By Talbot Wilson

Hamilton Bermuda, June 22, 2012- Following a week of celebrating a fast passage in the Newport Bermuda Race, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club hosted its Anniversary Regatta presented by the Butterfield Group Friday. ‘Christopher Dragon’, the J122 owned by Andrew Weiss from Mamaroneck NY, took the New York Yacht Club Trophy for first in the 31-boat fleet.

Weiss and crew won Class 3 with class bullets in both races. They were first in fleet overall with 2.5 points. ‘Decision’, the Carkeek 40 owned by Stephen Murray of New Orleans LA, came second in fleet with 6.5 points. He also had two bullets in his class.

‘Decision’ and ‘Christopher Dragon’ were tied exactly on corrected time in the first race. That tie in the fleet results gave each 1.5 points in the first race. In fleet standings for Race 2, ‘Christopher Dragon’ was first and ‘Decision’ fifth to break the tie. Jim Bishop’s J44 ‘Gold Digger’ from Jamestown RI was third in fleet.

The US Naval Academy TP52 ‘Invictus’ was leading the Onion Patch Series coming into the Anniversary Regatta, but scored 11-11 for 11th place overall.

The first race of the regatta was a windward leeward race in Bermuda’s Great Sound sailed in west winds of 12-15 kts. Class winners were ‘Decision’, ‘Old School’ a Farr 395 sailed by Ganson Evans Ponte Vedra Beach FL, ‘Christopher Dragon’ and the US Naval Academy NA44 MkI ‘Swift’.

The second race was a ‘tour of the islands’. It started with the same weather leg as Race 1, but that is where similarity ended. The fleet then went east in the Sound to Kings Point buoy turned right into Port Royal Bay (the Little Sound) and rounded two marks at the its south west end. The boats returned past Kings point and went into the Granaway Deep, came back out and crossed the sound to Lantana and then headed for ship channel #99, and Two Rocks Passage into the Hamilton Harbour and the finish at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

The second race was won by ‘Decision’, ‘Old School’, 'Christopher Dragon’ and ‘Swift’.

There were lots of upwind and downwind legs and plenty of action in the mark roundings. In the first race there was a near collision between Haerlem a Swan 55, the Cal 40 Belle Aurore, and Ptarmigan, a Ker 43 al in different classes rounding the third leeward mark. Quick response by port tacker Belle Aurore avoided Ptarmigan who had to keep clear of Haerlem at the mark.

Wizard sailed by Mark Watson’s Team Tiburon zipped around the course to finish first overall. Watson’s special guests on board were His Excellency Mr. George Fergusson the Governor of Bermuda, Commodore Jonathan Brewin, and Bermuda Department of Tourism’s Manager of Sports Marketing, Adam Barobza. The Richel/Pugh 74 footer blasted across the finish line at over 15 kts under full spinnaker.

Immediately following the races Bradford Kopp of the Butterfield Goup, Commodore Brewin presented prizes from Gosling Rum including special Gosling Rums, decanters and other glassware. Malcolm Gosling then welcomed the sailors and guests to the traditional ‘Welcome to Bermuda party’.

The RBYC Anniversary Regatta presented by the Butterfield Group is the final event of the Onion Patch Series… The NYYC Annual Regatta, The Newport Bermuda Race and the RBYC Anniversary Regatta. According to provisional results the Top boat and winner of the Henry B. du Pont Trophy is Stephen Murray’s Decision.

The ‘provisional’ top three-boat team and winner of the Onion Patch Trophy is the NYYC Red Team: 'Christopher Dragon', Rives Potts’ 'Carina' and 'Gold Digger'.

NYYC Blue— 'Stark Raving Mad', 'Dorade' and 'Temptation' (which did not sail in the Anniversary Regatta) finished second based on provisional results and The US Navy with 'Invictus', 'Defiance' and 'Swift' came in third.

Onion Patch Series prizes will be awarded at the Newport Bermuda Race prize giving Saturday evening at Government House, Bermuda.

