Provisional winners announced in Bermuda

by Talbot Wilson on 25 Jun 2005 All boats had either finished or withdrawn by late Thursday morning of the Marion Bermuda race and officials have issued unofficial results.

The race started in Marion on Friday June 17 for monohulls yachts and on Saturday June 18 for six trimarans and one catamaran. The monohulls started on the wind a 30 knot south-westerly while the multihulls started the next day with spinnakers in 3-7kts out of the north-east.

Down the course the breeze held for both fleets until they both found a trough between pressure systems and virtually ‘hit the wall’. Many boats reported long periods of calm. The winning multihull Lars Svensson’s Heartsease Larus Roc from St Maarten drifted in circles and then worked the light air and kept out from under clouds, which threatened to suck up what little breeze there was.

The trough turned into a parking lot and held up the Class A and B boats and the bigger celestial boats in Class C. The slow going in the middle of the course gave the smallest and slowest Class E the opportunity to save their handicap time on the others. The race was scored 'time-on-time so the more hours on the course the more handicap allowance went to the slower boats. Fleet honors will go to three boats in classes D, E, and C.

Panacea, a Hinkley Pilot 35 in Class E, skippered by Gus McDonald of Freeport, was first in fleet, Class D leader Cassiopeia a Beneteau 42s7 with Laura Sudarsky of Rye NY at the helm finished second, and Restive, the Alden one-off sailed by George Denny of Boston, took the first place in the Celestial Navigation Division Class C and finished third in fleet. Class C. Panacea was one of the smallest boats in the fleet.

In addition to her first in fleet, Panacea also took first in Class E, Chris Streit of Stamford came second in his Class E Bermuda 40-MkIII Fandango, an hour and a half back. Ward McElhinny’s Liberty, a Sea Sprite 34 from Cohasset was third.

In Class D, Cassiopeia came first after her third overall finish. Makai, a Hylas 49 sailed by Jeff White of Radnor NY, was second and Bruce McNeil’s Sequin 44 Thistle from Lincoln MA was third.

Restive, the Alden one-off sailed by George Denny of Boston, took the first place in the Celestial Navigation Division, Class C, and was third overall in fleet. Ray Greenwald’s Cordelia, a Valiant 42 from Winchester was second, with the Beneteau First 42, Allegra, sailed by Jim Mertz of Rye NY, the oldest person in the race who has the distinction of racing to Bermuda more than any individual, coming home third.

Toronto resident, Eric Cerny, sailed his Jeanneau SO 40 Mad Dash to first place in Class B, New Yorker Fred Cosandey’s Jeanneau SF36 Choucas was second and the all-lady crew, led by Warwick RI resident Rebecca Bioty, on her Beneteau First 42 Panama Red, came third. She will win the new Commodore Faith Paulsen Trophy for being the first all female crew in the race.

Marion resident, Sam Vineyard, skippered the Class A winner Hawke, a J/46. Second place Visions of Johanna, a custom Chuck Paine 62, was double handed by Bill Strassberg and Graham Schweikert of Northport. Don Blake of Stonington CT skippered Atlantic and took third.

In Class M, the Multihull Division, Cleveland doctor Lars Svensson in the Open 60 Trimaran Heartsease Larus Roc from St. Maarten took Multihull line honors and first in class. He was followed by North Haven ME resident Charlie Pingree in the Hammerhead 54 Flying Fish. Rex Conn from Worton MD sailed the Newick Traveler tri Alacrity to third,

The iBoat tracking home page presented by Globalstar on the race website www.marionbermuda.com shows the tracks of all the boats in the race. The tracks can be superimposed on the Gulf Stream and reviewed by yacht, class and fleet.