In this Bulletin:
- Chairman's update
- Awards & Special Prizes
- Weather & Sea State symposium
- Safety at Sea seminars
- Spotlight on Competitors
- Thanks to our Sponsors
Chairman's update
Hello sailors, friends and fans of the Bermuda Race!
I'll keep this update very brief. It takes a lot of effort to pull together the "World's oldest regularly scheduled ocean race"! The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) has been hard at work preparing for a great 51st edition. The race starts in approximately 191 days on Friday, June 15, 2018.
Though the entry system is not due to officially open until January 12, 2018, I am pleased to report that there is very strong interest being expressed across the variety of divisions. We expect to reach the 220 boat limit.
I've asked the media team to contact some of the known or rumoured entrants. You'll see in each email bulletin going forward a little preview of the competitors intending to participate in a section entitled "Competitors Spotlight". We hope this whets your appetite to join as a participant or to simply enjoy continuing to follow the race.
Jonathan Brewin
2018 Newport Bermuda Race Chairman
[email protected]
P.S. - If you are willing to share a photo of your boat and your intended participation please contact the media team at [email protected].
Awards & Special Prizes
In 2018 it is anticipated that there will be 220 boats and well over 2,000 sailors participating. For most of the sailors just competing in the race and reaching the beaches of Bermuda is a prize. But it is a competition and there are a variety of prizes to strive to win.
Some of these special prizes may influence how you build your crew. You may wish to bring more youth sailors to compete for the Stephens Brothers Youth Prize or, you may wish to add more family members and compete for the Glenn Family Prize.
And, for those further from Newport these special prizes might add incentive to make the longer journey to the starting line. There are 5 separate Regional Prizes for Canada, the Chesapeake, the Deep South, the Great Lakes, and the Pacific, as well as the City of Newport Trophy for the best performing "Foreign" entry.
William L. Glenn Family Participation Prize
Of course the most coveted of all prizes are the "Lighthouse Trophies" for the overall division winners of the St. David's and Gibbs Hill divisions. Each year craftsmen in the UK forge from precious metals and mahogany these trophies that are not the perpetuals, they are in fact the keepers taken home by the winners.
St. David's Lighthouse Trophy - Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Trophy
Marine Weather and Sea State symposium
Understanding weather and sea state are important for both racing and safety. On Saturday, February 10th at MITAGS located at 692 Maritime Boulevard, Linthicum Heights, Maryland an impressive array of speakers will present an all-day symposium on marine weather and sea state forecasting and analysis.
Preliminary speaker list includes world-famous navigator Stan Honey, Gulf Stream expert Frank Bohlen, Ken McKinley of Locus Weather, Ken Campbell of Commander's Weather, Lee Chesneau of Chesneau Weather, Joseph Sienkiewicz of the National Weather Service Ocean Prediction Center, Jim Corenman and Ralph Naranjo.
Topics to be covered:
- Marine Weather Fundamentals, mid-latitude, tropical, extratropical conditions
- 500 mb conditions –significance and analysis
- Ocean currents, waves, and sea state
- Forecasts and forecasting
- Communications VHF to Inmarsat
- The Role of the Navigator – Information processing and routing
- Questions from floor - Roundtable Discussion
Registration is now open at https://sas.cruisingclub.org/course/wx18
Safety at Sea seminars
The Cruising Club of America's pre-race Safety at Sea seminar will be held again this year in Newport, RI on Saturday and Sunday, March 10th & 11th. Registration is now open.
Training is required for 30% of all racing crew members, and recommended for delivery crews.
Alternative seminars are offered throughout the country, and include the Storm Trysail’s seminar on 19 May 2018, and the US Naval Academy seminar March 24-25, 2018. A full listing is available at the US Sailing website: http://www.ussailing.org/education/safety-at-sea/find-a-seminar-near-you/
Competitors Spotlight |
