Wind’s up, Boats finish
David Caso will take home the Gosling’s Rum Founder’s Trophy for 1st overall in the monohull fleet to be awarded to for the first time this Saturday at the 30th anniversary Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race. The new trophy is a wood tower with brass trim featuring an etching of the western Atlantic with a compass rose over the Bermuda area.
Caso’s Cherubini 50 Silhouette from Duxbury MA finished at 19:15:47 on Tuesday and has taken 1st place overall and 1st in Class D in the 30th Anniversary Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race. Kathleen a classic 72‐foot yawl sailed by Jim Feeney finished 1st in Class A and 2nd in Fleet.
Silhouette is a ketch and looks much like a classic Herreshoff design. Herreshoff said that gentlemen don’t sail to weather and since the race was a run and a reach, this boat really sailed. They piled on the mizzen, mizzen staysail, main, staysail and jenny or asymmetrical spinnaker. And they hit every puff just right.
Kathleen, a yawl, followed suit and had a battle with Preston Hutchings’ Morgan’s Ghost and Peter Savage’s Venture for first to finish on elapse time. Kathleen sailed non‐spinnaker, and in the reaching conditions that prevailed for most of the race, she powered along at an even pace with Morgan’s Ghost. A wind shift in the final hours of the race allowed Morgan’s Ghost to fly her chute for 5 hours, gain needed speed and take the honors.
Since the wind died Tuesday, many boats turned on the 'iron genny' and motored to Bermuda for the festivities at The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. By late Wednesday morning only 22 of 72 boats had finished. It was a slow race for the smaller boats that couldn’t finish before the wind dropped out.
In Class A, the fastest group, Kathleen won on corrected time. Venture an Oyster 62 sailed by Peter Savage of Palo Alto California was 2nd and in 3rd was Visions of Johanna a Chuck Paine/Morris Yachts 62 footer double‐handed by Bill Strassberg of Northport Maine and Gram Schwekert of Newport Rhode Island.
In the 2nd fastest group, Class B, 12 of 14 boats finished and 2 withdrew. A Swan 44 MKII Triple Lindy sailed by Joe Mele from New York was first on corrected time. Cetacea, a Hinkley Southwester 51 sailed by Chris Culver was 2nd. The Bermuda entry Babe, a Swan 46, owned by Colin Couper and sailed by a Bermuda Crew including sir John Vereker, the Governor of Bermuda was third. In earlier reports Babe appeared top be 2nd but Cetacea was awarded 90 minutes compensation for stopping enroute to jump‐ start Anjaneya, a fellow competitor blacked out with dead batteries.
Eight boats in Class C finished and five withdrew. Barry Feldman’s Baltic 43 Avalon from Newton, MA stands first while the US Naval Academy’s McCurdy 44 Swift sailed by Midshipman Mark McClure was second. Ian McCurdy’s Selkie another 38‐foot McCurdy, designed by the skipper’s father Jim, was third.In Class D all 15 boats finished, Silhoutte was first. Fiona Rois, a Cape Dory 45 owned by Mike Ryan was 2nd and the Beneteau 42 Anjaneya skippered by David Swartz‐Leeper came in third. Fifteen boats started in Class E, 4 withdrew and 2 are still racing. The Valient 42 Cordelia owned by Roy Greenwald was first, Bermuda Oyster, an Oyster 435 skippered by Bermudian Paul Hubbard was 2nd and Chase, a Swan 40 sailed by Peter Stoops was 3rd. At 13:30 Thursday, Lucy was 5 miles out and Nightwind was 30 miles from the finish.
On Friday, sailors enjoyed the traditional Gosling’s “Friends and Family” regatta followed by a Gosling’s Rum party and prizegiving. The prizegiving for the Marion to Bermuda Race was held Saturday at Government House, followed by a Gala Dinner at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club.