There is no such thing as an “off year” for the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) - just a shift in focus of our efforts. The volunteers and staff are just busy at their desks, phones, and keyboards these days as many of our sailors are in bilges and rigs in the months leading up to a Race. We have already had two in-person all-hands meetings and dozens of sub-committee meetings focused on enhancing the entire experience for sailors and fans alike.
Expect to see some big changes for the 53rd Thrash to the Onion patch that we are not quite ready to talk about publicly, but they will make the Race easier for spectators and sailors alike to enjoy our classic regatta. We plan to release our Notice of Race and open registration exactly one year out from the 2024 start on Jun 19, 2023.
In the meantime, we have a plethora of content you can enjoy or educate yourself on starting with this weekend’s Northeast Ocean Race Symposium hosted by our friends at the Marion Bermuda Race, Marblehead to Halifax Race and Bermuda 1-2. Our Race Chair, Mark Lenci, will present on the lessons learned from the tragic person overboard incident last year to help prevent future tragedies.
We also still have our entire Race Prep Webinar Series that aired in Spring 2021 that is still very much relevant. Webinars such as “Newport Bermuda – It’s on Your Bucket List” to “To Finish First, You First Must Finish" - Safety & Yacht Preparation” are panel discussions on topics of interest to first time Bermuda Race participants.
And if your Netflix queue is empty or you are looking to listen to some good sea stories from 2022, be sure to go back and watch our “Dark N’Story Time” recorded at Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. One of our favorites was “Dan Litchfield, Hound, on overcoming adversity to win Class on first try.” He goes into detail how they had to fix their steering cable in big seas among other tales.
Read the article from Frank Bohlen on tips of how you can start preparing for navigating and weather routing now.
Lastly, it is not too early to plan to get your Safety at Sea training done. The CCA is hosting multiple courses this Spring and our friends at Storm Trysail Club have a hands-on seminar at SUNY Maritime May 20th with an onboard component featuring an all-women’s boat this year.
We look forward to sharing more news with you soon!
If you know someone interested in the race, send them to bermudarace.com/newsletter to be added to the list.
