The Beverly Yacht Club (“BYC”) | Marion, Massachusetts |
The Blue Water Sailing Club (“BWSC”) | Boston, Massachusetts |
The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (“RHADC”) | Paget, Bermuda |
RACE DESCRIPTION
Since its inception in 1977, the Marion Bermuda Race (“MBR”) has been a Corinthian event. The spirit of the race is that all yachts and crew are participating for the joy and pleasure of sailing, competition in a serious offshore race and the camaraderie that accompanies such an event.
The race provides an opportunity for racing and cruising yachts with amateur crews and sail training vessels to participate in a serious ocean race and a rendezvous in Bermuda. It encourages the development of blue water sailing skills on seaworthy yachts that can be handled safely offshore with limited crew in an environmentally sustainable way. Yachts must submit an application for acceptance.
The MBR is categorized as an Ocean Race as defined in the US Sailing Safety Equipment Requirements. It is a long-distance race, well offshore, out of range of shore-based helicopters, where rescue may be delayed.
The OA intends to operate the race as a “Clean Regatta” as defined by Sailors for the Sea. The host clubs in Marion and Bermuda will execute, to the greatest extent possible, the best practices as defined in the Clean Regatta program. It is strongly recommended that all yachts appoint a person on board to be the environmental steward for the yacht. The environmental steward can be identified during the registration process. The environmental steward will work with the crew to develop and implement a plan to race as sustainably as possible. Competitors should plan to promote and adopt a “leave no trace” approach while at sea and during events while ashore in Marion and Bermuda. The OA seeks the cooperation of all competitors and support personnel including vendors in reducing waste before, during and at the conclusion of the event.
The Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association, Inc. is monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on our race and on entry requirements in Bermuda. The MBCYRA may, at a later date, announce health-related requirements including, but not limited to, requiring COVID-19 tests before and/or after the race and vaccination or other information and any changes to Bermuda travel authorizations. It is also expected that local restrictions and CDC guidelines will be observed in Marion and Bermuda.
RRS 60.1(a) is changed such that the notation “[NP]” in a rule below means that a boat may not protest another boat for breaking that rule and “[DP]” in a rule below means that a boat breaking that rule may be subject to a discretionary penalty.
The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2021 - 2024 (“RRS”), including the U.S. Sailing prescriptions, except as modified herein or by the Sailing Instructions.
[NP] The Marion Bermuda Race Safety Requirements Monohulls - 2023 (“MBRSR”), revised July 1, 2022, and the Offshore Racing Association Offshore Racing Rule (“ORR”) shall apply to all Founders Division boats.
[NP] The Marion Bermuda Race Safety Requirements Multihulls - 2023 (“MBRSRMH”), revised July 1, 2022, and the Offshore Racing Association Offshore Racing Rule for Multihulls (“ORR-MH”) shall apply to all Multihull Division boats.
[NP] Sail training vessels must hold a current USCG Certificate of Inspection and a Certificate for Exposed Waters. The MBRSR and the Offshore Racing Association Offshore Racing Rule Special (“ORR-Special”) shall apply. A sail training vessel’s compliance with World Sailing OSR Category 1 (with satellite phone) or the safety rules and regulations that apply to the vessel by virtue of her flag or classification society are an acceptable alternative to the MBRSR where such rules conflict.
The Racing Rules of Part 2 and RRS 60.1a and 60.1b (Right to Protest) are changed as follows:
Between the times of local sunset and sunrise, RRS Part 2, WHEN BOATS MEET, will be replaced with Part B, Steering and Sailing Rules of the Navigation Rules International-Inland (commonly called the 72 COLREGS). When yachts meet between local sunset and sunrise, for the purposes of keeping clear, they should act with the expectation that if they come within two of the longer yacht’s overall lengths of each other, the jury will conclude that the right-of-way yacht needed to take avoiding action and that the other yacht was not keeping clear.
RRS 60.1(a) is changed to exclude protests by yachts for breaches of the Marion Bermuda Race Safety Requirements (NoR 1.2), Entry and Fees (NoR 4), communications (NoR 9), AIS and Radio (NoR 10.2), and Trash Disposal RRS 47.
RRS 60.1(a) and 60.1(b) are changed to exclude protests or requests for redress by a yacht on the grounds of class assignments.
In this document and in the Sailing Instructions, the words “skipper” or “coskipper” refers to the “person in charge” according to RRS 46.
The Sailing Instructions will be available after 1200 EDT on May 15, 2023 on the online Official Notice Board.
All yachts must apply for entry.
