[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 92 (Monday, June 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF STAR ISLAND CORPORATION AND THEIR SUCCESSFUL 
              RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC GOSPORT REGATTA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. FRANK C. GUINTA

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2012

  Mr. GUINTA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I 
congratulate the non-profit Star Island Corporation for their 
successful restoration of the historic Gosport Regatta.
  The Star Island Corporation has owned and maintained Star Island for 
almost 100 years. As part of the National Historic District located on 
the Isles of Shoals, the Corporation was desirous of re-creating a 
historic moment in time for the benefit of today's retreats and 
conferences on the island. Research into the 1875 Gosport Regatta, 
which was held to celebrate the opening of the Oceanic Hotel on the 
island, revealed that the race was won by the America, the yacht for 
which the America's Cup is named. The Captain and owner of the America, 
General Benjamin Franklin Butler, played a pivotal role in the creation 
of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln 
and the restoration of the Gosport Regatta allows for recognition of 
this important historical connection to the Star Island Retreat and 
Conference Center, on the Isles of Shoals in Rye, New Hampshire.
  I commend the Board of Directors and the Staff of the Star Island 
Corporation for their time and efforts on this restoration, and wish 
you all the best for continued success in the future.

                          ____________________