Three days for final Bermuda Race prep
June 17, 2008 by www.bermudarace.com | 0 comments
With just days and hours until the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race starts the 2nd century of racing to Bermuda, boats are going full tilt on last minute preparations. June 20th and the thrash to the Onion Patch is right around the corner and there is no time to spare.
With just days and hours until the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race starts the 2nd century of racing to Bermuda, boats are going full tilt on last minute preparations. June 20th and the thrash to the Onion Patch is right around the corner and there is no time to spare.
While many crews are busy stowing groceries and gear for the 635-mile ocean crossing, including the favorite for line honors, Alex Jackson’s new 99ft super maxi Speedboat, some found weaknesses the hard way in the New York Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta presented by Rolex last weekend. Brisk winds and lumpy seas stressed crew and gear in Sunday’s races.
Steven Sherwin, a doctor from Bermuda, was pushing his Corby 41.5, Nasty Medicine, around the course on Sunday and doing well. He had a 5,2 on Saturday. But big daddy Neptune decided to give him an ugly Father’s Day present. He was racing well, in the top three and bam! The clew of his main ripped out. He had to go back to town for a replacement.
“It was very disappointing for us,” Sherwin said. “Shortly after the start of the third race in the NYYC Regatta, the clew of our new mainsail blew out leaving us with no alternative but to return to the dock. We changed back to the old main as rapidly as possible and returned to the racecourse only to find the fourth and final race was in its closing stages. We spent the rest of the day tuning the boat and will be contacting our sail maker for an explanation of the sail failure. Needless to say it was not the best way to finish what we felt was an improving performance across the weekend. “
Maybe it is good karma for Sherwin to get his troubles behind him. He bought the boat this spring, previously named Wahoo, to replace an older design he had been racing. Sailing the upgraded Nasty Medicine is all-new to the Bermuda crew.
Conspiracy, a NYYC Swan 42 owned by the Cahoots syndicate, was holed in the starboard aft quarter in a collision on Saturday. They made midnight repairs and came back on the course Sunday. In the wind on that day they were off the pace, maybe a little gun shy from the previous day’s adventure.
Race day, June 20th, should see more than 200 boats on the line just off of Castle Hill Lighthouse between Narragansett Bay and the Rhode Island Sound. The first start is at 1300hrs EDT. Spectators can track the fleet or their favorite boat on iBoattrack and get inside opinion through timely commentary and reports on the race web at www.bermudarace.com
