Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race

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Sponsoring Clubs

Race E-mail: race@marionbermuda.com

Marion-Bermuda Cruising
Yacht Race Association, Inc.
P. O. Box 916
Marion, MA 02738

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Marion, Massachusetts
Marion.SouthCoastToday.com \| Area Accommodations \| Transportation Parking \| Yacht Supplies \| The Harbor \| Moorings \| Trash and Sewage
Map	Archaeologists have traced Indian settlements in this area as far back as 3000 BC. Originally settled as early as 1679 under the name Sepecan, for these early inhabitants, the town became known for its shipbuilding and saltworks. In the nineteenth century Sippican Harbor became the third most productive whaling center in the United States. During this time 23 Sippican whalers made nearly 100 voyages to the whaling grounds of the South Atlantic and the Pacific. Many of the old homes in the center of town date from this period.
Perhaps the best known of the Marion captains is Benjamin Briggs, captain of the Mary Celeste. In November of 1872, Captain Briggs, his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Sophy, and the ship's crew set sail from New York City on the Mary Celeste. The ship was loaded with 1,700 oak casks filled with alcohol bound for Genoa Italy. Eight days later the ship was sighted under short sail about halfway between the Azores and the Portuguese mainland by the Nova Scotia brig Dei Gratia. Upon receiving no answer to a hail, two sailors boarded the Mary Celeste only to find no one on board. There were no signs of fire or of any violence. The ship was undamaged, every thing in its place, except for the Mary Celeste's small boat and evidence of the removal of a piece of rail. Through the 137 years since this discovery, the mystery of the "ghost ship" continues to fascinate. Many theories for the fate of the Mary Celeste�s passengers and crew have been presented ranging from mutiny, to pirate attack, to an encounter with a giant sea creature. However, the most plausible explanation was that of Dr. Oliver W. Cobb of New Bedford who theorized that the alcohol being carried aboard the ship expanded, leaking gas below deck. Fearing an explosion the captain, his family and crew put off in the ship's small boat using a halyard as a towline for return if no explosion occurred. Something caused this halyard to snap. The ship probably drifted away too quickly for the small boat to catch. No trace of those who sailed on the Mary Celeste was ever found. To this day their fate remains one of the most intriguing mysteries of the sea. In 1852, Sippican became the town of Marion, named after the Revolutionary War hero, General Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox". The period from the 1880s to the early 1900 became known as Marion's �Golden Age� when the town became a summer resort for a wide variety of artists, writers, politicians and actors. Among the famous visitors were the sculptor, Augustus St. Gaudens; naturalist, Louis Agassiz; actors and actresses, Ethel and John Barrymore, Evelyn Nesbitt and Maude Adams; journalist and war correspondent, Richard Harding Davis and his wife, artist Cecil Clark Davis; architect, H.H. Richardson; and artist and illustrator, Charles Dana Gibson, creator of the Gibson Girl. President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland spent three summers enjoying all that Marion offered. During this period, three large hotels operated in Marion and many wealthy families built summer homes. Although the hotels have long since been torn down, many of the lovely homes remain today. Dominating the waterfront at the west side of the head of the harbor is the coeducational preparatory school, Tabor Academy. The 92-foot schooner �Tabor Boy� heads Tabor�s fleet of boats. The schools fleet also includes 420s, Lasers, Capri 14.2s, Optimists and a Beetle Whaleboat for interscholastic competition and sailing instruction. The town of Marion is now a residential community with a year round population of about 5,000 and a seasonal population of 7,300. Bed and Breakfast establishments, restaurants, boat yards, boat services and equipment, retail and food and liquor stores are available in the town for visitors. Area Accomodations In general, accomodations are a bit of a problem around the small village of Marion. There will be be several events competing for lodging space during our race timeframe. The most comprenhensive listing can be found by clicking Hotels and Travel at the following web site: Marion.SouthCoastToday.com As you review the listings you should know that the following towns are the closest to Marion: Wareham, Mattapoisett, Onset, Fairhaven, New Bedford and Dartmouth (more or less in that order). Transportation List is under development Wareham Taxi (508) 295-5459 Limo service from Providence airport or Boston Airport: Royal Coachman Transportation Service Ron Garbaciak (508) 995-7552 Parking Parking facilities in Marion town center are limited -- please observe resident's driveways and no parking zones. Overnight parking by nonresidents is strictly forbidden and will be ticketed or towed. Parking areas are available in lots behind the Town Offices and the Sippican School, both on Spring Street. Check with the Duty Desk for other options