Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 S-Series LEADERBOARD

Five boats ahead of a tightly packed fleet in the Newport Bermuda Race

by John Burnham 17 Jun 2018 06:38 PDT 17 June 2018
Rambler 88, a Juan K custom 88-footer, sets a huge spread of sail at the start © Daniel Forster / PPL

After a day of relatively light winds in the 51st Newport Bermuda Race, the competitors had made moderate progress down the 635-mile course toward the finish line at St. David's Lighthouse on the northeast corner of Bermuda.

Led by Rambler 88, George David's 88-foot Juan K design, five boats crossed the Gulf Stream and opened up a significant gap on the rest of the 169-boat fleet, many of whom were sailing in lighter winds.

Early in the day, David Askew's Wizard, a Volvo 70-footer, may have found better winds and a good wind shift on the west side of the rhumb line, as it passed Rambler at one point, before being overhauled again by the larger boat. Also in this group were two other big boats in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division—Steve Murray, Jr. and Stephen Murray Sr.'s Warrior and Reginald Cole's Proteus—as well as Elvis, Jason Carroll's Gunboat 62, which had built a strong lead on the other two boats in the Multihull Division.

There are a total of seven divisional trophies, and each division has its own race and intrigue. With light winds forecast as most boats cross the Gulf Stream tonight and plot their approach to Bermuda, sailors will focus on nursing best speed from their boats while eying their competitors and hoping they are well positioned for the winds that develop in the next few days.

"It is rare to see your competitors on ocean races after the start, but this race has been very different," wrote Mark D'Arcy from aboard Inisharon, James Murphy's F&C 44, racing in the Finisterre Division. "Many folks are targeting the same Gulf Stream crossing point and because most are along the rhumbline, we have seen a lot more boats this race."

For much of the day, the race boats made faster progress towards Bermuda than the Media Team, which was delayed at Boston's Logan Airport while its Delta A319 waited for a replacement engine part. However, we received a number of reports from boats via tweet, email, and satellite tracker and kept up a steady flow of activity on Facebook, Twitter, and Bermudarace.com.

Our social media commentator, Nic Douglass – Adventures of a Sailor Girl recorded most of her wrap-up of the day for Facebook while at the airport and then aired it in the evening after landing in Bermuda.

Tweets and text from the boats

Updates from the fleet came in on Friday night and Saturday in a variety of media formats, including quite a few tweets (see @bdarace and search at twitter.com on #bermudarace) and longer blog reports from Inisharon, Shearwater (Mason 43), and Dreamcatcher. Read more here.

Follow the progress of each boat in real time via the Pantaenius Insurance Official Race Tracker

Related Articles

Bulwarks and Bulldust – watch Episode Three
Episode Three - Greg Haines, Princess Yachts Australia - is now up and running Episode Three - Greg Haines, Princess Yachts Australia - is now up and running Posted today at 1:09 am
Columbus Crossover 42 M/Y launching ceremony
A superyacht with compact but extremely flexible dimensions Columbus Yachts announces the launch of the new Crossover 42 named M/Y Big Naan. The joyful ceremony took place at the Savona shipyard in the presence of her Owners, their guests and local authorities. Posted on 23 May
Outer Reef Yachts launches 780 Adventure Hull 1
A 24-meter steel-hulled explorer yacht Outer Reef Yachts is proud to announce the successful completion of the all-new 780 Adventure, a 24-meter steel-hulled explorer yacht, meticulously built at the Outer Reef Netherlands shipyard. Posted on 22 May
Maritimo S60 Sedan Motor Yacht - Global launch
Enhancements to both the exterior and interior deliver great appeal Leading Australian luxury motor yacht manufacturer, Maritimo, will proudly display the first S60 Sedan Motor Yacht at the 2025 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. Posted on 21 May
Maritimo M50 Flybridge Motor Yacht - Global launch
Setting the benchmark in long-range cruising motor yachts Maritimo, Australia's world-class luxury motor yacht builder, expands its next generation model line-up with the global launch of the all-new M50 Flybridge Motor Yacht at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, May 2025. Posted on 21 May
Welcome aboard the M7
Available for private viewings at select Mediterranean locations this summer Unveiled at the Düsseldorf Boat Show in January 2025, the new M7 has already established itself as a standout in the world of multihull motor yachts. Posted on 21 May
Lazzara Yachts enters the expedition market
With sale of Lazzara EX 165 Lazzara Yachts (a part of Euro Marine Group) is proud to confirm the sale of its Lazzara EX 165, Lazzara's largest yacht to date. Posted on 20 May
Coast Guard proposes removing hundreds of buoys
Some buoys are in notoriously rocky and challenging bays and harbors on the Northern Atlantic Coast On April 15, the First Coast Guard District released an initiative proposing the removal of hundreds of navigational buoys, or Aids to Navigation (AtoNs). Posted on 20 May
Feadship Project 715 launched
The explore yacht slipped from her building hall in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands Feadship's latest entry into the genre of explorer yachts slipped from her building hall in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands. Posted on 18 May
Riviera's 72 Sports Motor Yacht Series II Premiere
Part of Riviera's 12 yacht showcase at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show Riviera celebrates two World Premieres at this year's Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. The new generation 72 Sports Motor Yacht - Series II joins the exciting new 4300 Sports Express as part of Riviera's spectacular 12 yacht showcase. Posted on 18 May
Palm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER