More than 20 crew on board a racing yacht have been rescued after it capsized off the Irish coast.
The US registered racing boat, Rambler 100, was taking part in the Fastnet Race when it overturned about 12.5 miles from Baltimore, Co Cork, just after 6.30pm on Monday.
The Irish Coast Guard, which co-ordinated the rescue operation, said 16 crew members sitting on the hull of the vessel were airlifted to safety. Another five who were in a life raft were taken on board other yachts.
Ian Loffhagen, racing manager, said the yacht – skippered by George David – capsized between the Fastnet Rock and the Pantaenius Buoy. “All 21 crew have been rescued,” he added.
Some 314 yachts are taking part in the Rolex Fastnet Race and set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight on Sunday.
The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s biennial event takes the fleet 608 miles along the south coast of the UK, across the Celtic Sea to the Fastnet Rock off south west Ireland, before returning around the Scilly Isles to the finish in Plymouth.
The event has a fearsome reputation following the 1979 race which was devastated by strong winds and seas resulting in 15 deaths.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Coast Guard said the seas in the area were not very rough at the time of the capsize, but that the weather conditions were foggy.
The Baltimore RNLI lifeboat was first on the scene, followed by the Shannon and Waterford-based rescue helicopters and the Irish Naval vessel the LE Ciara.
The yacht’s personal locator beacon was activated when it overturned.

Follow up on the rescue.
Feel0ng lucky to be alive, Australian Mike Mottl stepped onto dry land at the pier at Baltimore, west Cork to cheers, applause and an emotional embrace.
One of five crew of the Rambler 100 to be separated from the vessel after it keeled over in heavy seas, Mr Mottl and four others spent two hours adrift before they were plucked from the water.
“I’m feeling lucky to be alive, happy to be here and it’s great to see the local people here to greet us,” Mr Mottl said as he stepped into an awaiting ambulance at the pier.
Erle Williams, from Auckland New Zealand was at the helm when disaster struck seven miles north west of the Fastnet.
“I’m sailing all my life I’ve never ended up in the water like this, it was pretty scary. We were very lucky to get out in time, the navigator put out the call just as boat was tipping over and it went over phenomenally fast,” he said.
Foggy conditions prevented other boats taking part in the race from seeing the stricken crew.
“We were yelling and hollering out to them but obviously they couldn’t see us, it was a pretty frantic time,” he said.
A number of the crew members were asleep below deck when the boat keeled over.
“Some of our guys were very lucky to get out from under the boat so we are counting out blessings,” Mr Williams said.
Michael Van Beuren (44) from Portsmouth, New Zealand said the boat capsized within 30 seconds.
“We were going upwind in heavy seas when the keel fin fractured, the seas were quite big. It is such a relief that we all made it ashore.”
Skipper and owner George David was among five crew members set adrift from the vessel. They were plucked to safety by the crew of the diving vessel, Wave Chieftan .
“We could see them drifting away, we spent two hours clinging to the boat thinking and worrying about them, they were our main concern,” Mr Van Beuren said.
Bob Wylie (48) from Lake Quarry in Australia spent two hours on the upturned keel of the yacht.
“My first priority was my own safety and then to try to help the others,” he said.
“I saw the liferaft drifting away so I threw a rope. It just couldn’t reach them and they kept drifting out to sea.”
One woman on board the vessel, the partner of vessel owner Mr David, was airlifted to safety suffering from hypothermia following the incident.
The Rambler 100 skippered by Mr David was first home in the Transatlantic Race earlier this year. The Rambler crossed the finish line on July 10th in an elapsed time of six days, 22 hours, eight minutes, two seconds.
The Rambler established a new record for the 2,975 nautical mile course from Newport, United States, to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, in Britian.
Mr David is the former chief executive of United Technologies Corporation, a conglomerate based in Hartford, Connecticut, whose vast holdings include such diverse companies as Otis Elevator, Sikorsky Helicopters, Carrier air conditioners and aerospace and industrial systems Hamilton Sudstrand. Mr David is an avid yachtsman and racer.
George David’s maxi yacht, Rambler 100, crossed the finish line in Antigua in the early hours of Wednesday morning in an elapsed time of 1 day 16 hours 20 minutes and 2 seconds.
Subject to official confirmation, Rambler 100 has broken the monohull race record set by race rival, Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard by nearly four hours.
Two of the world’s most impressive racing yachts have been locking horns over 600 miles of high-speed action in a fight to the finish. Competing against each other for the first time and battling it out to snatch the record for the third edition of the RORC Caribbean 600.
The Rambler crew contained the entire compliment of the Puma Ocean Racing team which will be competing in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race, tired but elated, Puma skipper, Kenny Read commented dockside in Antigua:
“That was a lot of fun but hard work for a while, you do something like sail around the world and that is almost easy compared to this, because there is no time to take any sleep, you’re taking so many corners and turns but it is also a gorgeous course, it’s a dream come true type of event. I am glad we came and that George invited me. Probably the most memorable part of the course was at night with a full moon at the top of St. Maarten, big breeze and massive breaking waves, it was huge fun and really cool, we came out of their doing 26 knots, it has been a real adventure and a this course and Rambler 100 is a whole new dimension for sailing.”
Rambler 100′s George David, an avid sailor and member of the New York Yacht Club, has been sailing with Kenny Read for 17 years.
