ACWS, Bermuda, and the Clipper—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 7 Jun 2016 Given the fact that the storied Newport to Bermuda Race starts next weekend (June 17) in Newport, Rhode Island and the Olympics kick off in just over two months in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the sailing world has plenty to talk about, including this weekend’s America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) Chicago event (June 10-12), which will be held off of Navy Pier. Not only does this spectator-friendly venue provide great optics for all of the shore-based spectators, but this weekend’s regatta will also mark the first time that an America’s Cup has visited the Great Lakes.

While my hometown of Seattle is far removed from the Windy City, I’ve been fortunate to have imbibed some of Chicago’s sailing culture over the years, and, while there’s no disguising the city’s often-brutal winters, there’s also no disguising the fact that Midwesterners-and Chicagoans in particular-are some of the most dedicated and fired-up sailors in the US of A.

Add wingsail-powered foiling catamarans, hopefully a good dose of breeze, and some freshwater, and you can count on Chicago delivering a great ACWS event. Get the full scoop, inside this issue.

Meanwhile, on sailing’s saltier stage, word has hit the docks that an all-Chinese team has chartered the J/44 “Spirit” from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and plans to race alongside 113 other boats, including five other J/44s, for the Newport to Bermuda Race’s St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy. “Noah’s Sailing Team” races a TP52 in China, and they have also signaled that they plan to enter this year’s Sydney to Hobart Race, following their “Thrash to the Onion Patch”.

“It will be a great honor for young Noah’s Team to have this chance to be amid this large fleet with those famous and respected sailors and their teams,” said Dong Qing, Noah’s Sailing Team’s skipper. “In addition, we are sure that Noah’s sailing team can also bring to the Bermuda Race the values of branding and promotion to the Chinese audiences.”

For anyone interested in following the Bermuda Race in real-time, the event has announced that each vessel will carry a YB satellite tracker, and that land-based spectators can track the fleet via Pantaenius Race Tracking. Additionally, online commentary will be available multiple times per day, and radio updates will also be broadcast in Newport (FM 105.9), giving viewers an impressive amount of insight about an event that’s unfurling hundreds of miles offshore. Talk about a cool use of modern communications technologies!

Meanwhile, the frontrunners of the New York to Vendee race would no doubt love a few hours of sailing in fresh, Lake Michigan water, as you can bet that these highly loaded IMOCA 60s-and their skippers-are encrusted with plenty of salt after some 3,100 miles of hard offshore sailing. But, with razor-thin margins separating the frontrunners from the finishing line, you can also bet that no skipper is allowing himself to get distracted by thoughts of creature comforts.

At the time of this writing, less than 200 miles separated frontrunner Jeremie Beyou’s “Maitre Cog’s” bow from the finishing line. While this is great news for the talented French skipper, Sebastian Josse (FRA), sailing aboard “Edmond De Rothschild” is only 16.8 miles astern. Moreover, Alex Thomson (GBR), sailing aboard “Hugo Boss”, is only 16.3 miles behind “Edmond De Rothschild”, making the final push through the Bay of Biscay an important stretch of water.

According to reports, inside, the frontrunners are battling light headwinds to the finish and are no doubt attempting to coax every bit of extra speed out of their steeds. Stay tuned to the website, as the finishing guns will be sounding soon!

Finally, the Clipper Round the World fleet is also looking forward to proper showers and freshwater rinse-offs for the vessels as the fleet makes tracks for New York City via Seattle and the Panama Canal. At the time of this writing, the fleet of 12 identical 70-footers was off the coast of South Carolina, sailing at 10-plus knots, with “only” some 450 miles to go until the finishing line.

“Clippertelemed+” and “Garmin” are currently locked in a heated battle for the pole position, with “Visit Seattle” in the Top Three hunt, some 35 miles astern of the leaders. Sail-World.com will be in New York City to see the Clipper fleet next week, so stay tuned for more, as it becomes known.

May the four winds blow you safely home,