By Cary Wang published in Windcheck Magazine

Editor’s note: Cary Wang of New Canaan, CT was one of the youngest sailors to complete the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race, crewing along with his father John Wang, aboard Monhegan, a J/44 owned by Martin van Breems of Sound Sailing Center. Competing in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, Monhegan crossed the finish line with a corrected time of two days, 22 hours and 56 minutes.

The waning gibbous moon cast a silver light on the churning sea, with the sky dusted with a million stars. It was 2 am, and our heeled boat was being tossed like a toy in the wind and waves. I stood at the helm, bone-tired, clothes soaked with saltwater, and shivers running down my spine. But as I gripped the wheel, feeling the wind howl and the waves hiss past the hull, I found peace and resolution.

This was the biennial Newport Bermuda Race, a dangerous 636-nautical mile voyage across the treacherous Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream, where 160 sailboats and their crews tested their grit. This year was different. Two boats were lost, and fifteen were forced to retire. No one predicted the endless strong upwind across the ocean. I embarked on my journey as one of the youngest sailors in the race at fifteen, determined to prove that I was capable of competing in the “Thrash to the Onion Patch.”

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