“Rambler 100 is quite a handful, it’s like a Volvo 70 on steroids and this is a big fast race, which favours us,” commented David. “It is part of the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series, the RORC Caribbean 600 has been a great race as part of that series. We never took this win for granted, we have carried out some optimisation towards the IRC rating and we really didn’t know how we would perform, as this is the first time that the boat has been raced to be IRC competitive. Leopard is a powerful boat and they are a good team that has been sailing together for a number of years.
Thank you to the RORC and the Antigua Yacht Club, a lot of people have put a great deal of effort into making this a great race, I think this race is going to attract a lot of competitors, we have a record fleet this year and I can only seeing it growing, I think we will be back next year.”
IRC Overall Provisional Results
1. USA25555 Rambler 100 JK 100 George David
2. CAN84248 Vela Veloce Southern Cross 52 Richard Oland
3. GBR115L Sojana Farr 115 Peter Harrison
4. AUS5299 Jazz Cookson 50 Chris Bull
5. GBR1R ICAP Leopard Farr 100 Mike Slade Mike Slade/Clarke Murphy
6. IRL5005 Lee Overlay Partners Cookson 50 Adrian Lee
7. GBR22N Aegir Carbon Ocean 82 Brian Benjamin
8. GBR4321R Oystercatcher XXVIII Humphreys 54 Richard Matthews
9. NED46 Tonnerre de Breskens 3 Ker 46 Piet Vroon
10. LTU1000 Ambersail VO 60 Simonas Steponavicius
11. US60006 Venomous Carroll Marine 60 Derek Saunders
12. USA60271 Ocean’s Seven² Fauroux 104′ OSML Ltd JP Chomette
13. NED001 Windrose Of Amsterdam Dijkstra 40m Schooner Andrew McIrvine
Follow the rest of the fleet as they complete the race on the Carribbean 600 race tracker brought to you by Yellowbrick
HERE
Seven days of racing, 147 competing boats, 11 divisions, two National Championships, one North American Championship, 1200 sailors and one great sailing town of Newport. It all adds up to New England’s favorite regatta – New York Yacht Club’s (NYYC) Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. Kicking off on Saturday, July 17 with three days of one design and Classic, 12 Metre and PHRF-rated competition, Race Week’s “first half” welcomes the Beneteau 36.7, J/105, J/109, J/122, J/80, Classics, S Class, 12 Metre, 6 Metre and NYYC Swan 42 classes. In all, 109 boats are registered for the first half of Race Week.
After a lay day featuring a classic New England Lobster Bake hosted at the New York Yacht Club’s on-the-water clubhouse Harbour Court, the “second half” is scheduled for four days of racing to determine the Rolex US-IRC National Champion. To date 38 IRC-rated racers are registered for the fourth annual competition. Preliminary entry lists, sailing instructions and daily results can be found online at www.nyyc.org.
The largest One Design Class is the J/105 with 22 boats currently entered including the top three finishers from 2008 Race Week: Eclipse, owned by Damian Emery (Shoreham, N.Y.); Savasana, owned by Brian Keane (Weston, Mass.); and Live Edge, owned by Michael Mountford.
“My team is looking forward to a great event,” said Mountford, who is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “We really enjoy sailing in the New England area as sailing on the East Coast is good training for us. I decided to keep Live Edge in the Newport area this year after sailing in Rye in the fall. The NYYC runs a great regatta, the location is excellent and the people and sailing are terrific.”
The second largest One Design fleet is the NYYC Swan 42 Class with 15 registered boats competing for the national championship. The 2008 Race Week champion Tiburon, owned by Mark Watson (San Antonio, Texas/Newport, R.I.) and 2009 national champion Arethusa, owned by Phil Lotz (Newport, R.I.), are expected to compete.
“Each year, the Swan 42 Nationals represents the premier event for the fleet,” said Paul Zabetakis (Jamestown, R.I.), NYYC Swan 42 class president and owner of Impetuous. “The teams use the regattas prior to this event to prepare for what has become the most competitive racing of the year. The teams consist of some of the most talented Corinthian competitors in the sailing community. The racing is so close that even minor mistakes are very costly – it can mean the difference between first or last at the rounding marks. Clearly, the winner of this regatta is acknowledged by the fleet as the ‘best of the best.’”
North American championship title is on the line in the J/109 class where 13 boats are registered, including defending champion Storm, owned by Rick Lyall (Wilton, Conn.) and 2008 champion Gut Feeling, owned by Ted Herlihy (South Dartmouth, Mass.).
Elan, John Hammel’s (Arlington, Mass.) Beneteau 36.7, is looking to defend its 2008 victory against an increasingly competitive fleet. “This year we are fortunate to have six of the eight competing boats traveling to Newport specifically for this event,” said John Hammel, the local fleet captain. “Five are from Long Island Sound and one is from Boston.” The event is one of five events that are used to determine the North East Fleet 36.7 Boat of the Year award. Last year’s winner was Bill Purdy’s (City Island, N.Y.) Whirlwind, which is frequently at the top of Long Island Sound 36.7 events, and finished fourth in the 2006 North Americans, held in Newport, and third overall in 2008.
Other skippers and boats to watch include Chick Pyle (San Diego, Calif.), 2005 North American Class champion, skippering Kea/Slipstream, a name mixed with his chartered Slipstream and his own, 36.7 Kea. Lou Mellio’s (Middletown, N.J.) Surface Tension and Junius Brown’s (Ridgefield, Conn.) Resolute are also strong competitors in the Long Island Sound fleet.