USNA’s TP52 ‘Invictus’ maintains individual Onion Patch lead.

NYYC Blue top team going forward.

By Talbot Wilson

Hamilton, Bermuda June 20, 2012- Although the Carkeek 40 ‘Decision’ owned by Steve Murray (New Orleans LA) was the top Onion Patch boat in the Newport Bermuda Race, the United States Naval Academy (USNA) TP52 ‘Invictus’ maintains first place for individual entries with a second in the 23-boat fleet. 'Invictus' had a first in the NYYC Annual Regatta June 9-10 in Newport.

The Onion Patch combines boats from all IRC classes in the Newport Bermuda Race. Results under IRC in the ocean race favored the more modern boats. ‘Decision’ just launched in 2012 and 'Invictus' a modern TP52 were followed by Lawrence Dicky (Greenwich CT) in his new Ker 43 ‘Ptarmigan’, Jim Madden (Newport Beach CA) in a Swan 601 ‘Stark Raving Mad’ and Hamnett Hill (Montreal CAN) in a new Marten 49 named 'Defiance'. The standings within the Onion Patch fleet in the Newport Bermuda Race were scored with a 1.25 multiplier.

Of the boats doing the whole series— racing in Newport, doing the Newport Bermuda Race and sailing the Royal Bermuda YC Anniversary Regatta presented by the Butterfield Group— the TP52 ‘Invictus’ from the US Naval Academy leads ‘Ptarmagan’ by just 3.25 points going into Friday’s Anniversary Regatta presented by the Butterfield Group at the RBYC.

Among the three-boat teams racing for the Onion Patch Trophy the NYYC Blue team of ‘Stark Raving Mad’, ‘Temptation-Oakcliff’ and ‘Dorade’ leads coming out of the Bermuda Race with 47.25 points. NYYC Red has 69.5 points led by Andrew Weiss’s ‘Christopher Dragon'. 'Carina' skippered by Rives Potts, and Jim Bishop’s ‘Gold Digger’. The USNA team in third with 73.25 points includes ‘Invictus’, ‘Defiance’ (NA23) and ‘Swift’.

Royal Bermuda YC Anniversary Regatta

The Onion Patch Series concludes Friday, June 22 with the RBYC Anniversary Regatta presented by the Butterfield Group. The first race, a windward-leeward course, starts at 10:00 ADT in Bermuda’s Great Sound. It will be followed by a second race that is a “Tour of the Islands” in the Great Sound the Granaway Deep, Port Royal Bay and Hamilton Harbour. The 23 Onion Patch Series entries will compete along with 11 boats just entered in the Anniversary Regatta.

For complete Onion Patch Series results see www.onionpatchseries.com/

Onion Patch Series Scoring

Each yacht's individual final score in each event of the Onion Patch Series is determined by her finish position within the total Onion Patch fleet. The yacht’s score for the Onion Patch Series is the sum of the weighted points of all three events.

For races 1 and 2 of the Onion Patch Series (the first race of Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10, 2012 of the NYYC Annual Regatta), the scoring was based on a formula that converted the yacht's corrected time into a time on distance (i.e., seconds / mile) number and the competitors ranked in order of the fastest sec / mile to the slowest sec / mile. Points are awarded according to ranking, and these points are used in the compilation of the overall scores in the series.

Each individual yacht's scores for the events are weighted as follows: the finish positions in the Newport Bermuda Race are multiplied by 1.25. The total points gained in the NYYC Annual Regatta are multiplied by 1.00 and the total points gained in the RBYC Anniversary Regatta are multiplied by 1.00. The lowest individual score wins.

Team scores are the sum of each team yacht's individual qualifying scores. The lowest team score wins.

Racing for the Onion Patch Series includes the first race each day in the 158th NYYC Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, the Cruising Club of America-Royal Bermuda YC Newport Bermuda Race starting June 15th in Newport and finishing several days later in Bermuda and the Royal Bermuda YC Anniversary Regatta presented by the Butterfield Group on June 22nd.