A yacht to enjoy at Nautical Museum

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- Newport Beach loves yachts. But even more, Newport

Beach loves its own yachts. That’s why the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum

had its biggest opening day ever with the new exhibit, “Hot Yachts: Ocean

Racers From Topsails to Turbos.”

The majority of paintings in this exhibit by Gary Miltmore are local

boats that ring a bell with Newport Beach residents.

“They really are celebrities on the water,” said Wayne Eggleston,

executive director of the museum.

At its opening on Friday, 250 turned out to ooh and aah at the

artist’s appreciation of some of the racing yachts they’ve been oohing

and aahing at for years.

And the Newport Beach connection doesn’t stop there: Not only is the

artist local, but the half-models and large full-models of boats like

Windward Passage, Sorcery and Defender were all handcrafted by Ken

Gardiner, another Newport Beach local. Even the museum is a vessel of

local esteem, the riverboat Pride of Newport.

“This is very much a Newport Beach exhibit and it meets our mission

statement to feature those things particular to Newport Beach,” Eggleston

said.

Its appeal, he said, is personal. The paintings flaunt the artist’s

expertise on the waters -- Miltmore’s own sailing credentials include

offshore and even transatlantic races, the Newport to Bermuda Classic and

the China Sea Race from Hong Kong to Manila.

“Already, the exhibit has drawn lots of new faces and people directly

related to the yachts in the exhibit,” Eggleston said.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .

FYI

WHAT: “Hot Yachts,” an exhibit of 25 original paintings plus

photographs and models of racing yachts

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday until March 15

WHERE: The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, 151 E. Coast Highway, on

board the Riverboat Pride of Newport

COST: Free

PHONE: For more information, call (949) 675-8864