In total, 120 boats are registered for the first half of the week of racing, July 17-19, which will take place on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.
Second Half of Week to Showcase IRC-Rated Racing
After taking a one-day break on Tuesday, July 20 to allow boats to switch to IRC configuration, the second of half kicks off on Wednesday, July 21 featuring four days of IRC racing with a mix of short course and middle-distance racing planned. To date, 36 IRC-rated boats are entered with George David’s Custom 90-footer Rambler the largest competing. The Rolex US-IRC National Championship will end with a Rolex gala and awards party on Saturday, July 24.
Swan 42 Class 2 Weiss New York Christopher Dragon 12204
J-109
Kamisher New York Blue Rider 71
Filippelli Caminos 52202
Kenny / Ames Gossip 274
Herlihy Gut Feeling 72
Jannetti Breakwater Jibber Jabber 272
Gutshall Maddogs & Englishmen 260
Schwartz Manhasset Bay Nordlys 267
Salk New York picante 126
Sweetser New York Rush 51
Vos Skoot 369
Lyall New York Storm 146
Milo Vento Solare 266
BLUE FLEET
Class 3 Shachoy Beverly August West 54
Tortorello Partnership 12
Furnary New York Patriot 61220
Murphy Pugwash 60003
Chapman Screaming Eagle 52920
Gold New York Sundari 12235
Boyle / Bruno / Callahan New York Wings 12241
Shaw New York Tumbleweed 52770
Class 1 Clarke Newport Next Wave 31113 36 Farrv395
Tofias Royal Thames Race Horse US-1 42 W 37
Milligan/Roche New York Act One 52915 60 sloop
Rich New York Settler 31200 61 Cust. Peterson 42
Janney Eastern Die Fledermaus 73179 75 J/35
Armstrong St. Croix Good Girl ISV68 82 J/100
Tyler Hyannis Straight Jacket 3333 84 Quest 30
Hall Bluto 53194 89 Evelyn 32
Hyde Freightrain 40926 93 Frers 36
Stookey / Hallowell New York Jest 50686 93 Quest 32
Beneteau 36.7
Class 2 Powers Agora 52475
Palmer New York A C Breakaway 69
Hammel New York Elan 51920
Pyle San Diego Kea/Slipstream 52498
Raczkowski Mischief 93206
Brown Saugatuck Harbor Resolute 230
Melillo Atlantic Highlands Surface Tension 4444
Purdy City Island Whirlwind 52134
J-105
Class 3 Lewis Annapolis Bat IV 328
Bloom Falmouth Bear Spirit 51682
Henderson / Edegran Larchmont Conundrum 170
Wagner Buzzards Dark ‘n Stormy 413
Emery Eclipse 50
Rugg New York Jaded 92
Groobey Annapolis Java 674
Weiderman Kima 300
Esdorn New York Kincsem 324
Mountford Royal Canadian Live Edge 267
Koten Planet Claire 630
Stone St. Francis Power Play 37
Keane Beverly Savasana 523
Brauer/Neff New York Scimitar 526
Mindich LHYC/HYC Shakedown 488
Allen Riverside Strange Brew 175
Weglarz Chicago The Asylum 673
Darlington East Greenwich Tonto 493
Masur New York Two Feathers 344
Beane New York Vixen 657
Class 1 Kane New York Bolero 134 48.5
Fetter New York Black Watch 71 48
1
Class 2
Cholerton-Brown Manhattan America II US 46
Heckman New York USA US 61
Isham / Auersperg New York Courageous US 26
Williams Corinthian Victory 83 K-22
Swift New York American Eagle US 21
Class 3
6 METRE
C
S Class
Skipper Yacht Club Boat Sail #
Class 5
Davis Aquila 51
Sloan New York Argument 22
Silken Firefly 7
McCaffrey Newport Osprey S8
Herreshoff New York Lady Luck 2
Patterson Pirate 63
Hutchinson RIYC Shona 15
Hagen Sturdy Beggar 17
Roy Newport Surprise 5
Boylan Whistler S3
Migliaccio Wistful 14
PHRF 2
Skipper Yacht Club Boat Sail # Rating Model
Class 6 Lavin East Greenwich Dirty Harry 40561 111 J-29
Nauber Wolverine 41354 111 Frers 33
Rasadi New York Showdown 31628 111 J-29
Walters IYAC Poia 22956 121 Catalina 38
Mentelos Park Place 41976 150 O’Day 34
CRF 2
2 Metre
Towbin New York Sumurun 14 58
Class 1
Colburn New York Apparition 4235
Lotz New York Arethusa 4216
Fisher New York Bandit 4208
Brownyard New York Barleycorn 4224
G. Rojek New York Better Than… 18
Culver New York Blazer 4243
Gefter New York Celeritas 42021
Cahoots Syndicate New York Conspiracy 4201
Hele New York Daring 4214
Darden / Williamson New York Hoss 4227
Zabetakis New York Impetuous 4206
Kane New York Mutiny 4204
Widmann New York Quintessence 4210
Watson New York Tiburon 4223
Halbert Vitesse 4240
Rodes New York Ranger US112
Towse / Towse New York Syce US14
Fair New York Madcap US21
Loughborough New York Belle L24-2
lass 4
Glassie New York Fortune 312 36.6
Pearsall New York Chips 13 36.1
Croll New York Angelita 18 34.9
Colie Mantoloking Silent Maid T 82 29
Bermuda executive Mark Watson made his first race to Bermuda memorable with a corrected time win in Genuine Risk in the Open Division for cant-keel boats. Speedboat, owned by Alex Jackson, took line honors for the race, finishing just before dawn at 3:47:56 with an elapsed time of 59:17:56, well off the course record. Rán, the Fastnet and Sydney Hobart race winner, finished first in Class 10 and is a strong contender for the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse trophy.
