Sailing Blog
NYYC Annual Done, 635 Miles to go… »
June 15, 2010
2010 continues to be a great year for the Bella Mente as it has chalked up another victory with an impressive win at the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta over a very tough fleet of grand prix boats. Tom McLaughlin (Tomac), the program manager of Bella Mente has done a great job of putting together a group of guys that gel very well together and work hard toward a common goal. The Bella Mente may not have the star power of other big name programs, but over the last few events, our blue collar work ethic and positive attitude has gotten the job done.
After a celebratory crew dinner on Sunday night, Monday was a big work day as the team made endless trips from the boat to the container to swap out the inshore, buoy racing gear and with the offshore gear in preparation for the 635 mile Newport/Bermuda Race. Items like the life rafts, food supplies, boat and sail repair kits were put in their respective places, and several changes to the rig and boat were made with consideration of the forecast. There is a massive checklist to be ticked off and a lot of work to be completed before the start of the race on Friday.
As for the our competition in for the Bermuda Race, well, it will be like going to play an important game at the other teams venue. The Bella is much lighter an more nimble compared to the other boats we will be racing against which helped during the buoy racing we saw last weekend. However, much less manuevering taking place which will allow the heavier, ocean race oriented boats like Puma, Rambler and Speedboat to get rumbling, we will have to sail the Bella to the max and sail mistake free to stay close. These boats are built for distance racing and to break records.
We will also have our hands full with Ran and Beau Geste, which are similar to Bella in terms of it can handle the buoy and distance racing. All of the above mentioned teams are stacked with pro sailors and each of the teams are expecting nothing less than a victory. With 3 to 4 days expected to make the trip to Bermuda from Newport, it will be who can keep the pedal down the longest, and which Navigator can find the most favorable breeze and current. I personally am looking forward to the challenges of a longer distance race, and thankful I do not have the responsibilities of our Navigator, Dirk Johnson as the calls he will make will decide the fate of our 18 strong crew.
The races begins at 1:50pm on Friday afternoon just off Castle Hill in Newport. Standby for live race tracking information and updates forecast information. Looking forward to a few solid days of rest, food and functional toilets before we depart.
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