A roundup of reports from the course.
See also: News about the
start of the 2010 Bermuda Race
“Gorgeous sailing!
10 kts, flat water.”
That’s the label Dorsey Beard
sent us with a photo she took after the start from the deck of Esmeralde,
the Sabre 386 that she and her husband Bruce Beard are sailing in Class
14 (Double-Handed Division).
Aboard Esmeralde
“So Far So Good.” From
Ran (Gibbs Hill Division)
It is 3.30pm and we are on
the start taking off with the rest of our class. Niklas at the helm.
Behind us Newport, we are enjoying the view of the coast while we can
still see it. In front of us, the smaller divisions towards which we
are slowing sailing. Wonderful weather, all on board happy, 15 knots
right now!
Aboard Rán after the start
5:30 We're reaching along
in a very nice afternoon. 16 knots of wind 90 degrees wind angle
-- we're doing 13.2 knots as we're passing smaller boats that started
ahead of us. We have Titan below and slightly ahead of us with
Beau Geste and Rambler above us pretty much bow to bow. Bella
Mente is slightly behind and below -- so far so good. We just
had a sandwich so everyone's happy. We do have an issue with our
computer
which we hope to fix.
From Cordelia (Double-Handed
Division)
This
morning was busy, but low-key, since our class did not start until 1610.
The start is always hectic, with many boats buzzing back and forth
trying
to get a good position. We had to make it past one mark to get out of
the coastal waters, and because of the wind direction, we just barely
did, which was how we started. However, our friends on Plum Crazy
were actually dead on the mark and had to luff around it. We saw them
exchanging high fives as they avoided the time and trouble of having
to tack. One of the fun parts was seeing some of the huge Open
Class boats roar by us on their way down the line to Bermuda. There
are some real racing machines in this race. They’ll probably be there
before we’re half way. Gail took the first watch until 1800 so I get
to make the first meal. Speaking of which, it’s time to put it in
the oven now, so that’s all until next time. Most likely tomorrow
AM.
From Steven Thing, Bermuda
Race Communications-Safety Boat
5:30 PM from s/v Comfort
at 41d 08.5m N 71d 16.5m W
Been
a great afternoon. We watched three starts and then motorsailed upwind
to get west of the fleet. We set sails, shut down the engine, turned
on the wind generator, and are doing about 7 knots a little “above”
the rhumb line. We have a spectacular sight below us – more than fifty
sails brightly lit-up by the sun. Everyone is on starboard tack, doing
well. We're seeing about 18 knots apparent. Am pleased to see so many
“triangles” on my chart plotter – each of which represents a boat
sending out AIS position/course/speed data.
(We welcome additional submissions to media@bermudarace.com.)