It feels like forever since I last wrote an introductory piece for the Marion Bermuda Race website. We were preparing for the 2021 race and hoping that the pandemic would allow us to move forward and enjoy another successful event…as many of you know, we had to make the incredibly tough decision to cancel the race. We are so looking forward to putting on a fabulous Marion Bermuda Race in 2023 and hope you all will join us.
The Marion Bermuda Race is known for its race organization, camaraderie among its participants, and its emphasis on safety. But I want to be clear, this is a serious Category 1 ocean race that all aspects of the passage must be considered, and you must be prepared for to the best of your ability. With programs such as our Copilot program, we will do everything in our power to help you to prepare for situations you may encounter racing offshore, but we will not be able to prepare you for all of them. 30% of your crew must hold a World Sailing International Offshore Personal Survival certificate. This will go a long way in preparing you for emergency circumstances you may encounter. Out inspectors will work with you to ensure your boat is properly prepared for an extended offshore passage but the rest is up to you in working and practicing with your crew on established criteria for emergency situations.
There are three major changes to the 2023 race that will enhance our mission to recognize and incorporate trends in cruising and cruising boats. The line between cruising and racing boats over the last several years has become blurred, making it difficult to easily identify a boat as a strictly racing or cruising boat. To that end, we have created a new class called the Performance Class. This new class will be for boats that have an ORR rating of 1,000 and above. They may also have more modern enhancements such as water ballast, etc. that are becoming more commonplace in today’s cruising boats. With this new class, we will continue to work on creating a level playing field for all classes, and to that end, we will be using the ORR Performance Curve Scoring method which you can read more about on this website. And last but certainly not least, multihulls. You would have to had your head in the sand to not have seen the expansion of multihull cruising boats. They are becoming the hull configuration of choice for many cruising sailors, and we will accept multihulls starting at 32 feet LOA to 80 feet LOA.
I would like to thank all our race participants, volunteers, and sponsoring clubs for their excellent support over the years, and look forward to a great race in 2023 starting on June 16th.
The Marion Bermuda Race is run by the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association and sponsored by the Beverly Yacht Club, Blue Water Sailing Club, and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club.
Ray Cullum
Chairman, Board of Trustees