Yacht Supplies Water is available at the Island Wharf town dock. Burr Brothers Boats has ice, gas, diesel, launch service and a marine store in addition to repair services. Barden's Boat Yard next to the Town Wharf also offers mechanical services, gas, diesel, launch service and ice. Marion has a wide variety of businesses available to assist you with all your needs including marine services and in completing your provisioning. Most stores will deliver to the dock if asked. The Marion General Store is close to BYC and carries a wide variety of food, notions and an excellent meat selection. If you can't find what you need, just ask at the Duty Desk. Sail repairs can be made at Harding Sails on Route 6 (508)748-0334; Sperry Sails on Marconi Lane,(508)748-2581, and Eastern Sail Makers in Mattapoisett, (508)758-3741. Spirits is located in the village and carries a nice selection of wines and spirits. West marine operates an Express store at the intersection of Rt 6 and Rt 105 (Front St.) in Marion. Shaw's is the closest supermarket, approximately 4 miles east on Rt 6. There are showers for visiting yachtsmen at the Beverly Yacht Club, as well as a snack bar, beverage service and launch service. The Harbor Sippican Harbor is completely devoted to yachting activities with no commercial shipping; it is considered one of the best yacht harbors on the east coast. Entering the harbor to the west of Ram Island be sure to mind the inner harbor channel markers. The Beverly Yacht Club launch (CH 68) will give advice on anchoring and moorings. An anchorage is provided just north of Ram Island with room for several dozen boats. It is marked by 4 regulatory buoys marked �Anchorage�. Beverly Yacht Club and the Town Dock are on the west side of the harbor as shown on the map of Marion. No tie ups are permitted at BYC, however, you may land a dinghy there. At low tide there are eight feet of water at the float face of Island Wharf Town Dock. Water is available at the Town Dock. Tie up time at the Town Dock is limited and varys due to current demand. See the Harbormaster for limits that apply when you are there. There is no fuel at the Town Dock. Fuel can only be obtained at Bardens Boatyard and Burr Brothers Boats. Check with them (CH 68) regarding fuel dock availability as those areas can be crowded. The north side of the harbor shoals in mud so be careful when close to the outer limit of the moorings. A channel is marked when approaching Burr Brothers from the south toward the head of the harbor, but 5 � feet is reported at low tide, and ROCKS were found in this area. Because there are unmarked rocks in various parts of the mooring field, boaters should travel in marked channels and fairways whenever possible and exercise caution when traveling through the moored fleet. The Harbormaster is located at Island Wharf Dock and is available for advice and assistance. Contact the Harbormaster on CH 9 for hailing and CH 16 for emergencies. The Marion Police Department monitors CH 16 as well. The Harbormaster will monitor CH 68 at the start of the race. Rafting is permitted; however, there is a maximum of two yachts per raft. One person must be on board a raft at all times. Larger displacement yachts must have pennants. You are encouraged to bring your dinghy to relieve the launch loads. Beverly Yacht Club will provide launch service. Call BYC Launch on VHF channel 68. Moorings Transient dock space in Marion is extremely limited. If dockage is your preference, Kingman Yacht Center is 8 miles east and generally has some availability. You may contact them directly at 508 563-7136. Bardens Boatyard 508 748-0250 and Burr Brothers Boats 508 748-0541 may also have available dock space. We believe we can accommodate all boats in the race in Marion harbor on moorings, but it is important that we know who will be coming and when you expect to arrive. A central reservation list will be used and you will be identified from this list upon your arrival. If you do not reserve ahead of time we cannot ensure we will have a mooring available when you arrive. To reserve a mooring, simply fill out the form Mooring Request. It will email your request to Beverly Yacht Club to put your boat on our reservation list. The cost of moorings in Sippican Harbor is $40 per night. Moorings include launch service, use of the BYC club facilities and Wireless Internet service. You may pay for your mooring by cash, check or credit card. When you arrive, please contact the BYC Launch on VHF Channel 68. We will show you to your mooring. It may be necessary for some boats to raft. Trash and Sewage Dumping trash in Marion Harbor is strictly forbidden; trash may be taken ashore at BYC, the Harbormaster's area and Barden's or Burr Bros. Sippican Harbor is a federally designated No Discharge area. Sewage release in Marion Harbor is not permitted; shore facilities or holding tanks must be used. Holding tank discharge facilities are located at Burr Brothers Boats and at Island Wharf, the town pier. Holding tanks can be pumped at the mooring by calling the Harbormaster on CH 9 or (508) 748-3535. Hours for pumpout are 8 AM to 5 PM. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR PUMPOUT SERVICES. Thanks for the Marion history details to �Reflections on a Town� by H. Edmund Tripp, published by The Sippican Historical Society, 1991.