Dear Race Captains and Sailors,

I am writing with news about our home base in Newport and three reminders.

Our 2022 Race HQ will be at Sail Newport, in Ft. Adams State Park (see photo by Billly Black). The location offers excellent space for our competitors and volunteers, easy access by land and sea, and plenty of room if social distancing comes into play. Sail Newport is one of the premier public-access sailing organizations in the country, and we appreciate their willingness to host the Newport Bermuda Race at their facility commencing June 12th. More details will follow.

I’d also like to bring your attention to three key prep areas:

• Validation of sailor classifications 
• Appointment of a crew Environmentalist
• Safety-at-Sea crew training & safety gear inspection

Enter your World Sailor ID in SailGate & update Sailor Classification

Over one-third of sailors entered in the race do not have valid classifications at this time. All competitors intending to compete in St. David’s, Finisterre, or Double-Handed divisions (divisions with limits on non-Category 1 sailors) are encouraged to obtain or renew their categorization as soon as possible and enter their SailorID into their profile on SailGate.  

Classifications that expire before June 25, 2022 are invalid. A lack of a classification or an expired classification is considered ’non-category 1’ and could affect your boat’s qualification to race.  See NOR 7.

NOTE: After publishing this bulletin, a change was made on World Sailing's website, invalidating the instructions we'd prepared for applying for a World Sailor ID and requesting/renewing Sailor Classification. We'll revise the text below as soon as the updated procedure is available.

1. If you do not yet have a World Sailor ID, please apply for one at  https://www.sailing.org/sailor_id_request.php 
2. Once you have World Sailor ID, request or renew your Sailor Classification at:  https://www.sailing.org/classification_form.php 
3. Add your SailorID to your profile on SailGate by signing into your account at nbr.sailgate.com. Click Settings>Miscellaneous>Edit After your SailorID is saved in your profile, SailGate will automatically check for your Sailor Classification and valid date at World Sailing.  

 
Captains can view the status of sailor classification (as well as training requirements) for the entire crew by viewing the ‘Live Entry Status’ page on SailGate. Sign in, click ‘Races’, tick the box adjacent to ‘Newport Bermuda Race,’ and then click the blue button ‘Live Entry Status’.  
 

Name the Environmentalist in your crew

Assembling the best crew is an exciting process for skippers and crew bosses. This year, we are encouraging skippers to name an "environmental steward" within your crew—someone to plan, coach, and give input around practices like the reduction of single-use plastic. We're following the guidance of the ocean conservation organization Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana, which offers suggestions for clean regatta best practices. It is our expectation (not a requirement) that all entries designate a crew member as such, and we expect to see substantial compliance. 

Please do your part by using the SailGate crew management tool to name one or more crew members to be the voice onboard for these practices. No special qualifications are needed—just an interest in helping conserve our ocean playground and keep the Newport Bermuda Race sustainable long into the future. Read what some 2022 Bermuda Race environmental stewards are saying in our December newsletter.

Hands-on Safety at Sea update & safety gear arrangements (with LRSE)

The Cruising Club of America had to cancel both of its January courses due to the spiking of the Omicron COVID variant. Students were shifted from the January courses to later courses, and an additional course was opened up for April to provide more slots. This highlights the need for all boats to review the Safety at Sea training requirements for their crews and ensure any needed training slots are reserved now. See Safety at Sea Courses page.

Finally, Official Sponsor Life Raft + Survival Equipment (LRSE) has begun posting a series of informative videos about required safety equipment. If you plan to arrange purchase or inspection of life rafts and other required safety equipment from LRSE, contact the company soon, and finalize your plans by April 15 to be sure you’ll be fully prepared to race in June. 
 

Warm regards,

Somers Kempe, Chairman
2022 Bermuda Race Organizing Committee
[email protected]