Could the legendary Nina be gone for good?

In 1962, the majestic Niña shocked the sailing world as well as the trailing pack of younger challengers to win the Newport to Bermuda race.

What made the achievement even more remarkable was that the yacht’s skipper, DeCoursey Fales, was 74-years-old at the time.

It is the stuff of sailing legend – and Fales still holds the record of the oldest winning skipper of the epic race.

But the unique craft he sailed to victory in Bermuda all those years ago may now have been lost forever in the waters between Australia and New Zealand.

The mahogany schooner, along with her seven-strong crew, disappeared in a fierce storm last month and has not been seen since.

The search for the 70ft craft, which was once the New York Yacht Club flagship, has officially been called off.

And with hope fading of Niña and her crew being found the final chapter of this stunning sailboat’s history might have been written.

World-renowned American sailor and author, John Rousmaniere, told the Bermuda Sun that Niña was a familiar face on the island between 1930 and 1970.

He added: “She really was the most phenomenal sight.

“There was not any boat like her, especially when she won the Newport to Bermuda in 1962.

“She really captured the imagination of people in Bermuda between the 1930s and the late 1960s. And her victory was not just a big achievement, but had a romantic, sentimental side to it because everyone loves an old boat.

“It is remarkable that people cared about her enough that she lasted for 85 years.

Tragic

“But it is also tremendously sad that it appears this great old boat and her crew have been lost at sea in this tragic accident.”

While Alan Burland, chair of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, added: “It would certainly be a tragedy if this beautiful boat and of course her crew had been lost at sea.

“Our thoughts obviously go out to the crew and their family, and we hope and pray that they are found.

“Niña was a very popular boat in Bermuda.

“She was very much a part of the Newport to Bermuda race for many years.”

Niña was built in 1928 on Cape Cod for its first owner, Paul Hammond.

In July 1928, the schooner won a race from New York to Santander, Spain, and capturing a cup offered by the Queen of Spain.

A month later, Niña won the Fastnet Race off the coast of England.

In 1935, Mr Fales, a banker, who was a member of the New York Yacht Club, bought Niña.

And the boat became the club’s flagship when Mr Fales was elected commodore.

In 1962, at the ripe old age of 74, and with a captain in his seventies, Niña stunned the sailing world by winning the Newport to Bermuda race.

Mr Rousmaniere added: “The wind was just right for her in 1962 and she achieved what many people thought she would not.

“Niña’s story is a remarkable one.

“She was really something special and anyone who saw her in full flight would remember it for a long time.”

Niña left New Zealand in late May, bound for the west coast of Australia with seven people aboard.

The last known communication from the yacht was on June 4 when it was caught in a severe storm.

A text message, which had been sent by satellite phone from the vessel to a meteorologist, said: “THANKS STORM SAILS SHREDDED LAST NIGHT, NOW BARE POLES,”

Nothing has been heard from the boat since, and no wreckage has been discovered.