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…
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Added by Dan Cooney on August 24, 2009 at 3:54pm —
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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…
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Added by Dan Cooney on June 18, 2009 at 11:45pm —
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Hi everyone,
I will try and make this a short one - I'm celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary this year and am trying to get my husband the best present ever. When I thought about what that might be, I quickly realized he would love to race in a Bermuda distance race on a fast boat. We own/race a Dash 34 out of Port Credit Yacht Club near Toronto, Canada. My husband is an advanced keel boat racer who has completed about 20 years of club racing in addition to distance races and transatlantic r…
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Added by Claire Gornall on June 6, 2009 at 10:59pm —
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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…
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Added by Dan Cooney on June 5, 2009 at 12:51pm —
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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…
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Added by Dan Cooney on April 27, 2009 at 12:03pm —
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Here I am ICE FISHING on a lake because you can't sail in the middle of January! Hoping for spring and great weather with wind.
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Added by Anne Kolker on April 9, 2009 at 10:49pm —
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Have you and your crew met all your safety at sea certifications. If not, or if you just want to take a refresher, this years Marion Bermuda Safety at Sea Seminar sanctioned by US Sailing is being held this coming weekend at MIT in Cambridge. This years upgraded program is being facilitated by John Bonds, a very experiened SAS moderator. The main event is on Saturday the 28th followed by some very exciting optional programs on Sunday the 29th. So pull your crew together a get to Cambrdge for thi…
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Added by Ray Cullum on March 21, 2009 at 7:18pm —
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The request for Mentors are starting to heat up as the temperatures head down. I have been busy pairing up Mentors and Proteges since the holidays. There are have been 9 pairs connected thus far and more to come.
Cheers,
- Bill
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Added by CAPT Bill Hollman on January 13, 2009 at 2:50pm —
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Playing off of Dan Cooney's most recent posting, the Marion Bermuda Race machine is up, running and healthy. Let's take a quick look at the numbers; 13 monohulls and 1 multihull have entered as of today - that is not far off last years numbers which were heavily front end loaded, 9 new skippers (not included in the entry number) are in the new Mentor Program and last but certianly not least, 66 interested party's are participanting in this blog, the first of it's kind. I would say we are off to…
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Added by Ray Cullum on January 7, 2009 at 10:08pm —
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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…
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Added by Dan Cooney on January 3, 2009 at 4:30pm —
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If you are interested in the history of the Marion Bermuda Race, the following was written by Bob Hlady for last years 30th Anniversary Racebook.
The equipment for the Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race keeps changing. The yachts get bigger. Innovations keep showing up at the starting line: trimarans, catamarans, carbon-fiber spars, asymmetrical spinnakers, satellite navigation systems. Snowy white Dacron sails are giving way to a rainbow of Kevlar, Mylar, and a host of other, once-exotic compo…
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Added by Ray Cullum on December 10, 2008 at 10:44pm —
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Thankful for my family and friends and our health. One extremely lucky dude. Thankful to be a sailor and to get to be among sailors. Thankful to be able to get offshore every now and again and remember things about the ocean, the planet and myself that i forget ashore. Thankful for a smoothly executed reef or sail change, for a hot breakfast or even a powdered donut (hmm...cinnamon). For camaraderie, for good shipmates, for a really fast 24 hour run.
For the privilege. For the outrageous…
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Added by Dan Cooney on November 25, 2008 at 1:38pm —
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A well done informative survey from the Newport Bermuda folks. Good lessons for any race planning.
After each Newport Bermuda Race, the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee conducts a survey of all skippers with the double aim of understanding what happened on the course and improving the next race. The survey of the 2008 race fleet indicates that sailors are happy with the race, but with a few qualifications.
There’s no question that they want to come back. Despite rough weather, 94% of surveyed…
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Added by Ray Cullum on November 23, 2008 at 10:17pm —
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I'm not sure who first said it but it's taken as conventional wisdom that content rules on tv, the web and mobile devices -- anywhere there is info or entertainment to sell. Too lazy to think about all the exceptions but owning the phone and web networks hasn't been bad business either. In any case, for groups like ours quality content delivered at the right time and right place DOES indeed makes this thing hum. So...everyone man/woman the search for great content for our site. We've added a cou…
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Added by Dan Cooney on November 23, 2008 at 7:00pm —
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Rich Wilson, the oldest entrant into the Vendee Globe and the only American, transmits a
daily audio podcast from sea. If you love offshore sailing, you will enjoy hearing from this soft-spoken, humble giant of a sailor. Notice how many times he uses the word "I" in episode #18 and remember he is sailing solo.
For more about Rich, check out his…
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Added by Dan Cooney on November 16, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp drizzly November in my soul…than I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can -- Herman Melville
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Added by Dan Cooney on November 14, 2008 at 11:52pm —
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Rich Wilson is the only American competing in the
2008-2009 Vendee Globe Race going on right now. Desribiing the race is simple enough -- a sailing race around the world, for singlehanders, without any stopover. On November 9th 2008, 20 navigators set sails aboard their monohulls from the harbour of Les Sables d’Olonne, France. Hundeds of thousands of people watched from shore as the adventure began. I'm fortunate to call Rich a friend and to have received a couple calls from him prior to…
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Added by Dan Cooney on November 13, 2008 at 10:30am —
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As the boats in Marion Harbor dwindle to the few who are determined to take a Thanksgiving sail, it's time to start dreaming about the Marion to Bermuda Race. There's nothing like the thought of an offshore passage across the Gulf Stream to keep us warm through the winter. Ironic, of course, because a few of the coldest nights of my life have been the Friday night after the start in water that doesn't know it's June. Thanks to the few die-hard souls who have clicked through this site as the idea…
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Added by Dan Cooney on November 10, 2008 at 7:30am —
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Thanks to Fran Grenon for adding some of his terrific photos of the race. Fran has been the Official Photographer for several MBR races now and he has a special ability to capture the magic and beauty of this event. The site is beginning to come alive thanks to good work from Eileen Lonergan. Thanks also to the experts who have signed up to lead groups. We are excited for the prospects ahead for this community. If you are interested in more of Fran's work, you can contact him at spectrumphotofg@…
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Added by Dan Cooney on April 21, 2008 at 1:30pm —
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Rich Wilson to speak in Marion on November 14
I'm Trying to Surprise My Husband with a Special Anniversary Gift: Marion-Bermuda Race
My Photo
Safety at Sea Seminar only a week away.
Mentors & Proteges