Acceptance may be granted by the OA to yachts and crews satisfying the following requirements on the application:
Yacht: Yachts must be, in the judgement of the Acceptance Committee, of a design of demonstrated seaworthiness, appropriate for a long distance, well offshore ocean race as defined in the US Sailing Safety Equipment Requirements (“USSER”). Yachts must have an enclosed cabin fitted out for comfortable cruising, including permanent bunks, a permanently installed and enclosed toilet, a dining table and permanently installed cooking facilities suitable for use at sea. All ordinary cruising gear, such as cabin tables and galley equipment, shall be on board and in its usual cruising position throughout the race.
Skipper and Crew: The skipper and crew shall have a demonstrated competency for a long-distance ocean race. This means that enough of the crew to adequately manage the yacht shall have had prior experience with offshore passages or races of at least 250 miles. At a minimum, two crew members, usually the skipper and navigator, must submit their sailing resumes with their application for entry. It is strongly recommended that all crew submit their sailing resume. Except for Double Handed and Short-Handed entries, each yacht must have a minimum of five crew members.
Safety At Sea Seminar Attendance: At least 30% but not fewer than two members of the crew, including the skipper and the navigator or watch captain, shall hold a World Sailing Approved Offshore Personal Survival Course Certificate. For Double Handed yachts, both members shall hold a World Sailing Approved Offshore Personal Survival Course Certificate. Any certificate obtained more than five (5) years prior to the start of the race or as a result of exclusively internet-based training may not be acceptable.
The race will be divided into three divisions:
Founders Division is for yachts at least 32 feet ORR LOA.
Within the Founders Division is a Performance class for monohull yachts at least 32 ORR LOA with performance enhancements that are not typical in more traditional designs. Features that might place a yacht in this class include moveable appendages (other than traditional centerboards and traditional rudders), moveable ballast, water ballast, extreme draft, etc. or an ORR MBR ToT rating greater than 1.000. The assignment of a yacht to this class will be at the discretion of the OA.
Multihull Division is for multihulled yachts at least 32 feet ORR LOA.
In Founders and Multihull Divisions:
Sail Training Division is for yachts at least 40 feet ORR LOA that are used primarily for sail training. Sail training yachts must have an explicit invitation to participate in this race from the Race Administrator (mail to: [email protected]).
To enter:
The entry fee is paid through the online system and is based upon the length of the yacht (LOA excluding the bowsprit and other fittings attached to the hull) and the date on which the entry fee is fully paid:
LOA | Until December 15, 2022 | Until April 17, 2023 | After April 17, 2023 |
---|---|---|---|
32’ to <40’ | $1,600 | $1,800 | $2,100 |
40’ to <45’ | $1,700 | $1,900 | $2,200 |
45’ to <50’ | $1,900 | $2,100 | $2,400 |
50’ to <80’ | $2,100 | $2,300 | $2,600 |
80’ and up | $2,300 | $2,500 | $2,800 |
The entry fee for a sail training vessel, a service academy’s yacht or a .edu defined organization’s yacht is 50% of the listed fee.
Entry fees include:
Professional briefings on weather and the Gulf Stream at the Skipper’s meeting.
An on call professional medical diagnosis and consulting service provided by the George Washington University Maritime Medical Access facility during the race and also your return passage as long as it’s completed by July 31, 2023.
Use of the OA supplied transponder for the position tracking system during the race.
Attendance for all crew members and guests at the awards presentation in Bermuda.
Discounted dockage at RHADC post race until July 1, 2023.
Use of the OA supplied transponder for the position tracking system during return passage provided the transponder is returned to Marion, MA before July 3, 2023.
Force Majeure - Cancellation/Postponement
If the race is cancelled or postponed for more than 30 days for reasons beyond the OA’s control, the OA will refund a yacht’s entry fee according to the following schedule:
In either case, a skipper may choose instead to apply the entire entry fee as a credit toward the 2025 Marion Bermuda Race.
The race will be limited to 100 entries.
Skippers must be a member of their national authority, such as US Sailing or the Bermuda Sailing Association.
The race is open to all World Sailing Group Classifications that are fully in keeping with the spirit of the race. (See Race Description.) Any yacht with a crew member classified as Group 3 by World Sailing shall contact the Acceptance Committee for permission by emailing [email protected] no later than the crew list deadline.
For Founders and Multihull divisions, direct or indirect remuneration beyond covering direct expenses and simple remembrances to a captain or crew for the express purpose of participating in this race is specifically prohibited.
For Founders and Multihull divisions, if a yacht has a regular full-time paid captain or crew member, this one person is allowed on the yacht during the race but shall take no active part in sailing, steering or navigating the yacht unless there is an emergency. The full-time paid captain or crew may act as cook and perform yacht maintenance. Any participation of the paid captain or crew in sailing, steering, or navigating the yacht during the race must be fully described in the yacht’s Certificate of Compliance.
