In the spirit of the Marion Bermuda race, the organization has played a major role in promoting youth sailing. The race organizers have been making efforts to retain and train young sailors after they outgrow sailing camp and to help them make the steps into 'grown up' sailing by supporting youth sailing programs in Boston, Marion and Bermuda. When she's not racing, The Spirit of Bermuda is an on-water classroom for Bermudian young teens. The Courageous Sailing Center in Boston provides free youth sailing courses, and the Beverly Yacht Club runs a junior sailing program every summer. This year, Marion Bermuda is thrilled to announce the addition of a new Youth Class to our race. Sailing, after all, is uniquely adaptable into a team sport or a family pastime for any age.
Join us, and become a part of our sailing legacy!
Save the Date: June 19, 2015!
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Marion-Bermuda Race Adds Youth Class
Is it getting harder to find crew? Is it becoming a little more difficult for your trusted mates to move about the boat as nimbly as they once did? You might consider stacking the deck with a young group of bright, willing and enthusiastic sailors for the offshore trip of a lifetime.
The Marion Bermuda Race recognizes that there is an age gap in participants of offshore racing and understandably so. It takes time to have the means to invest in a solid cruising boat and the resources to put it together to do an offshore event. For years the Naval Academy and Mass Maritime have fielded boats with a select group of 18 to 22 year old sailors and have done very well. You don't have to go to an academy to be a competent sailor and a good crew member. You just need a good boat!
So what is the opportunity? If you belong to a yacht club or boating organization you most likely have a pool of young sailors that would be extremely excited about sailing in an offshore race like the Marion Bermuda. But you don't have to belong to a sailing organization, you can put an excellent crew of young adults together from friends and family you sail with.
The requirements are simple...crew members must be between the ages and 16 and 22 years of age and each boat must have a 3:1 ratio crew to adults. The remaining requirements will parallel what is required of every sailor doing the race (see Notice of Race) Look for additional details on the Youth Class on the Marion Bermuda Race web site in a couple of weeks.
We have already received an excellent response to the addition of the Youth Class and a number of boats are ready to participate. So don't waste a moment, give a group of young enthusiastic sailors an opportunity to realize the joy of sailing offshore in a well founded boat and experience the joy in doing so.
-Ray Cullum, Marion-Bermuda Race
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Marion Bermuda on WCBV
For anyone not in the Boston area, local ABC affiliate WCBV ran a "Cronicle" feature on the Marion Bermuda race! The segment aired again this week, but for those of you who weren't able to see it live, you can watch the segment here. Thanks WCBV for the great coverage! |
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Photos from the race are available for viewing or purchase via Spectrum Photo. Images are available from the 2013 race, as well as 2011, 2009, 2007 and 2005. Thanks for the great shots, Spectrum Photo! |
How many Marion Bermuda Races have you done? Four
How do you select your crew? I am lucky to have the best crew available. All are local from Duxbury and Marion. We have a large group of friends that are all great sailors. It is easy to fill a crew spot when someone cannot make a race. We jokingly refer to the group as the DORCs (Duxbury Ocean Racing Club)
Is there one moment from your 2013 race that stands out to you?
I made two big mistakes: Flying the spinnaker in 30 knots of wind at the start and not staying west of the rhumbline longer.
What sets Marion Bermuda apart from other long-distance/ocean racing you've done?
The atmosphere is better. The race is chock full of great competitive sailors but they won't sacrifice on safety to win. The Marion race has good friendly competition. It is not a "win at all costs" type of race.
Any suggestions for first-time skippers in the 2015 race?
Make sure the boat is ready for the open ocean and practice. Fixing equipment should be done in the winter and spring. There is a lot going on the day of the race. The last thing you need is to be fixing equipment while you are going to the starting line.
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A Call To Action- Share With Us!
Did you have a particularly unique experience preparing for or during the Marion Bermuda Race? Do you have any interesting sailing photos that just have to be seen by our community of over 3,000 fellow sailors? If so, don't hesitate to send us your images, stories, and ideas to Editor@MarionBermuda.com, we would love to feature them in an upcoming newsletter or post! And, don't forget to find and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn too.
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