Il Mostro (Puma) skippered by Ken Read, crossed the line second and corrected just behind Genuine Risk. “We were ahead of Il Mostro and Speedboat after we all came out of the Gulf Stream west of the rhumb line,” Watson said. “We decided to take a more easterly angle to avoid a cold eddy with negative current, but that let Speedboat separate from us.” Ralph Steitz, Sailing Director for the US Merchant Marine Academy (owner of Genuine Risk, which Watson sponsored), was one of many sailors who said how much they had enjoyed the race. “This was the easiest Bermuda Race I’ve ever done and I’ve done a few.”
Photos of Bermuda Race Start By George Bekris HERE
Rán, Niklas Zennstrom’s JV 72, is the provisional winner in Class 10 for big professional boats in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division after being pushed hard by Tom Hill’s Titan XV for more than 600 miles. George David’s Rambler matched up with Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste and took line honors for these fixed-keel boats. “I’ve never sailed a Bermuda Race when you’re head to head with another boat for so long,” said Rambler’s tactician, Jerry Kirby. “It came down to the last tack to St. David’s Light.”
Vanquish, co-skippered by Bermudian Buddy Rego and Americans Russell Lucas and Jamie Hilton, crossed the line first in Class 8 for the big boats in the amateur St. David’s Lighthouse Division, but Gus Carlson’s Aurora is the provisional class winner. Some smaller boats have a good shot at winning the division. Carina, skippered by Rives Potts, has a 60-mile lead over her Class 3 competition. In the highly competitive Class 1, Sinn Fein, Peter Rebovich’s Cal 40 and the two-time defending St. David’s winner, has sailed farther west than anybody and is fighting for the lead with David Dickerson’s Lindy.
In the Double-Handed Division, iBoattrack showed Michael Hennessy’s Dragon at the head of the pack, 160 miles from the finish, with the four-time winner Lora Ann not far behind. The Cruising Division’s leader, Clover III, was about 70 miles out on Saturday afternoon with a healthy lead on the 80-footer Nirvana.
It was a slow race, with Speedboat making the 635-mile course in just over 59 hours after the start at Newport on Friday. The crew of 25 never reefed the boat. In the light to moderate conditions that prevailed through most of the race, Speedboat was hard pressed by Il Mostro, Rambler, and several boats in the mini-maxi 70-80 foot range over the first third of the course. “We really didn’t get away from them until we were in the Stream,” navigator Stan Honey said after Speedboat tied up at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s marina early Monday morning. “Then they gained a lot in the light stuff as we came into the finish.”
At 5 AM EDT the mini-maxi Rán on its blog reported less than 10 knots as she beat to windward toward the buoys guarding Bermuda’s reef. “Titan is downwind from us and is not a threat. Rambler and Beau Geste are upwind and in front as we thought they would. We are still in a strong position although it now looks like Beau Geste is the biggest threat. Just a few more hours to go.”
At 6:30 the blog reported, “As we are approaching the finish slowly but surely, we are all on deck, no more watches, all are on duty for the final stretch. Coffee and tea served on the rail – black only as no more milk powder onboard. Very calm water. Wind speed of 9 knots –
just over – and land in sight.”
The lead boats entered the Gulf Stream at around sunset Saturday, heading upwind into a moderate southwesterly wind with as much as 4 knots of favorable current in the long, hot meander that they have been steering for since the race start on Friday afternoon. Speedboat, at 100ft the largest yacht in the fleet, was making more than 12 knots over the bottom. The earlier “champagne conditions” were behind them as they pounded into big, square, confused seas.
iBoattrack positions at 11 AM EDT Sunday showed Speedboat averaging almost 11 knots with 175 miles to the finish. At this rate she is behind the 48-hour elapsed time race record for cant-keel, Open Division boats – She has to average 13knots for the whole race to beat this time.
Rán was 38 miles back. Following close on the heels of this English boat in the Gibbs Hill Division were Titan XV, Beau Geste, Bella Mente, Rambler, Il Mostro, Vanquish, and Genuine Risk. This tightly bunched pack of eight has been separated by only a few miles since the start.
By this morning the ‘big boat’ leaders were clear of the Stream and entering the 250-mile stretch of often confused wind and currents between the Gulf Stream and Bermuda. Race veterans wryly call this “Happy Valley,” for it is where the race is often won and lost.
