By Stuart Vincent
The 15th Annual Village Cup Regatta, a friendly competition between Mather Hospital and the Village of Port Jefferson, NY sets sail on Saturday, September 7.
Presented by the Port Jefferson Yacht Club in partnership with the Village of Port Jefferson, the regatta raises funds for Mather Hospital’s Palliative Medicine Program and the Lustgarten Foundation, the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world. Last year’s event raised more than $100,000, which was divided between Mather and Lustgarten. The event has raised almost $960,000 over fourteen years and is poised to reach $1 million this year!
Courtesy of Mather Hospital
The regatta comprises yacht club-skippered sailboats divided into two teams representing Mather Hospital and the Village of Port Jefferson. Employees from the Hospital and Village, along with village residents, help crew the boats, which race in one of three classes based on boat size.
Festivities begin in Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson Village at 10 am, where you can purchase shirts, commemorative hats, nautical bags and mugs. The Memorial Parade of Boats begins at 11 am at the Port Jefferson Village dock. All sailboats participating in the regatta will pass by the park dressed in banners and nautical flags on their way out to the racecourse on Long Island Sound.
Following the regatta, a celebratory Skipper’s Reception and presentation of the Village Cup will take place in the Port Jefferson Village Center, a restored 1917 shipyard building. To sign up as a crew member for the Mather Hospital team, contact Cindy Court at 631-476-2723 or ccourt1@northwell.edu. To sign up as a crew for the PJ Village team, contact Sylvia at 631-473-4724 ext. 219 or email clerk@portjeff.com.
PJYC initiated the Village Cup primarily to call attention to and support efforts to combat pancreatic cancer, which had claimed the lives of two members. The event also promotes a closer relationship between the Club and the Village.
Businesses, organizations and individuals can support the regatta and the programs it funds by sponsoring, donating, or purchasing tickets to attend the Skipper’s Reception or view the racing on a spectator boat. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit portjeffersonyachtclub.com/community/village-cup/ or facebook.com/villagecupregatta. ■
