CHARLESTON BERMUDA RACE FINISHES

The Awards Ceremony for the 2011 Charleston Bermuda took place on the terrace of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club on Sunday evening. The formal occasion drew the largest contingent of Bermudian dignitaries ever to be on hand for this event, including the Deputy Governor, the Premier, the Minister of Development and Tourism, and the Mayor of Hamilton.  Racers were honored with acknowledgments of their efforts and all were thanked for being part of a continuing tradition between Bermuda and Charleston.

Also on hand to offer remarks was former Commodore of the RBYC, Ralph Richardson, a long time supporter of this race. He told the audience, “This is the largest fleet of large boats that have ever participated in this race.” He added, “There are three certainties that characterize this race: “One, the city of Charleston is one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast from which to launch a race. Two, Bermuda is the most beautiful place in the world as a destination for a race. And three, the most predictable thing about this race is the unpredictability of the weather you’ll have.”

Race Director Bjorn Johnson then made the award presentations, along with Richard Speer, the CEO of the OnDeck Group U.S., principal sponsor and organizer of the race, and Bermudian dignitaries. The first place in the PHRF Racing Class and IRC Racing Class went to Tucana, the Shipman 63, skippered by Pat Maflin, chartered by Hank Hofford and Susan Ford and sailed by a crew of family and friends. Second place in the PHRF Racing Class was awarded to the yacht Spirit of Juno. Along with their fellow Juno crewmembers,  skipper Tim Scarisbrick and comedian Stephen Colbert stepped forward to receive the award.

“Thank you,” said Colbert. “For those of you who’ve not done this race, it’s not always easy, but it’s always beautiful.” He expressed his gratitude to Juno’s professional crew, saying “their English accents made us calm with their quiet sense of authority.” He spoke fondly about the beauty of being at sea, and of “the isolation you feel and the sense of gratitude you get from each other’s hard work while under way.”

Noel Sterrett and Matt Henderson were presented with the first place award in the PHRF Doublehanded Division.  The J/130 was the only doublehanded entry to finish under sail.

At the time, PHRF Cruising Class trophies were still up for grabs as Bernie Schapiro and the Pied-a-Mer crew and his closest rival Rob Turkewitz and crew on board his Cherubini 44 First Light were still at sea sailing towards the finish line.

David Skidmore and Barry Link on Eagles’ Wings were awarded the Perseverance Award. They were expected to arrive safely some time on Monday despite a crossing with electronics and communication issues that forced them to sail the race virtually blind.

The ceremonies were concluded and the RBYC and Goslings sponsored reception ensued with a great time had by all in attendance.

Subsequent to the Sunday reception, Pied-a-Mer and First Light officially crossed in the finish line early Monday. Shapiro’s crew secured the first place spot reaching the finish at 1:45am with First Light sailing in about 10 hours later. Eagles’ Wings has also safely arrived in Bermuda on Monday afternoon.

Click here for final scoring.

The next Charleston Bermuda Race will take place in the spring of 2013 and promises to another exciting ocean challenge.

Posted on May 30, 2011

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AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

As of the 12:00 p.m. position update today, the three remaining boats at sea were making good progress toward the finish. From on board his Beneteau 411 Pied-a-Mer at the head of this small fleet, Bernie Schapiro made a morning phone call to report that he and his crew were experiencing 15- to 18-knot, easterly winds that were churning up the seas around them.  “We’ve been bucking the waves since about midnight,” said Schapiro, “but we’re making decent progress. Tell everybody that we’ll get there for the awards party. We may be a little late, but we’ll be there with our best gear on. I can’t promise that we will have showered, so everyone there will just have to deal with that.” (more…)

Posted on May 29, 2011

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STERRETT AND HENDERSON FIRST TO FINISH IN DOUBLEHANDED DIVISON

Shortly before 7:00 p.m. EDT Saturday evening, Noel Sterrett and Matt Henderson, both of Charleston, SC, drove across the finish line aboard Sterrett’s dark-hulled J/130 Solarus and became the first finishers in the Doublehanded Divison. As it had been for the two finishers before them, the 777-mile course proved longer than expected due to a reoccurring high-pressure system that brought light winds to nearly the entire course. As if that weren’t challenging enough, for the final 10 miles of their trip, the duo had to contend with, not just fluky winds, but also adverse currents that circulate around Bermuda in a clockwise direction. (more…)

Posted on May 29, 2011

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COLBERT AND THE SPIRIT OF JUNO FINISH BUT FALL SHORT

For Stephen Colbert and his crewmates on board the OnDeck Farr 65 The Spirit of Juno, the 2011 Charleston Bermuda Race came down to the wire. Colbert and company spent most of the last six days sailing neck and neck with their closet rival, the Shipman 63 Tucana. During the final 10 hours of action, the victory slipped from their grasp. It was a case of too little too late as the leader of Colbert Nation and his fellow crew couldn’t muster enough speed to catch Tucana. (more…)

Posted on May 28, 2011

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TUCANA FIRST TO FINISH 2011 CHARLESTON BERMUDA RACE

To the swift go the spoils, or so the saying goes, and the Shipman 63 Tucana – with her Charleston-based crew – was nothing if not swift, at least she was for much of this 777-mile race. Sailing under full main and genoa, she crossed the finish line just East of St. Georges’ Channel around 8pm EDT this evening.  Her official time will be posted tomorrow.

Upon crossing the finish line, Tucana’s crew recorded their official finish time and doused the sails for the first time in a week. Afterward, the boat made a beeline for the reef-strewn channel that threads through the rocks and coral heads down the western side of the island toward Hamilton Harbor, the site of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. (more…)

Posted on May 27, 2011

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LIGHTLY SCRAMBLED WITH A SIDE OF TUCANA

As the seventh day of racing dawned in this 777-mile contest, one boat is well out front, the remainder are in a mixed bunch, and five contestants have retired. Though race officials in Bermuda had received direct confirmation from only one of the retirees, the Yellowbrick tracking data for each of the five indicated that they were traveling under engine power, headed directly toward this island oasis. (more…)

Posted on May 27, 2011

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