The 2002
Newport Bermuda Race: A Bash to the Onion Patch
Note: The author, Adam Loory,
works for UK Sailmakers International and was a
watch captain on the 82-foot Pedrick-design
maxi named SPANK ME BT.
Wind and current combined
to make this year’s Newport to Bermuda Race
exceedingly fast. Roy Disney’s
R/P 75 Pyewacket close reached and rode a huge meander
in the Gulf Stream to knock four hours off the 635-mile
course record.
Normally the Gulf Stream flows
northeast from the tip of Florida, paralleling the
East Coast of the United States before heading east
to Ireland. This year the stream made a huge meander
for more than 200 miles parallel the rhumbline of
the race course which goes southeast. “It
was a once in a century combination of wind and
current that made the race such a fast ride,”
said Jeff Tyrrel, navigator on Bob Limoggio’s
82-foot maxi SPANK ME BT. “The Stream gave
us a four to five knot push right down the track,
when usually you only get a push for 20 to 40 miles.”
The race started in a 15-20
knot northeasterly Friday, June 14th from Newport,
R.I., allowing the fleet to storm off on a close
reach on port tack. With the wind forecast to shift
to the southeast, half the fleet cracked their sheets
and headed in a more southerly direction to get
to the new wind, while others sailed higher to reach
the first warm eddy coming off the Gulf Stream.
Saturday morning the wind went light as the new
weather front approached. After several hours of
light and variable winds, the breeze swiftly filled
in from the southwest and built into the low 20s
with gusts to 30 knots for the rest of the race.
With the new breeze, the fleet was once again jib
reaching -- but on starboard tack. Spinnaker poles
stayed on the deck while on "Spank Me"
we used an assortment of genoas that included the
Heavy 1, No. 2, Jib Top Reacher, No. 3 and No. 4.
Even though the ride across
the Stream was relatively mild (six to nine foot
waves); half of the crew aboard "Spank Me"
got sea sick. Some crews on other boats reported
big square waves, but sailing on a 90,000 pound
82 footer had a way of smoothing the ride and changing
our perception of the conditions. We did take a
lot of water over the bow and into the cockpit,
which forced us to keep the companion way closed
up, making life below hot, humid and stinky.
Three of the sleds had crew
go overboard during sail changes, but all were recovered
quickly. On Spank Me, everyone wore life jackets
while on deck and harnesses clipped in at night.
In one case we learned why standard life vests are
better than inflatable ones. A jib trimmer’s
life vest acted like a flack jacket when a turning
block next to him exploded. He was hit so hard by
a piece of the block that it knocked the wind out
of him. If he wasn’t wearing a foam filled
vest he could have been seriously hurt.
184 boats raced in four fleets:
IMS Racing, IMS Cruiser/Racer, Americap and 20 courageous
soles racing in the double-handed Americap division.
Spank Me finished third in class and third in the
126-boat IMS Cruiser/Racer fleet. Richard duMoulin
and Peter Rugg sailing the Express 37 LORA ANN from
Larchmont Yacht Club won the double-handed division.
Eduardo Salvati also from Larchmont Yacht Club won
the 13-boat J/44 class – the only one-design
class in the race.
Click
Here for official site and results!
