Dan Cooney's Page

Well that was quite a race! Hardest one by far of the seven i've been lucky enough to be part of. I am thankful we had a great boat and strong crew. Once ashore at the RHADC, it took me precisely the length of time necessary to consume a cheeseburger and 2 rum drinks to confirm that i would be ready to go again in 2011.

More later about the next Marion Bermuda race one but I'm very excited to announce that Rich Wilson who was only the second American ever to finish the Vendee Globe Around the W… Continue

11:12pm. Thursday June 18. Raining pretty good and so it's awfully nice to be under a roof tonight. It's fun to look at the www.iboattrack.com site and see all the boats in Sippican (Marion) Harbor ready to make the trek toward the rock tomorrow. Boat tracking brings an extra little magic to this event IMHO. We raced J80's at the club tonight and had to use every once of discipline not to join the Goslings Party that looked to be going pretty well around 8:45 -- smarter to get home and pack the… Continue

Many of you may have already read this discussion under the MOB thread but it seems like a great way for us all to focus again on this topic before we go out to race. It is one of those classic there but for the grace of god stories all all of us can probably relate to. Thanks to Eric Wiberg for the contribution. Let's all stay in the boat!


I was lost overboard 100 miles south of Block Island on Oct. 18, 1998, in a falling dusk, a snowstorm, and gusts over 30 knots with a 3-5' swell. I was in… Continue

It's been over a month since American Rich Wilson, hailing from Rockport, MA, finished the Vendee Globe (solo non-stop around the world) in 121 days. He sailed over 28,000 miles (roughly 44 Bermuda Races) and took ninth place out of 30 starters. He was the oldest skipper at 58 years old, cracked a rib only a few days into the race, and suffers from asthma. He was also the only American entered this time and now only the second American to have ever finished the Vendee. As Rich has said in interv… Continue

Happy New Year Everyone! Since we are now in 2009, it’s time to start thinking about Friday, June 19 and the start of the Marion to Bermuda Race.

Think about waking up, having your coffee, stowing gear, welcoming and settling crew aboard and that final check at the mooring. Think about a building SW breeze as you motor out of Marion Harbor alongside other competitors and spectators. Imagine having the final crew meeting in the cockpit, getting proper gear and team colors on and getting the main… Continue