After the pandemic prohibited the running of the Marion Bermuda Race in 2021, our friends on the committee got to work immediately on improving the 23rd edition of this biennial classic, which starts June 16, 2023.
© Spectrum Photo/Fran Grenon
“First, we created a new class called the Performance Class,” said event chair Ray Cullum. “This new class will be for boats that have an ORR rating of 1.000 and above. They may also have more modern enhancements such as movable appendages, water ballast, etc. that are becoming more commonplace in today’s cruising boats. With this new class, we will continue to work on creating a level playing field for all classes, and to that end, we will be using the ORR VPP Performance Curve Scoring method which you can read more about on our website.”
“We are bringing back the Multihull Class,” Cullum continued. “The race had a Multihull Class about ten years ago but we were just ahead of the curve. The expansion of multihulls among the cruising community has been exponential. They are becoming the hull configuration of choice for many cruising sailors, and we will accept multihulls starting at 32 feet LOA to 80 feet LOA. They will be handicapped using the ORR MH rating system.”
“We have created a new one-day seminar called the Northeast Ocean Racing Symposium. It will focus on ‘need to know’ stuff for racing offshore. This not-to-be-missed event will be held at Bentley University in Waltham, MA on March 25, 2023. Look for additional information on the Marion Bermuda website.”
Registration is open, and there’s a special discounted entry fee until December 15, 2022. Make your plans now and take advantage of the savings. To learn more, visit marionbermuda.com and be sure to sign up for the monthly eNewletter. ■
