Hartfield family’s naval legacy comes full circle at Sail250

Commodore
The “Pal of Mine,” a classic 1968 31-foot Bertram Sportfish Boat in front of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, a 1927 four-masted topsail schooner, which serves as the Spanish Navy’s training vessel. (Contributed photos)

For Hartfield residents Katy Breuer, commodore of Mathews Yacht Club, and her husband, Captain Fernando Meléndez III, Virginia’s recent Sail250 celebration in Norfolk was far more than a spectacular parade of tall ships; it was the culmination of a remarkable family story spanning nearly nine decades.

As commodore, Breuer led the Mathews Yacht Club delegation to Sail250, where five club boats carrying more than 42 members and guests were selected to escort the Spanish Navy’s Juan Sebastián de Elcano and the Chilean Navy’s Esmeralda during the Parade of Sail. The event brought together more than 40 tall ships from around the world as part of Virginia’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with a Blue Angels flyover.

Significance

Tom Chillemi
Tom Chillemihttps://ssentinel.com
Tom Chillemi is a reporter for the Southside Sentinel.

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