30th Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race
by Lynn Fitzpatrick on 16 Jun 2007
David Swartz’s Anjaneya leads Tim Kingsbury’s Northstar at the Class D start in the 30th anniversary Marion to Bermuda Race. Talbot Wilson
The cards read 'BERMUDA' on the course board of the Race Committee boat for the Thirtieth Anniversary Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race. Over seventy boats, monohulls and multihulls, some as small 32 feet and some as large as 62 feet, headed south following an early afternoon downwind start.
Most boats took off on a starboard jibe, some wing and wing, some under spinnaker and some just took it easy as they headed south in a cold blustery Buzzards Bay breeze. It is predicted to be a relatively calm, nearly straight line race to St. George’s Light and a multitude of social events once the racer-cruisers reach the docks and clear customs at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Bermuda.
Some boats anticipate arriving in Bermuda, nearly 650 miles from the start, before first light on Tuesday.
The 12-18 knot winds from 030 to 040 were raising some whitecaps. Class E, the slower boats, started first at 13:15 EDT and the other classes from D to A followed at 15-minute intervals. The two multihulls started at 15:00 hrs.
Many of the boats hail from New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Four boats, including Morgan’s Ghost, the scratch boat in Class A, are from Bermuda. The Bermudian boats experienced inclement weather and delays during their north bound delivery.
Upon arrival in Marion, Massachusetts, some faced pre-regatta repair work. Some worshipped dry land, dry clothes and dry cigarettes. Others had a short nap and a shower before taking part in the festivities planned by their American hosts.
Many were homeward bound within two days of having set foot on dry land.
This race pits spinnaker and non-spinnaker and celestial and electronically navigated boats into an overall performance competition for the Goslings Founders Trophy.
Yachts sailing with celestial navigation only will receive a favorable 2% rating credit to their corrected time. They will then compete alongside yachts using electronic navigation for overall prizes. The 2% rating credit reflects the statistical difference between celestial and electronic performance in the past three Marion to Bermuda Races.
Yachts racing spinnaker and non-spinnaker will be rated accordingly under the ORR and IRC rating handicap systems.
Spectators can follow the race on iBoatTrack http://www.iboattrack.com/
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