The OA will maintain a race and social schedule on the MBR website including:
Date | Activity |
---|---|
July 1, 2022 | Application for entry opens |
December 15, 2022 | Entry fee increases if not already paid |
April 17, 2023 | Entry fee increases again if not already paid |
May 15, 2023 | Sailing Instructions posted on website |
June 7, 2023 | Online registration closes Certified ORR Rating deadline Inspections complete Crew list deadline Spinnaker/nonspinnaker choice deadline Celestial/electronic choice deadline (See Attachment A for the conditions a yacht must meet to be considered a celestially navigated yacht.) Founders Division Race within Race entry deadline. (See Attachment B.) |
June 8, 2023 | Satellite communications device verification/registration begins |
June 13, 2023 | Onsite registration opens Team Race registration deadline |
June 15, 2023 | Onsite registration closes Satellite communications device verification/registration ends Skipper’s Meeting Crew dinner at BYC |
June 16, 2023 | Start |
June 24, 2023 | Awards Presentation at RHADC Gala dinner at RHADC |
The scheduled time of the first warning signal for the race is 1200 EDT, Friday June 16, 2023.
Each division will have its own starting time. The OA reserves the right to further divide each division into starting classes of similar performance characteristics based upon their ORR rating.
[DP] Inspection
All yachts must (1) request, (2) schedule and (3) pass a mandatory yacht inspection by a race inspector. The pre-race inspection must be completed by June 7, 2023.
All deficiencies noted in the inspection shall be corrected before a yacht is permitted to complete on-site registration in Marion. Having the yacht inspected well before the deadline is strongly recommended.
The Equipment Inspection Checklist - Monohulls, Equipment Inspection Checklist - Multihulls and a list of authorized inspectors is available on the MBR website.
Compliance
At the completion of the race, each yacht’s skipper or navigator must file a signed MBR Certificate of Compliance, available on the MBR website, with the RHADC Duty Officer.
After the race, a number of yachts, particularly prize candidates, will be inspected by the Compliance Committee Inspectors in Bermuda.
On-site Registration: Either the skipper or the navigator must complete the on-site registration process at BYC before 1400 on Thursday June 15 or pay a late registration fee of $200. The registration desk will be open from 0900 - 1800 Tuesday and Wednesday June 13 and 14 and 0900 - 1400 on Thursday June 15, 2023. In addition, yachts may register on Sunday June 11, 2023 or Monday June 12, 2023 by making an appointment well in advance with the Race Administrator (mail to: [email protected]).
At on-site registration, the skipper or navigator shall verify that:
the detailed information entered in the online registration system is complete and accurate and that all waivers have been signed;
all documentation, training exercises and inspections are complete;
the satellite communication system has been tested and operates properly. See NoR 9.2.2.
[NP] During the on-site registration, each yacht will receive her tracking transponder and instructions as to how and where it should be attached, the final copy of the Sailing Instructions, customs and immigration forms, and information about Bermuda.
Skippers’ Meeting: Two crew members, preferably the skipper and navigator, must attend the entire Skipper’s Meeting held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 1600. Failure to do so shall result in a penalty added to the yacht’s corrected time. The location of the meeting will be in the Sailing Instructions.The meeting will include briefings on weather, the Gulf Stream, and approaches to Bermuda. These briefings are the only ones sponsored by MBR.
The Official Notice Board will be online at https://www.marionbermuda.com/official-documents (“the race website”). Rules documents will be posted on the Official Notice Board.
Each yacht shall carry a satellite voice and text communication device operable from below decks via external antenna.
The system shall be left on during the race and a communications watch shall be kept and logged that shows the device was checked at least once every watch.
Each yacht shall demonstrate that the satellite communication system operates properly by having someone from the yacht’s crew, while below on board the yacht, place a satellite phone call to and receive a satellite phone call from the Offshore Communication Team before completing registration. The best satellite communications connections are made when away from the electronic noise of a harbor at mid day. The Offshore Communications Team will be available for the Communications verification/registration daily beginning from 0900 to 1600 Thursday, June 8, 2023 until 1400 Thursday June 15, 2023. The number to call will be provided to the participating yachts prior to June 8, 2023.
Except for the restriction in 10.3, yachts may use any communication device including VHF, cell phone, satellite voice and text system or SSB. Any information received from ashore via email, blogs, telephone, radio transmissions, etc., relating either to the yacht’s position or a competitor’s position is considered “outside help” and is prohibited by RRS 41.
