CarinaWins St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy The most experienced boat in the 104-year history of the Newport Bermuda Race has done it again. Sailing her 19th Bermuda Race (she was the overall winner in her first, in 1970), Carina, a 48-foot McCurdy & Rhodes sloop owned and skippered by Rives Potts of Westbrook, CT, is the 46th winner of the St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy, the race’s top trophy. Crewed by members of four families and representing the Cruising Club of America, Carina also won the IRC North Rock Beacon Trophy. “We were lucky,” said Potts, the General Manager of Brewer Pilots Point Marina in Westbrook.This 47th running of the Newport Bermuda Race was the third largest since the first one in 1906, with 183 yachts in five divisions starting Friday, June 18. The St. David’s Lighthouse Division, for yachts with predominantly amateur crews, was the largest division, with 103 boats vying for the coveted trophy. With the exception of a few scattered squalls, this year’s race was sailed in light to moderate conditions. The first boat to arrive in Bermuda was Alex Jackson’s Speedboat (Riverside YC). Sailing in the 3-boat Open Division for boats with canting keels, the 100-foot maxi covered the 635-nautical mile course in 59 hours, 17 minutes, 56 seconds, well off the course record of 53 hours, 39 minutes, 22 seconds, set in 2002 by the late Roy Disney’s Pyewacket.
PUMA Ocean Racing’s il mostro, skippered by Ken Read (Newport, RI), crossed the line next, although the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s Dubois 90 Genuine Risk (Kings Point, NY) would win the division on corrected time (and the Royal Mail Trophy) in skipper Mark Watson’s first Bermuda Race. il mostro corrected out to second in the Open Division, with Speedboat third.
The Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Trophy, the top prize in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division (full professional crews allowed), was won by Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy’s Swan 56 Noonmark VI (London, UK). Neal Finnegan’s Swan 56 Clover III (Dedham, MA) topped the 39-boat Cruiser Division to win the Carleton Mitchell Finesterre Trophy. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Glory (New London, CT), skippered by USCGA Offshore Sailing Team Head Coach Jack Neades, was victorious in the 9- boat J/44 One-Design class. Jason Richter’s J/35 Paladin (Mt. Sinai, NY), co-skippered by Robert Fischer, turned in the best performance in the Double-Handed Division and was awarded the Moxie Prize.
Congratulations to all 16 class winners, and kudos to Newport Bermuda Race 2010 Chairman Bjorn Johnson and the organizing committee for a very well-run event. The media team led by Talbot Wilson provided superb online coverage including satellite tracking provided by iboattrack, daily updates by John Rousmaniere and onboard commentary by several participants, notably Chris Museler, who sailed on Tom Hill’s R/P 75 Titan XV. Full results are posted at bermudarace.com.
