Summer sailing on vintage boats

Do you one day aspire to own your own wooden sailing yacht, name your son Tad or Oglethorpe (or Emiliano, if you're from Italy), and loosely throw around the phrase, "I like the cut of your jib"? Well, assuming you didn't sail for the Tufts Jumbos and totally finish sixth at the 2012 Brown's Erwin Schell Trophy regatta, you'll need to get a little more familiar with the world of mildly competitive sailing. Enter: The Panerai Classic Yacht Challenge, a Summer series of regattas that takes place on both sides of the pond and features a lineup of sweet vintage boats that're heavy on history, brightwork, and brass

This old-timey map of the world symbolically depicts the Challenges' dueling circuits, one in the Mediterranean, and one on the East Coast of the US

Everything kicks off on the island of Antigua, so you should absolutely attend.

Whilst strolling the docks, don't be afraid to compliment each boat's well-polished antique hardware. And if you really want in on the racing action, it doesn't hurt ask if they need additional crew. Sometimes... just sometimes... you can actually get aboard. Now aren't you glad you raved about how nice the boat looks?

Proper attire is required, so definitely have a No. 8 shirt handy.

Prepare to get wet

Fact: Eileen is Panerai's 72-foot Bermudan ketch that they uncovered rotting in Antigua and restored on the Italian coast. Funner fact: Duran Duran shot their 1982 'Rio' video on deck. Watch it here

As you no doubt already look good in red pants, do you best to hit either Newport or Nantucket's Opera House Cup, both in August

But why look at stunning still photography when you can get a feel for what it's like on board by watching this video instead

Photos courtesy of Panerai