The 83 ft motor yacht Black Night was built in Boothbay Maine in 1968. It is currently completing restoration in Newport Shipyards which have taken about 3 years and involved many craftsmen including several IYRS alumni.

The boat was built originally for Richard Mellon, president of the Mellon bank and was initially called Cassiar, who used it for sword-fishing in the North Atlantic. In 1978 his widow Constance donated it to Johns Hopkins University where it became a research vessel. Soon after, however, William Combs bought it and used it in the Newport area in several functions including as a race committee boat, after renaming it Black Night. It was to be the committee boat of the Americas Cup in the historic race of 1983 when Dennis Conner in Liberty lost the cup to Australia, thus ending the longest 132 years winning streak in sports history held by the New York Yacht Club.

In 1986 was sold to a Swedish businessman who took it in many parts of the world and hosted many celebrities. In 2001 in the 150 years jubilee anniversary of the Americas cup she hosted Princess Anne to watch the Cowes race around the Island of Wight in England. In 2007 the boat was taken to the Newport Shipyard for major restoration. The boat remains in the family of the same Swedish owner who bought her but passed away in 2002.

The photographs, for this entry, were contributed by our fellow alumni Sam Leuschner (08) and David Cox (01), who have been on this restoration along with Carson Agnew (02), Tom Goddard (08), Brian Kelly (09) and Will Sofrin (01)