There are two big ocean races to Bermuda from southern New England. One has been starting at Marion, Mass., in odd-numbered years since 1977. The other has been heading out from Newport, R.I., in even-numbered years since 1936, three decades after boats first raced across the Gulf Stream to the “Onion Patch.”  Each race is open to boats and crews capable of crossing more than 600 miles of open and often rough ocean.

The Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race (to be sailed again this June), and the Newport Bermuda Race (coming up in 2010) have something else in common. Together they award the Bermuda Ocean Cruising Yacht Trophy for best combined performance in consecutive Newport and Marion Races. Presented by Sail magazine, the trophy (the keeper is shown here) is open to amateur crews who sail in monohull boats in the Marion Race and in the Cruising Division in the Newport Race. The Marion Race also has a multihull division, and the Newport Race has four other divisions for racer-cruisers sailed by amateur crews, doublehanded boats, and grand prix and cant-keel racing yachts.

The Bermuda Ocean Racing Yacht Trophy originated in 2006 with Marion Race marketing director Ray Cullum and then-Newport Race chairman Bill Barton. “We thought it would be an excellent venue to expand the ocean racing opportunity to cruising sailors while generating increased interest in both races,” says Cullum. “As the cruising community grows, the trophy should act as a stimulus to get cruising sailors comfortable for offshore sailing by going through the preparation our races require and participating in the events.”  That aim is echoed by 2010 Newport Bermuda Race Organizing Committee chairman Bjorn Johnson:  “We and the Marion Race have a common aim in getting people out there in seaworthy boats and enjoying the ocean. This trophy adds to the appeal.”

The most recent winner is Paul B. Hubbard, representing the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. After finishing second in Class E in the 75-boat 2007 Marion Race, Hubbard’s Oyster 435 Bermuda Oyster topped the 43-boat Cruiser Division in the 2008 Newport Race (which had a total of 198 starters). The perpetual trophy remains in Bermuda. In even-numbered years, it’s displayed in the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, which co-sponsors the Newport Race with the Cruising Club of America.  In odd-numbered years, it’s in the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, a sponsor of the Marion Race with the Beverly Yacht Club and the Blue Water Sailing Club.

The next Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race will start on June 19, 2009, and the next Newport Bermuda Race will start on June 18, 2010.  For more information about the races, go to www.marionbermuda.com and www.bermudarace.com.

--John Rousmaniere