Greetings Sailors,

This Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) newsletter is designed to keep you abreast of developments for the 2014 Newport Bermuda Race®. This is an informal document and to the extent any information herein differs from that in formal race documents such as the Notice of Race, the formal race documents will supersede this newsletter. Your comments, suggestions and questions may be directed to any of us listed below. We look forward to seeing you all on the starting line for our 49th "Thrash to the Onion Patch" on Friday, June 20, 2014.

Fred Deichmann
Chairman, 2014 BROC

[hr] Applications for Entry

Applications for Entry are coming in at a strong pace, with application for 98 yachts having been received as of this date. Most of those have cleared their first hurdle and been allowed by our Qualifications team to proceed to registration, with the balance currently under review. Applications for Entry may be filed on the race entry portal until the deadline of 1700, April 1. 2014.

Inspection Materials Posted

An inspections procedures manual has been posted in the race document area. This manual is intended to serve as a guide to captains in preparing their yacht for inspections. Inspections may be scheduled as early as March 10, 2014 by contacting an Inspector (a list is also at the race document area) and making an appointment. Inspections must be complete by the Inspections Deadline of 1700, June 6, 2014.
Notice of Race Amendment #1
The 2014 Notice of Race has been amended in two places: first to remove permission for the use of sail stops (NoR 2.7 e) which would end up in the water after sail deployment, which leaves RRS 55 as the governing standard (and not incidentally also aids our Clean Regatta efforts), and second, to clarify the requirements for calculation of a knockdown recovery factor for movable or water-ballasted yachts (NoR 4.1 d) in the race. This calculation is required for all movable or water-ballasted yachts that will be raced utilizing that feature. It is not required of yachts which meet the race's minimum stability index of 115 without consideration of that feature and which will be raced with the movable ballast fixed or water ballast system empty and sealed.

Warning: Some Safety at Sea Seminars DO NOT meet Race Requirements

The Newport Bermuda Race Safety Requirements, Section 5.2; state that "At least 30% of those aboard the yacht, but not fewer than two members of the crew, including the Captain and Navigator or a Watch Captain shall have attended a one-day or two-day US Sailing Safety at Sea Seminar within the last five (5) years, or other courses as approved by US Sailing" (emphasis added).

There are several seminars being offered this Spring which are geared for coastal cruisers rather than offshore racers or cruisers. Sailors should be sure that the seminar they choose to attend is sanctioned by US Sailing and that it will meet the requirements of the race. If that is not clear in the seminar publicity, the question should be posed to the seminar organizers.

This seminar certainly will meet race requirements: the Cruising Club of America's biennial Safety at Sea seminar held in conjunction with the Newport Bermuda Race will be held March 15th at the Hyatt Regency, Goat Island, Newport, RI, and will be attended by many of the race organizers, vessel owners and crew. There is a prominent link to that seminar on our Safety at Sea page.

Each Captain should ensure in advance that his crew has met or will meet the Safety at Sea requirements of the race. We also encourage at least one person from each vessel to attend the Race Preparation Seminar and the medical officer to attend the new Medical Seminar addressing scenarios likely to be encountered offshore, both to be held on Sunday, March 16th. The seminar can also be used to help fill out a crew - those attending the Newport seminar will find two colors of nametags for their use during the seminar - red for those seeking a berth and blue for those with a yacht who might need crew to race or assist with a return.

Clean Regatta

The Newport Bermuda Race® will once again participate in the Sailors for the Sea Clean Regatta program in order to protect the ocean on which we follow our sport. The race will ask sailors to help us achieve "Gold Level" status for the 2014 race by taking several steps to protect the environment, including management of discharges, use of environmentally-friendly cleaning and maintenance practices, recycling and carbon reduction offsets. Details about the Clean Regatta program can be found on the Sailors for the Sea web site.

Revision to Dyneema / Spectra Lifeline Best Practice Recommendations

Based on new and quite extensive testing and revisions to the rules, US Sailing has posted a revised paper, written by Evans Starzinger, on HMPE (Dyneema/Spectra) lifeline best practice recommendations. Revised Paper Jan 2014 (.pdf, from US Sailing)

Offshore Racing Opportunities

Upon return from the 2014 Newport Bermuda Race®, blue water sailors who wish to extend their offshore racing season should consider the Corinthians Stonington to Boothbay Harbor Race, starting July 25, 2014 at Stonington, CT. For more information, see http://stoningtontoboothbayharbor.com/

Blue water sailors may also wish to consider the Transatlantic Race in the summer of 2015. This race is open to suitably equipped and crewed yachts of 40' or more. For further information, see www.transatlanticrace.org.

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Brewer Yards Offer Experienced Race Prep

Don't wait to prepare your boat! Brewer Yacht Yards provide unmatched offshore race and passage expertise to assure your boat performs at its best. Safety, performance and cost are concerns for every boat size and class. Contact a Brewer yard now for the solutions you need. BYY.com

Brewer Yacht Yard Group is the Official Boat Preparation Resource for the 2014 Newport Bermuda Race

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