Dr. Frank Bohlen’s initial Gulf Stream analysis and tutorial for the 2016 Newport Bermuda Race was posted on May 16. Bermuda Race navigators, tacticians, strategists, captains, and all others facing the challenge of sailing to Bermuda will learn a lot from it, as well as from Frank's future postings (all of which will be available on the Bermuda Race website).
As a professional oceanographer and a lifelong amateur sailor, Dr. W. Frank Bohlen has deep and broad experience with both scientific and practical study of the sea. He has sailed 18 Bermuda Races, including one as the race-winning navigator. He is a longtime member of the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee.
His tutorials and analyses may be found on the race website under the "Resources" tab and at this link. There you will also find his article on Bermuda Race strategy, titled “Gulf Stream Analysis and Prediction,” originally published in the 2016 race program and comparing types of Gulf Stream analysis. And we're including a replay of the YB track of the fleet in the 2014 race.
Frank Bohlen's understanding of the Gulf Stream's challenge to race crews stands out in the following quote from one of his articles:
“Developing a winning Newport Bermuda Race strategy that accommodates variability in weather, ocean current, and sea state requires skippers and navigators to consider a number of factors. Among them are Gulf Stream conditions. The point at which the Gulf Stream is encountered is often considered a juncture as important as the start or finish of the race itself. The location, structure, and variability of this major ocean current and its effects all present a particular challenge for every navigator and tactician. “
More of his analysis and tutorials about making the best of the Gulf Stream will be posted on the Bermuda Race website before the race start at Newport. After the race, at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, Frank will moderate a Navigators Forum in which he and other race navigators will review winning (and not so successful) strategies and tactics. A video of the 2014 Navigators Forum is posted in the Gulf Stream Tutorial Archive at the link.
