With the 2007 sailing season wrapping up for many East Coast sailors, now is the time to get your preparations in gear for the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race. On June 20, 2008, we begin our second century of racing to Bermuda, and we invite you to be a part of it.
The Preliminary Notice of Race will be posted shortly on bermudarace.com, and the countdown clock is ticking.
As it was for the 2006 race, ORR (the Offshore Racing Rule) will be the primary handicapping system for the 2008 race. ORR is a VPP-based handicapping rule that is optimized for the diverse Newport Bermuda fleet. Today’s ORR is the ultimate refinement of 30 years of velocity prediction program handicapping that has resulted in a wide range of winners for this classic offshore race.
If you don’t have a current or recent ORR or IMS certificate, this fall is the best time to get measured. US Sailing’s measurers typically have more flexibility in their schedules in the fall, when there is less pressure to get ready for a summer of racing. Planning ahead now will help you avoid the spring measurement rush, giving you more time to get your boat race-ready without worrying about getting measured prior to the race.
If you have a recent IMS certificate, you may be able to convert that to an ORR certificate without additional measurement. The ORR hull measurements for most series-produced boats built in the last 30 years are already in the US Sailing database, so getting an ORR certificate is usually a straightforward process. Contact US Sailing for details.
The 2008 race will require an ORR certificate for all boats, but competitors in the St. David’s and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Divisions may also submit an endorsed IRC certificate to be eligible for the new IRC trophy. If you need to get measured for ORR, just notify US Sailing and your measurer that you want the additional IRC measurements completed at the same time your boat is measured for ORR.
We have already had many enquiries from potential first-time competitors. For new competitors needing a little extra help in getting their entries in order, Participation Chairman Dr. Richard Shulman has created a Race Ambassador program. A Race Ambassador is a Bermuda Race veteran who can walk you through the entry process, and may be able to make suggestions and recommendations that will help you in your planning for the 2008 race.
The entry process is well-defined on bermudarace.com, and our entry deadlines and requirements for 2008 will soon be posted. Planning ahead on your part will make the process run smoothly.
Remember that we require current US Sailing Safety at Sea certification for at least 30% of the crew of fully-crewed boats, and both crewmembers in our Double-Handed Division. The Safety at Sea section at ussailing.org includes a calendar of upcoming seminars. If you don’t know if you have current certification, you can search the US Sailing database on-line to check the date of the last seminar you attended.
Safety at Sea seminars in the spring before a Newport Bermuda Race are often sold out well in advance, keep checking bermudarace.com for the opening date of registration for seminars. Beyond the basic race requirements, we strongly urge your entire crew to attend one of these informative safety seminars. There’s always something new to learn, no matter how many times you’ve done the race.
For 2008, there will be stricter limits on the number of ISAF Group 2 and Group 3 competitors allowed in the St. David’s and Cruiser Divisions in order to encourage amateur crews. If you don’t have an ISAF competitor classification, visit the ISAF website and click on the “sailors” tab to start the classification process. For most competitors, it’s a simple exercise which involves filling out an on-line questionnaire about your sailing activities.
The St. David’s Lighthouse is the signature trophy of the Newport Bermuda Race, and offers amateur helmsmen the chance to compete for one of the most coveted trophies in sailing.
For boats that sail with larger numbers of professionals on-board, including professional helmsmen, the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division offers grand-prix competition unmatched in ocean racing. This is where the professionals come to test their skills against the best in the business, including veterans of the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.
For offshore racers, winning the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse or the St. David’s Lighthouse is as good as it gets. It says you’ve taken on the best in offshore racing, and come home a winner.
Our Double-Handed Division is growing by leaps and bounds, and gives those who prefer to test themselves with only two sailors aboard the chance to show their mettle.
The Cruiser Division may sound low-key, but it offers the opportunity to compete in this classic ocean race with less emphasis on spinnaker-handling skills. For this reason, we see a lot of families, including youngsters, competing in the Cruiser Division.
The newly-named Open Division is the successor to the Demonstration Division, and gives boats such as canting-keel supermaxis, Volvo Open 70s, and Open 60s a showcase to prove who’s the fastest when the competition is limited only by boat length and hull form.
The Centennial Newport Bermuda Race of 2006 saw a record fleet of 265 boats on the starting line. Given the early interest shown for the 2008 race, we’re already planning for another big fleet.
If you’re trying to decide about sailing in the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race, I’d say, “come on in: the racing’s fine!"
See you on the starting line on June 20, 2008.
Nick Nicholson,
Chairman, Newport Bermuda Race 2008