By Talbot Wilson
His Excellency, The Governor of Bermuda, George Fergusson did his duty Saturday night on the podium in front of Government House. The seasoned diplomat shook hands, shared awards and trophies, and posed for photos 114 times with skippers and crews of more than 50 yachts. Sharing duties with the Governor were Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore Leatrice Oatley, Cruising Club of America Commodore Jim Binch, and the RBYC Vice-Commodore Jon Corless. The RBYC Honorary Secretary Andy Burnett-Herkes was Master of Ceremonies.
Warrior Won, an Xp41, skippered by Christopher Sheehan of Larchmont (NY) Yacht Club took the main prize, the St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy. This silver replica of the island’s landmark lighthouse is awarded to the boat in St. David’s Lighthouse Division with the best corrected time. This division was the largest in the fleet with 110 entries.
Shearwater won the Cruiser Division’s Carleton Mitchell Finisterre Trophy for first place on corrected time. She’s a Mason 43 sailed by Daniel Biemesderfer from Stonington Harbor Yacht Club.
Spirit of Bermuda won the Spirit of Tradition Division against three other competitors and was awarded the War Baby Trophy. The crew of 32 and friends of Spirit accepted the prize from the Governor.
By Talbot Wilson
Dateline Newport RI: June 24, 2016— An international group of sailors and guests at the 2016 Newport Bermuda Race prize-giving will celebrate the final moments of a spectacular week after starting the 50th Thrash to the Onion Patch Friday, June 17 in Newport, RI. Of the 185 boats officially registered to race, 133 boats set out expecting be sorely tested by difficult conditions in the 635-mile Gulf stream crossing. Forecasters were wrong. 122 finished with just ten dropouts coming from equipment failures or just drifting conditions. The race actually turned out to be one of finest with a full moon and normal offshore sailing conditions.
His Excellency, The Governor of Bermuda, George Fergusson and the Commodores of the Cruising Club of America, Jim Binch, and of Commodore of Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, Leatrice Oatley, will present 114 prizes. Five are major Division trophies and the remainder are for class podium finishes and other awards. The ceremony is held on the grounds of Government House overlooking Bermuda’s North shore channel.
The yacht Warrior Won, an Xp41, skippered by Christopher Sheehan of Larchmont (NY) Yacht Club took the main prize, the St David’s Lighthouse Trophy. This silver replica of the islands landmark lighthouse is awarded to the boat in St. David’s Lighthouse Division that is first on handicap corrected time. This division was the largest in the fleet with 110 entries.
In the second largest division, the Cruiser Division, Shearwater wins the Carleton Mitchell Finisterre Trophy for first place on corrected time. She’s a Mason 43 sailed by Daniel Biemesderfer out of Stonington Harbor Yacht Club.
By Chris Museler
When the Chilean-flagged Swan 57 Equinoccio powered through a Gulf Stream squall last weekend during the Newport to Bermuda Race, the speedometer pegged 15.7 knots, a record for the boat. As the sheets strained, a tiny voice rang up from the companionway, “Usted debe tomar la vela hacia abajo o irá en el agua!”
What little 3½-year-old Larry Westcott was saying to his father was this: “Take the genoa down or it’ll get ripped off and blown into the water.”
Father Martine Westcott obliged. He dropped the genoa, took in a reef, and the boat galloped along under shortened sail until the squall passed. “That was a precise call he made,” said Martine, recalling the moment.
The teeny sailor has sailed more than 5,000 miles with his mother, father, Uncle Philip, and crew. Yesterday he was cheerfully greeted by Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore Leatrice Oatley.