Marion to Bermuda Race – Hopes dashed for Hubbard's Bermuda Oyster

by Talbot Wilson on 17 Jun 2015 Hopes for a resurrection performance in the June 19th Marion to Bermuda Race by Bermudian Paul Hubbard and his crew on ‘Bermuda Oyster’ were dashed late last week. The 43-foot sloop experienced problems on the 645-mile delivery trip from Bermuda to Marion. The crew had experienced engine problems in Bermuda but thought the problem was solved with new parts flown in from England. They headed north to New England.

Here is the background story. Last October the boat was one of many victims of Hurricane Gonzalo. She was up in the yard, on stands for safety, but was blown over by the tempest, breaking her mast in two places and taking a small hole in her hull. Getting the boat repaired was a race against time for the Bermudians.

Paul Hubbard and his crew ‘to be’ aboard ‘Bermuda Oyster’ had thought they had overcome adversity and delays to stand tall as Bermuda’s sole representative in the Founders Division of the Marion Bermuda race this year. Before they got to the midway point of no return on the delivery, engine and sail problems forced the disappointed owner and crew to turn back for home.

Neil Redburn, slated to be the navigator, was tracking the delivery from home. “The primary reason they turned back was the lack of compression in a cylinder of the engine, ”Redburn said. “Had they been closer to the states they may have carried on, but compounding the problem was the bolt rope pulling out of the track on the new mast. This had not been apparent during the test sail. It had been a race against the clock [getting a new mast rigged and new sails made] and unfortunately it was just too much to get done and test. We are all very disappointed and upset. It wasn't through lack of effort. There is a very subdued crew back here in Bermuda.”

Speaking about the post-Gonzalo repairs Redburn noted, “Getting the new mast and sails were the big items. Once the hull was repaired, the engine and generator serviced and the boat splashed, the crew set to checking the systems like electronics and lights. Cleaning the stove and interior and updating the safety kit and getting two new life rafts set up were our jobs while we waited the arrival of the new mast and boom.”

Five days before the scheduled departure date, the ‘Bermuda Oyster’ crew had just completed its ‘to do’ list. The mast was stepped and the boat was just ready. The engine problem requiring new plugs was a bother, but they thought the new parts had solved that.

“It was a very tight schedule,” Hubbard added. “There was no room for slippage. The Bermuda crew gave the old girl a spa treatment… removing layers of bottom paint and considerable weight. They did a great job getting her in shape. We put the sails up on the new mast on June 1st just six days before our planned departure.”

The 645-mile trip north through the Gulf Stream and into colder waters above it would give the 1994 Oyster 435 center cockpit sloop a final test before the actual race. The failure of the engine was the major problem and main reason for their return to Bermuda. Unfortunately, 'Bermuda Oyster' will have to wait for another day.

In 2017, the Marion to Bermuda Race will be held just before the finals of America’s Cup 35 in Bermuda. All the yachts competing will have a close-up spectator spot for that historic event in Bermuda.