Dear Sir,

It was an excellent page of information on the Newport Bermuda Race in today’s newspaper (June 18), except that you left out what is surely the most interesting and significant historical feature of Bermuda’s connection with the Newport Bermuda Race: that a 37ft — 42ft, including her bowsprit — ketch, built in Bermuda in 1897 out of Bermuda cedar, sailed in the Newport Bermuda Race four times; namely in 1923, 1924, 1932 and 1934.

Not only that, she won the 1923 race, or maybe it was her class.

She sailed in the races against the likes of John Alden in his Malabar, Robert Bavier in Memory and other notable sailors of that era.

Dainty was raced by Alfred Darrell, together with a number of his brothers, the most notorious of which was Bert. Dainty broke her mooring during Hurricane Emily in 1987 and sustained enough damage that I could not face the prospect of “starting again” and rebuilding her.

As she was then 90 years old and, given that I had hoped to give her to the Maritime Museum when she turned 100, I donated her to the museum. My wife and I raised enough financial contributions from local people and businesses that we were able to “somewhat restore her” with the necessary TLC that I believe only Joe and Wendy could have provided.

She resides at the museum, requiring a facelift and awaiting considerable further financing to build an appropriate extension of the boat loft so that Dainty, and the museum’s collection of Bermuda boats also awaiting refurbishment, can be properly displayed.

I’m working on it.

MICHEL DREW