on: the Chelsea Clock Mariner Trophy – an exclusive perpetual trophy created for the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race 2011 (in conjunction with the Annapolis to Newport Race 2011), the biennial sailing event that challenges sailing enthusiasts on a 363-nautical-mile course from Marblehead, Massachusetts to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“Chelsea Clock is honored to be a part of this exciting sailing event,” says JK Nicholas, CEO of Chelsea Clock. “The Marblehead to Halifax Race is a challenging international competition that draws best-in-class racers from all corners of the world. As a company with a long, rich history of marking time at sea, we are proud to create a special award that acknowledges such notable winning achievements and celebrates the adventurous spirit of today’s competitive sailors.”

Race entrants in both the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race 2011 and the Annapolis to Newport Race 2011 in the IRC, PHRF, PHRF Cruising Canvas or Double-Handed divisions will be eligible to compete for the Chelsea Clock Mariner Trophy. First, second and third place keeper trophies, also created by Chelsea Clock, will be awarded in each of the four divisions.

The Chelsea Clock Mariner Trophy, designed as a perpetual trophy for both the Boston Yacht Club and Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, is a special edition of the company’s famed Mariner clock, first patented and produced by Chelsea in 1911. Considered one of the finest nautically-inspired clocks ever made in this country, the Mariner is a true masterpiece of American clock making. An exact reproduction of an original yacht wheel, the Mariner Trophy features Chelsea Clock’s renowned chiming Ship’s Bell mechanism, boasting eleven jeweled movements and three hundred and sixty-four brass and gold-plated precision parts. The clock’s dial is painstakingly crafted of deeply etched brass that is hand silvered and enameled. The wood base and back are crafted of solid mahogany, while the wheel’s ring and base are finished using a proprietary hand-rubbed copper bronze-finishing process. The Chelsea Clock Mariner Trophy measures an impressive 17 ½ inches high and weighs thirty-three pounds. 

One of the oldest, continuously running international yacht races in North America, the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race 2011 begins on Sunday, July 10, 2011, just outside of Marblehead Harbor. The race brings both professional and seasoned sailors from all over North America. Started in 1905 as a friendly competition between yachts sailing between Marblehead and Halifax, the race ran sporadically until 1939, when the Boston Yacht Club (third oldest yacht club in the United States) teamed forces with the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (the oldest yacht club in North America) and formalized the biennial event. Since then, the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race has run continuously, alternating with the Newport Bermuda Race, as the pre-eminent North Atlantic Ocean Race. For more information on the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race, visit www.marbleheadtohalifax.com