One of the top five sailing races in the world begins today as more than 200 sailboats depart Newport, Rhode Island for Bermuda, some 635 nautical miles to the southeast.
PPLReichel Pugh 90 Rambler Chases Traditional Newport Bermuda Speed Record
The racers are grouped into five divisions, based on the number and qualifications of the crew aboard. They vary from fully professional racing crews, to double-handed and amateur divisions. And there is an Open division where some of the most exotic sailboats ever built will attempt to set new absolute speed records for the race.
When the first class crosses the start line at 1 p.m., EDT, they will begin an ocean voyage that will call on all their sailing skills. The Newport Bermuda Race requires participants to cross the dynamic waters of the Gulf Stream on their way to the Onion Patch, as Bermuda is still affectionately known. The fast-flowing, warm waters of the Gulf Stream can help or hinder the boats, depending on how and where they choose to cross it; and the Gulf Stream is fully capable of generating its own micro-weather systems, with sudden squalls and steep seas.
One of the best ways to follow the race is to log onto the iboattrack website where a sophisticated, satellite-based tracking system will let you view any or all of the boats' progress toward Bermuda. You can filter the views to only follow specific boats of interest and you can turn on an animation feature that will replay the past positions of the boats in a time-lapse fashion to show how they altered course over time. The website even allows you to overlay satellite maps of the Gulf Stream, as well as surface wind patterns. Both can give the observer a sense of the strategies being employed by the navigators of the boats.
Almost every significant offshore-capable sailboat is represented in the fleet. All have been carefully measured and certified as conforming to the various racing class specifications. All have also demonstrated their stability and self-righting capabilities. A laundry list of safety equipment must be carried by the boats and all crewmembers are required to have participated in specialized safety training.
As one of the top sailing races, held every two years, Newport Bermuda offers dozens and dozens of trophies and awards for every division and class of boat, as well as many awards for specific entrants, such as those from the military academies. There are usually several entries each from the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.In fact, in 1992, the Naval Academy's Constellation won the race.
PPLThe Lighthouse Trophies Await Winners of the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race
The Newport Bermuda race is co-sponsored by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America. Their main race website is a great place to read more history and to get a look at some of the preparations these boats have to undertake. I will be providing updates on the race progress over the next several days.
One of the more exciting things to watch for will be the attempts by Rambler and Speedboat, two super maxi yachts that will be trying to break both the "traditional" and "open" records in this year's race. George David’s Reichel Pugh 90 Rambler will be going after the traditional record of 53 hours, 39 minutes, 22 seconds set by Roy Disney in 2002 on Pyewacket. Alex Jackson’s Speedboat and the professional crew loaded with Teamorigin's America’s Cup Team plus famed navigator Stan Honey will look to eclipse the unofficial ‘open’ record set by Hasso Plattner’s canting keel MaxZ 86 Morning Glory in 2004 of 48 hours, 28 minutes and 31 seconds.
PPLSpeedboat Goes for New Open Record
