By Talbot Wilson
Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC)
BERMUDA, June 23, 2019: The 2019 Marion Bermuda Race is in the books.
Thirty-nine Founders Division entries and two Classic Division boats lined up
for their starts in Buzzards Bay on Friday, June 14. One of the classics failed
to start, but sailed with the fleet heading south in Buzzards Bay for the
finish in Bermuda and the hospitality of the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy
Club.
The race started with a gusty beat out of
Buzzards Bay. Some boats like Riley family’s scratch boat Kiwi
Spirit suffered gear failures in the
30-knot gusts. The tack of their mainsail blew out and they had to sail the
rest of the race with shortened sail. Kiwi Spirit was first to finish but was off the podium on handicap
in class and finished 37, second to last, in fleet.
On the course, one yacht— Mahinia
Kai, an Oyster 54 skippered by Arthur
Haubner and Arthur Auclair of Salem, NH— withdrew with a steering malfunction.
They headed back to Newport, RI.
The Marion Bermuda Race is the only offshore
race from a U.S. port that offers prizes for boats that turn off their
electronics and steer by celestial navigation only until they are 50 miles from
the finish. Fifteen boats elected to sail celestially including the winners of
all four classes and both divisions.
The finish line committee at St David’s
Lighthouse in Bermuda had their hands full on the fourth day, Tuesday. The
first boat finished at 2:27:59 in the morning with an elapsed time of 3
days, 12 hours, 17 minutes and 59 seconds. Thirty more boats finished before
midnight. The last seven in the fleet finished before noon the next day.
Hotspur II, a Columbia 50 skippered by
Ron Wisner of Marion, MA, was last to finish after 4 days, 21 hours, 47
minutes and 49 seconds.
And then the parties started at the Royal
Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. The marina was full with all the boats, and the
club opened its doors to all and offered cookouts, BBQ, live entertainment,
Crown & Anchor, and lots of famous Goslings Dark ‘n Stormy cocktails and
some Gosling Old Rum, too.
The 22nd running of this classic yacht race
wrapped up with the prize giving on the Dinghy Club dock level and a gala
dinner under the big top. After welcomes from the Mayor of Hamilton Mr.
Charles Gosling and the U.S. Consul General Constance Dierman, His Excellency
the Governor of Bermuda Mr. John Rankin presented the class, overall and
special trophies with RHADC Commodore Willie Forbes. The prize summary, which includes
special prizes, is posted online at https://www.marionbermuda.com/2019-race/awards-2019
At the gala dinner attended by some 300 guests,
the Skipper and Crew of Tabor Boy issued challenge to David Goodwin of the Bermuda Sloop
Foundation to a rematch between Tabor Boy and Spirit of Bermuda.
In 2018, Spirit had challenged Tabor
Boy, throwing down the gauntlet, a real
gauntlet. This time as the winner, Tabor’s Student Executive Officer Chip Connard
threw down the same gauntlet, challenged Spirit and Spirit picked it up.
The match is on for the 23rd Marion Bermuda
Race… June 18, 2021
Results—
Founder’s Division
Class A—
- Abigail— Robert Buck, Aquidneck 52, Marion MA – Celestial
- Kinship — Francis Selldorf, Baltic 52, Padanaram MA
- Sunflower — Mark Lenci, Beneteasu Oceanis 523, Harpswell ME
Class B —
- Gallant, Christian Hoffman, Navy 44, USNA Annapolis MD, Celestial
- Momentum, Paul Kanev, Hinckley Sou’wester 51, Newport RI
- Defiance, George Hamilton/Kevin Navarro, Navy 44 MKII, USNA Annapolis MD, Celestial
Class C—
- Pinnacle— Peter Torosian, Tartan 4100, Rye NH, Celestial
- Escapade II— Tom Bowler, Morris 46, Ocean, Marion MA
- Scappare— David LeBlanc, Catalina 42 MKII, Stillhouse Cove RI
Class D—
- Cordelia— Roy Greenwald, Valiant 42, Marion MA, Celestial
- Frolic— Ray Cullum, Dixon 44, Marion MA, Celestial
- Silhouette— David Caso, Cherubini 44, Portsmouth RI
Classic Division
Overall Class and division
- Tabor Boy— James Geil, Schooner 92, Tabor Academy Marion MA, Celestial
DNS Spirit of Bermuda—Jordan Smith, Tall
Ship 118, Dockyard, Bermuda
The official source for race information…
entry list, scratch sheet, official finishing,
official scoring, official prize list… is on the web site.
https://marionbermuda.com
Look at Race News area below the banner picture
and click on the Icons and the Photo.
RESULTS
https://marionbermuda.com/2019-race/results-2019
Races within the Race
Competition for special awards is a unique
attraction for the Marion-Bermuda Race. The Notice of Race has all the details.
Go to the website for photos and descriptions of the trophies and the
competition for them.
The R&W Rope Rigging Solutions Team
Trophy is offered for established Yacht Clubs or Sailing organizations that
form a team of three member yachts. The team whose three yachts have the lowest
corrected time total will be the winner.
Yachts sailing with a crew of two, a crew of
three or four or an all-female crew of any number may compete in the double-handed,
short-handed, and all-female competitions respectively. Prizes are the
Double-Handed Trophy, the short-handed L. Bryon Kingery, Jr. Memorial Trophy
and the Commodore Faith Paulsen Trophy for the ladies.
A “family” yacht racing for the Beverly Family
Trophy is one with a crew of five or more with all or all-but-one being members
of a single household or a single family may race for the family prize. Persons
related to a common grandparent and spouses of these “family”, too.
The Offshore Youth Challenge Trophy encourages
youth participation. A “Youth” yacht has at least four (4)
youths aboard with at least 66% of the crew qualified as youths. A youth sailor
must be 16 years of age or older but not more than 23 years old by June 14,
2019. One or more adults at least 23 years old by June 14, 2019 must be on
board.
The Beverly Yacht Club Polaris Trophy is a prize
for stargazers. If a yacht has elected to be celestially navigated, she will
receive a 3% favorable adjustment to her ORR rating.
About the Marion Bermuda Race
The 2019 race is the 22nd Marion Bermuda Race
and the 42nd year for the 645-mile open ocean challenge for cruiser type
yachts.
The first Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race in
1977 saw 104 starters cross the line. Over the forty-two years since that first
race the race has evolved into a true offshore challenge for cruising yachts,
amateur, family and youth sailors. Special prizes abound to emphasis celestial
navigation, short handed sailing, family crews and regional competition. The
race is handicapped under the ORR rating system to assure the fairest scoring
available for ocean racing yachts.
About the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association
The Marion Bermuda Race encourages the
development of blue-water sailing skills on seaworthy yachts that can be
handled safely offshore with limited crew. The Marion Bermuda Race is a
501(c)(3) organization and among other educational efforts, supports and
encourages Youth Sailing programs. The Marion to Bermuda Race is organized and
run entirely by hundreds of volunteering members of The Beverly Yacht Club
(BYC), The Blue Water Sailing Club (BWSC) and The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy
Club (RHADC) for the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association.
Press Contact—
Talbot Wilson
talbot@talbotwilson.com
850-217-7138