Chris Museler, on Titan XV, filed this report just before midnight:
“Now this is what we came for! The boat is literally crashing into waves close reaching onto the Gulf Stream and the water temperature has leapt into the 80s. It’s getting darker and the Aramid rigging has been humming and groaning, and the deck bounces from each loud crack when a sheet or the traveler is eased. This wild ride comes from being in a positive eddy heading south, straight into it! (Wind and current collide to stack up the seas that the boats are crashing into.) This is getting to be fun after losing a bit to competitors this afternoon. The bright sun and the flat water sailing are gone. Can’t write anymore, quite hot and uncomfortable down here. So I’m on watch and will be seeing you in the morning. Knew I wouldn’t want to sail a Bermuda Race without a proper ‘thrash,’ as Mr. Rousmaniere calls it!”

'Sinn Fein' a Cal 40 skippered by Peter S. Rebovich Sr. leads 'Frolic', a Sabre 362 owned by Peter Brown, in class 1 of the St David's Lighthouse at the start of the 635 mile Newport Bermuda Race(Photo by Daniel Forster / PPL)
The Smaller Boats
By dawn today, Rán was out of the Stream, and the team was speculating in their blog whether the smaller boats – a hundred miles astern, and just entering this zone – have had consistently more wind than the big ones.
In Class 1, the St. David’s Lighthouse Division class for boats of about 40 feet, Sinn Fein, the two-time defending St. David’s champion, has chosen a course well to the right of the fleet leaders, and her close class rivals sistership Gone with the Wind and the Tartan 41 Aurora, and charting a route 50 miles west of the rhumb line.
In the Double-Handed Division, two of the light-displacement Class 40s, Dragon and KamoaE, have a healthy lead on elapsed time, but Richard du Moulin’s Lora Ann remains in contention.
The Cruiser Division leader is the 56-foot Clover III, well ahead of the bigger boats in this Division.
The Newport Bermuda Race fleet made their upwind starts in 16 classes over a period of more than two and a half hours on Friday afternoon. There now are 183 boats, after Avatar didn’t start. In addition, Blue sailed back to the shipyard to get her broken centerboard cable fixed; she’s expected to start again after the repair.
The start found some skippers were surprisingly aggressive. Apparently forgetting that this isn’t a day race but a 635-mile marathon running several days, they also seem to have experienced a touch of amnesia about the tide table. As the new ebb tide ran with every great velocity out of Narragansett Bay, it pushed them inexorably toward Bermuda, but also over the starting line a little earlier than their tacticians had planned.
Of the 13 boats in Class 4 (St. David’s Light Division, 45-55 footers), four found themselves over early at the pin end, with Star Chaser getting what one of her crew called “the best start in the fleet” in an email to media@BermudaRace.com. “We were at the committee boat end of the line with some of the J-Boats but higher and faster. We all chose to be slightly late on the gun: no use being OCS on a race of 635 nm!”
In Class 8 (St. David’s Light, 65-footers) two boats were premature. One was Aurora (with Gary Jobson in the afterguard), and she had to pick her way back to the line, losing at least three minutes in the process.
The current new on the Newport Bermuda Race is that Speedboat took the lead from Titan XV at sunset Friday night as the big 183-boat fleet raced toward Bermuda on a fast close reach in a flat sea, clear visibility, and a moderate southwest wind that gradually strengthened and clocked toward the west. Two boats set Code Zeros.
For current boat positions click HERE
Chris Museler reports from Titan XV: a collision, a Code Zero, and a champagne wake
Friday, 2045 EDT. What an incredible day we’ve had! When I woke up to clear skies and glassy conditions, I knew the sea breeze was setting up nicely. After our delicious hot lunch aboard Tom and Dotty Hill’s Titan XIV, we set out in a relaxed mood, everyone smiling about the conditions. The spectators were all smiles and cheers. There were so many people camped out on the Castle Hill lawn that you couldn’t see any grass.
We started well to weather of the other mini maxis in Class 10 (Gibbs Hill Division) and from then until sunset (a few moments ago) it’s been champagne sailing conditions – sailing at 13-15 knots in a steady wind. We’ve been the lead boat for a few hours, but now as it’s getting dark, Speedboat is passing us to leeward. She started at 4:30, an hour after we did, and it’s now after 8. Rán (in our class) isn’t far behind.
At about 5:30 we hit a large marine animal of some kind. It may have been a basking shark, maybe as long as 20 feet. The hit was soft and we almost stopped. The fish made a few squiggles, spun off, and swam away in our wake. The boat appears to be undamaged.
We’ve switched to a Code Zero, and as our grinders are getting busy they look a lot bigger than before. Mark Strube, who finished second at the Star Class Europeans two weeks ago, is 250 pounds of muscle. The crew has just had dinner – hot rice and chicken with pineapple, which took an hour to cook in two large pots, plus the usual Snickers and Pringles for snacks . . . and apples, too.
- Newport Bermuda 2010 Start (Photo by George Bekris)
- Newport Bermuda 2010 (Photo by George Bekris )
- Newport Bermuda 2010 ( Photo by George Bekris )
Photos By George Bekris
More Photos Of The Newport Bermuda Race Start by George Bekris click HERE
The leader for several hours was Titan XV, in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division. She was caught by Speedboat (Open Division, which started an hour later) at about 8:45 pm. Other positions have been changing in the extremely competitive group of mini maxis sailing in the Gibbs Hill Division, with Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente overtaking Niklas Zennstrom’s Rán soon after midnight, and Rán then catching Rambler and Beau Geste in parking-lot conditions. The wind slowly faded during the night, swung into the north for a while. After dawn, two boats reported a very light breeze from the southeast, which is the course to Bermuda. Later on Saturday morning the wind filled in nicely with a report of 15-plus knots, whitecaps, and the first sighting of cumulus clouds over the Gulf Stream ahead. There also were reports of U.S. Navy exercises in the area of some boats.