[NP] Navigation:
Each yacht must keep a log in a logbook and make entries at least once each watch. In addition to the communication information of 9.2.2, the log should show courses, distance made good and best estimate of positions. The logbook must be on paper and have a traditional format. The logbook must remain on board and be available for inspection in Bermuda by the Compliance Committee.
[NP] AIS and Radio: The MBR Safety Requirements and the Sailing Instructions will require yachts to do the following:
use their best efforts to monitor AIS for AIS-SART or similar distress signals at all times;
use their best efforts to ensure that the transmitting mode of their AIS is enabled at all times;
ensure that the yacht name provided on the yacht’s entry form is transmitted on AIS rather than just an MMSI number;
monitor VHF Ch 16 at all times and Ch. 72 near the start and finish.
RRS 41 (OUTSIDE HELP) will be changed to add “e) Help in the form of information freely available to all yachts even if that information is only accessible ‘at a cost.’ However, after 1700 on the evening before the start of a yacht’s division such ‘at a cost’ help shall not include professional weather routing services, professional Gulf Stream predicting services, private forecast or tactical advice, other private communications for routing purposes or information customized for a particular boat or group of boats and/or their situation. This includes yacht to yacht and yacht to shore transmissions for routing purposes.”
The Race will start in Buzzards Bay off Marion, Massachusetts and finish off St. David’s Head, Bermuda.
RRS 44.1 (b) (PENALTIES AT THE TIME OF AN INCIDENT) will be changed to read as follows: “If a boat causes injury or serious damage or gains a significant advantage in the race by her breach of a rule, her penalty shall be to retire.” The Compliance Committee and the Protest Committee may impose suitable penalties other than disqualification, including time penalties, for breaches of a rule.
RRS 64.2 (PENALTIES) first sentence is changed to “When the Protest Committee or Compliance Committee decides a boat that is a party to a protest hearing has broken a rule and is not exonerated, it may impose a discretionary penalty unless some other penalty applies.“ The discretionary penalty will be an elapsed time penalty calculated at the time of the hearing, no penalty at all, or disqualification.
All Founders Division yachts must have a current Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) handicap certificate that may be based upon either a full or partial measurement. The OA will obtain handicaps directly from the US Sailing Offshore Office and will use Performance Curve Scoring customized for the Marion Bermuda Race.
All Multihull Yachts must have a current Offshore Racing Rule Multihull (ORR MH) rating. The OA will obtain handicaps directly from ORA Management Team and will use Performance Curve Scoring customized for the Marion Bermuda Race.
Sail Training vessels must have a current Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) Special Certificate. The OA will obtain handicaps directly from ORA Management Team and will use Performance Curve Scoring customized for the Marion Bermuda Race.
Each yacht must have her rating certified before June 7, 2023. If a yacht is late having her rating certified she may be subject to a time penalty. Skippers are encouraged to contact the US Sailing Offshore Office or the ORA Management Team for the yacht’s certified rating as early as possible.
A yacht may elect to race using celestial navigation. If a yacht elects to be celestially navigated, she shall have her elapsed time reduced by 3%. See Attachment A for the details of the conditions that a yacht must meet to be considered a celestially navigated yacht.
Founders Division Races within the Race include: the Family Race, The Offshore Youth Challenge, The Double Handed Race, the Short Handed Race, The All Female Crew Race, and the Team Race. See Attachment B for the requirements to qualify for any of these races.
Prizes will be awarded on Saturday, June 24, 2023. The time and place will be provided in the Sailing Instructions.
Commemorative bulkhead plaques will be awarded to each yacht that finishes the race.
Information on prizes will be provided in Attachment B to the Notice of Race.
The safety of a yacht and her crew is the sole and inescapable responsibility of the skipper who must do their best to:
The skipper’s responsibility is set forth herein, in the MBRSR, and on the entry forms, including the Skipper’s Waiver. Neither the establishment of the MBRSR, their use by race organizers, nor the inspection of a yacht under these Requirements in any way limits or reduces the complete and unlimited responsibility of the person in charge.
Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See RRS 3, Decision to Race. Neither the organizing authority (MBYRA) nor the supporting organizations (BWSC, BYC and RHADC) bear any responsibility or liability for accidents, material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the race.
Media and Commercial Rights. Competitors shall acknowledge during online registration that the OA owns all media and commercial rights to the race. Competitors will further grant the OA unrestricted and perpetual right to use and publish any biographical information, text, and images arising in connection with the race. The OA will exercise these rights in its sole discretion or as it may agree with the race sponsors.
For further information and for all race related correspondence, including requirements for written notice or questions about the eligibility of your yacht, please email the Race Administrator (mail to: [email protected]).