By John Rousmaniere
Down in Bermuda, the best spot to watch the yachts finish in Bermuda is from the grounds of St. David’s Lighthouse. Visitors will find that the Finish Line Committee is very hospitable and depending on the finishing traffic, they may be invited up into the tower for a tour. It is a straight up climb and not for people afraid of heights. The view from the lawn is almost as good and worth the trip to St. David’s.
The HD Gateway Finish Line Cam is new for 2010. From the high definition camera mounted on the St. David’s Lighthouse tower, finish line action will be streamed worldwide 24/7. Spectators can use iBoattrack to follow their boat of interest to the finish, then actually watch them cross the line when they arrive.
In Bermuda, digital spectators can watch boats finish from the comfort of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. A Gateway ‘SMART Board’ will be available for viewing in the Calabash Lounge and a smaller HD TV monitor will be available over the Terrace Bar.
by Talbot Wilson
New Bermuda Race Entrants
| Yacht | Yacht Type | Division | Captain |
| ANGEL | Ctm 84 | CD | Edward T. Anderson |
| ATALANTA | Little Harbor 54 | CD | James F. Volkwein |
| ATTITUDE | Beneteau 423 | CD | Shawn Dahlen |
| AVATAR | Ranger 37 | CD | Janusz Kedzierski |
| BERMUDA OYSTER | Oyster 435 | CD | Paul B. Hubbard |
| BLE U | C&C 51xl | CD | Dan Epstein |
| BLUEBIRD | Migrant 45 Ketch | CD | Harry Bird |
| BONSPIEL | Nordic 44 | CD | James J. Richter |
| CADENCE | Apogee 50 | CD | R. David Warters |
| CETACEA | Hinckley 59 | CD | Christopher J. Culver |
| CHECKMATE | Alden44 | CD | Frank J. Flores |
| CLOVER III | Swan 56 | CD | Neal F. Finnegan |
| CONVERGENCE | Jeanneau 43 DS | CD | James Linsley |
| EAGLE | J-40 | CD | Dana Oviatt |
| ECLIPSE | Hinckley 59 | CD | Barbara & Robert Cavanagh |
| FOX | Swan 53 | CD | Ruth M. Pecherek |
| FREEDOM | Sabre 452 | CD | Cary W. Thomson |
| HAERLEM | Swan 55 | CD | Hendrikus (Henk) P L Wisker |
| I’LL THINK ABOUT IT | Beneteau 523 | CD | Marc Tandourjian |
| ISOLA | Baltic 52 | CD | Howard M. Eisenberg |
| KALUE | Wooden Ketch | CD | Rudy Schreiber |
| LAURA B | Island Packet 45 | CD | Joseph R. Triggs, Jr. |
| LIBERTY CALL | HR 43 | CD | Matthew G. Pilon |
| LILLA | CNB 76 | CD | Simon M. De Pietro |
| MANANA | Swan 48 | CD | Michhael V. Johnson |
| MISTY | Little Harbor 54 | CD | Eric G. Thorkilsen |
| NIRVANA | Maxi 80 | CD | Charles F Kiefer III |
| NOSTOS | Alden 44 | CD | Lorenzo D. Weisman |
| NOVA | Swan 56 | CD | Mark DiStefano |
| PILGRIM | Alden 44 | CD | Mark Rice |
| POESKE | First 42 | CD | Richard Donn |
| RESTIVE | Alden48 Ctm | CD | George P Denny III |
| RUTAINE | C&C 37/40+ | CD | David P. McLoughlin |
| SCEPTRED ISLE | Ctm 63 | CD | Rex G. Herbert |
| SHEARWATER | Morris 40 | CD | Conrad Hall |
| SHINDIG | Pearson 39-2 | CD | Kevin G. Flannery |
| TEMPTRESS | IMX-45 | CD | Arent H Kits van Heyningen |
| WHISKEY GIRL | Hinckley 70 | CD | Michael McAllister |
| WINDWALKER II | Lyman Morse 60 | CD | Daniel Levangie |
| ALIBI | J-120 | DH | Gardner L. Grant, Jr. |
| BOLANDS MILL | Class 40 | DH | John Ryan |
| CHOUCAS | Jeanneau SF36 | DH | Frederic Cosandey |
| CORDELIA | Valiant 42 | DH | Roy F. Greenwald |
| CUTLASS | Class 40 | DH | Alex / Nick Mehran / Halmos |
| DAWN TREADER | Swan 48 MK II | DH | Lawrence G. Cohen |
| DELAWANA | Swan 51 | DH | Hans F. Himmelman |
| DIRIGO | C&C 41 | DH | Eric M. Johnson |
| DRAGON | Class 40 | DH | Michael S. Hennessy |
| ESMERALDE | Sabre 386 | DH | Bruce R. Beard, Jr. |
| GREAT SCOT | J-35 | DH | Darren T Garnier |
| HERON | J-120 | DH | Greg R. Leonard |
| KAMOA’E | Class 40 | DH | Eric Lecoq |
| KILLUA | Aphrodite 101 | DH | James G. Binch |
| KIVA | Hinkley SW51CB | DH | Mark Stevens |
| LORA ANN | Express 37 | DH | Richard T. du Moulin |
| MIREILLE | J-120 | DH | Edwin Gaynor |
| NEXT BOAT | Morris 45 | DH | Mark Ellman |
| OCEAN WANDERER1 | Montivideo 43 | DH | Erwin Wanderer |
| PALADIN | J-35 | DH | Jason A Richter |
| PLUM CRAZY | Sabre MK II | DH | Michael R. Berg |
| RESOLUTE | J/122 | DH | D. Scott Miller |
| SEABISCUIT | J-46 | DH | Nathan C. Owen |
| SIR EDMUND | Ctm 49 | DH | Fredrick R. Holt |
| TOOTHFACE | Akilaria Class40 | DH | Michael W. Dreese |
| WHISPER | Hinckley 48 | DH | Thomas J. Vander Salm |
| BEAU GESTE | Farr 80 | GHL | Karl Kwok |
| BELLA MENTE | Mini Maxi | GHL | Hap Fauth |
| CAPTIVITY | Farr 60 | GHL | Samuel T. Byrne |
| CATAPULT RACING | SouthernCross 52 | GHL | Marc Glimcher |
| HOI AN | Custom 50 | GHL | Heilner Marc |
| NATALIE J | TP52 | GHL | Philip D. O’Niel III, D.D.S. |
| NOONMARK VI | Swan 56 | GHL | Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy |
| RAMBLER | Ctm 90 | GHL | George David |
| RAN | JV 72 | GHL | Niklas Zennstrom |
| RIMA2 | R/P 55 | GHL | John Brim |
| SNOW LION | Ker 50 | GHL | Lawrence S. Huntington |
| TITAN 15 | ctm75 | GHL | Tom Hill, Mr. |
| VELA VELOCE | Southern Cross | GHL | Richard H Oland |
| GENUINE RISK | Dubois 90 | Open | Mark E / USMMA Watson III |
| ILMOSTRO | VOR70 | Open | Ken Read |
| SPEEDBOAT | Maxi | Open | Alex Jackson |
| ACTAEA | Hinckley B40 | SDL | Michael M. Cone |
| AKELA III | Swan 43 | SDL | Djoerd Hoekstra |
| AKUBRA | J44 | SDL | Reginald H. Goodday Dr. |
| AMADEUS | IMX-40 | SDL | Jack R. Yaissle |
| AMERICAN GIRL | King 40 | SDL | Daniel Galyon |
| AMIGO VI | J-42 | SDL | Bernie P. Coyne |
| APSARA | J-109 | SDL | Mike Sleightholme |
| ARBELLA | First 44.7 | SDL | James P. Shaughnesy |
| AURORA | Tartan 41 | SDL | Andrew F. Kallfelz |
| AURORA | Reichel/Pugh 66 | SDL | Gus Carlson |
| AVENIR | C&C 41 | SDL | Joseph T. Murray |
| AVRA | J/120 Mod | SDL | George Petrides |
| BABE | Swan 46 | SDL | Colin E. Couper MD |
| BACCI | Swan 53 | SDL | Lorenzo Vascotto |
| BARLEYCORN | NYYC Swan 42 | SDL | Brendan J. Brownyard |
| BEAGLE | J-44 | SDL | Philip H. Gutin |
| BEAUSOLEIL | Beneteau 456SD | SDL | Richard A Parent |
| BELLE AURORE | Cal 40 | SDL | R Douglas Jurrius |
| BIG BOOTY | Lutra 42 | SDL | Patrick Eudy |
| BOMBARDINO | Santa Cruz 52 | SDL | James W. Sykes |
| BRAND NEW DAY | J-65 | SDL | James C. Madden |
| BUZZ | Sydney 38 | SDL | Richard E. Stevenson, Jr |
| CARINA | CTM 48 | SDL | Rives Potts |
| CHARLIE V | J-44 | SDL | Norman H. Schulman MD |
| CILISTA | J-130 | SDL | Jeffrey L. Eberle |
| CONVICTUS MAXIMUS | Farr IRC 42 | SDL | Donald W. Nicholson |
| CYBELE | IMX-45 | SDL | Richard M. Burnes, Jr |
| CYGNETTE | Swan 441 | SDL | William J. Mayer |
| DENALI | Nelson Marek 70 | SDL | Michael A. D’Amelio |
| DOGSLED | Kaufman 47 | SDL | Todd F. Barnard |
| DOLPHIN | J-42 | SDL | Henry S. Morgan |
| DONNYBROOK | Ctm Sloop | SDL | James P. Muldoon |
| FEARLESS | Farr 395 OD | SDL | Shaun J. Ensor |
| FINESSE | J-42 | SDL | Newton P.S. Merrill |
| FLIRT | Navy 44 MK1 | SDL | US NAVAL ACADEMY |
| FLYING GOOSE | Ctm 56 | SDL | Daniel C. van Starrenburg |
| FROLIC | Sabre 362 | SDL | Peter G. Brown |
| GLORY | J-44 | SDL | Jack Neades/ USCGA |
| GOLD DIGGER | J-44 | SDL | James D. Bishop |
| GONE WITH THE WIND | Cal 40 | SDL | William M. LeRoy |
| GRACIE | Ctm 69 | SDL | Stephan A. & Simon W Frank |
| GREY MATTER | Hanse 470e | SDL | Brian R. Parselle |
| GREYGHOST | Zaal 38 | SDL | Philip W. Parish |
| HAKUNA MATATA | Cal 39 | SDL | Christopher J. Andrews |
| HIGH NOON | Tripp 41 | SDL | Colin Rath |
| HIRO MARU | Swan 43 Classic | SDL | Hiroshi Nakajima |
| HOUND | Ctm 60 | SDL | Eberhart Frank |
| INVICTUS | TP52 | SDL | US Naval Academy |
| JACKNIFE | J-133 | SDL | Andrew Hall |
| JACQUELINE IV | Hinckley SW42 | SDL | Robert S. Forman, Jr |
| JADE | J-42 | SDL | Robert W. Thuss, Jr. |
| KALEVALA II | Grand Soleil 37 | SDL | Tapio O. Saavalainen |
| KODIAK | Swan 601 | SDL | E. Llwyd Ecclestone |
| LAPIN | Benn Frst 40.7 | SDL | Christopher Clark |
| LINDY | Peterson 38 | SDL | David G. Dickerson |
| MAGIC | Santa Cruz 52 | SDL | Kenneth Laudon |
| MERLIN | Swan57 | SDL | John H Duerden |
| MISCHIEVOUS | Ctm 65 | SDL | Albert J. Fitzgibbons |
| MISTY | J-40 WK | SDL | Fred A. Allardyce |
| MOJOE | Peterson 43 | SDL | Joseph M. Naroski |
| MORGAN OF MARIETTA | Centurion 42 | SDL | Colin G Golder |
| NASTY MEDICINE | Corby 41.5 | SDL | Stephen J. Sherwin MD |
| RAGANA | Cape Fear 38R | SDL | Darius Peleda |
| RAINMAKER | Swan40 | SDL | Kenneth P. Hylwa Mr. |
| REGATTA | CARTER41 | SDL | Constantine G. Koste |
| REINDEER | Morris 47 | SDL | Peter/Tony Driscoll/Parker |
| RELATIVITY | Beneteau 53F5 | SDL | Hall Palmer |
| RESOLUTE | J-44 WK | SDL | Fred Madeira |
| RICOCHET | J-120 | SDL | USCGA |
| ROCKET SCIENCE | J-120 | SDL | Rick F. Oricchio |
| RUNAWAY | J-44 | SDL | Lawrence R. Glenn |
| SAILOR BANDIDO | Quest 33 | SDL | Christopher A. Palabrica |
| SARAH | X-41 | SDL | Gregory B. Manning |
| SFORZANDO | Ker 55 | SDL | Clayton G. Deutsch |
| SHINNECOCK | J-120 | SDL | James C. Praley |
| SINN FEIN | Cal 40 | SDL | Peter S. Rebovich, Sr. |
| SIRENA BELLA | J44 | SDL | Joe Murli |
| SIRENSONG | J-133 | SDL | Thomas J Carroll |
| SLIDE RULE | First 44.7 | SDL | Scott Bearse |
| SPIRIT | Baltic 38DP | SDL | A. John Gregg |
| STAR CHASER | Swan 51 | SDL | Wijnand (Boogie) van den Boogaard |
| STARLIGHT | Simonis Voogd 56 | SDL | Michael Dybvik |
| SWIFT | Navy 44 MK1 | SDL | US Naval Academy |
| TEMPTATION | Taylor 45 | SDL | Arthur & Peter Santry |
| TERRAPIN | Beneteau 40.7 | SDL | Jonathan Litt |
| THEJACKAL | Beneteau 40.7 | SDL | John DeFilippo |
| THREEBEANS | Santa Cruz 37 | SDL | Christopher Rosow |
| TIGER | Swan 46 | SDL | Thomas & Nancy Grieb |
| TRIPLE LINDY | Swan 44 MK II | SDL | Joseph Mele |
| TRUE | J-42 (mod) | SDL | Howard B. Hodgson, Jr. |
| UPGRADE | Farr 395 | SDL | Peter Gibbons-Neff |
| VALKYRIE | First 44.7 | SDL | David Andril |
| VAMP | J-44 | SDL | Leonard J. Sitar |
| VANQUISH | STP 65 | SDL | Rego / Riker Lucas / USMMA |
| VORTICES | J 145 | SDL | Christopher L Saxton |
| WAZIMO | Aerodyne 38 | SDL | W. Barrett Holby, Jr. |
| WESTRAY | Concordia 39 | SDL | John D. Melvin |
| WHISPER | Canning 48 | SDL | Sheldon Brotman |
| WHITE RHINO | Swan 56 | SDL | Todd Stuart |
| WINDBORN | J-120 | SDL | Richard W. Born |
| XCELSIOR | IMX-45 | SDL | Alice O. Martin |
| XENOPHON | Swan 44 MKII | SDL | Jeffrey V. Rabuffo, MD |
| ZEST | Hinckley SW42 | SDL | Brian E. Swiggett |
| ZWERVER | S&S 57′ Berm Cut | SDL | Frans van Schaik |
The above list subject to change.
For More Photos of the Newport bermuda Race 2008 by George Bekris click HERE
From the June 18th start in Newport to finish in Bermuda 635 miles later, this classic ocean race is almost a spectator sport.










































