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2024 Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Brings the Drama
A storm in the Gulf Stream created some drama for the 18 entrants in this year’s Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race sponsored by Mustang Survival
The 753-mile Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race kicked off June 7 with an 18-boat fleet that represented a diverse collection of sailboats between 30 and 156 feet in length. The challenging course offered both inshore and offshore racing, with the fleet navigating its way down the Chesapeake Bay before heading into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The A2B is a technical race that involves navigational skill and a variety of abilities, and no matter the weather, always proves to be a challenge.
For the 2024 running, boats hit the line with beautiful breeze, blowing 10-15 knots off the Bay’s western shore as the fleet raced down toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The breeze stayed behind them the entire time, picking up as they got closer to the open water. Once boats exited the Bay, however, things got a bit squirrelly.
On Monday, the wind began to intensify. Coupled with big swells and patchy thunderstorms, there were moments when the race seemed intent on bringing a damp, miserable experience for sailors. Tuesday, conditions worsened and gusts were steadily in the 40s, with Team Iris reporting a top out of 54kts.
Line honors went to John Haiges and the crew of Verissimo , a J/160 out of Riverton Yacht Club in New Jersey that finished Tuesday around 4pm. This is Haiges’ first attempt at the A2B, after a successful completion of the Annapolis to Newport last year.
“After doing the Annapolis to Newport last year, we decided to up the ante,” he says. The J/160 was originally raced out of Halifax, and won the Newport to Bermuda in the early aughts. Haiges bought the boat in 2010, and cruised the boat up and down the Eastern Seaboard. “We started just started casually racing her last year. In February, we took her down to Annapolis and got her all new rod and standing rigging. We managed to do one practice race, then said, ‘That’s all the time we’ve got. It’s time to go to Bermuda.'”
After corrections, Verissimo fell to fifth place in the ORC 1 class. First overall in ORC 1 was awarded to Allegiant , the Annapolis-based J/42 owned by Albert Bossar and Maryline O’Shea.
One of the most exciting entrants this year was Pride of Baltimore II , helmed by Captain Jan C. Miles. While Pride led the fleet into the Atlantic, she had to retire early due to a crew member’s medical needs. Pride , and all of her crew members, made it safely to Bermuda.
Remarkably, the entire fleet, in fact, made it to Bermuda, where Dark and Stormies were waiting for them on the dock. After a rough night, who could ask for anything more?
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Annapolis to Bermuda Race: entries open
Published on August 17th, 2023 by Assoc Editor -->
Entries are open for the 2024 Mustang Survival Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race, with the start scheduled for June 7, 2024.
This is the twenty-third occurrence of this biennial race. Founded in 1979 by members of Eastport Yacht Club, the race is 768 nautical miles and has the challenge of navigating the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the offshore run through the Gulf Stream to St. David’s Lighthouse in Bermuda.
Organized by Bermuda Ocean Race and hosted by Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis and Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Bermuda. The race welcomes yachts over 30 feet in PHRF, ORC, and Double Handed classes. The Organizing Authority offers significant pre-race preparation support through seminars and networking through happy hours and other events.
Race Chair Corinne Smith, taking the helm of this event for the second time, states, “We are excited to partner again with EYC and RHADC in planning another memorable race to Bermuda! We look forward to your participation as we host several expert seminars and numerous social happy hours to assist in race preparation. The A2B Race is an adventure you will never forget!”
In existence since 1979, it combines the tactics and strategy of navigating the Chesapeake Bay as well as the Gulf Steam and Atlantic Ocean.
Event details: www.bermudaoceanrace.com
Tags: Annapolis Bermuda Race
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Moritz Hilf rules the waves in Annapolis to Bermuda Race
There was double delight for Moritz Hilf, owner and skipper of Max at the conclusion of the Annapolis to Bermuda Race.
The Pogo 50 vessel was the first to reach the island yesterday, completing the route of 753 miles down the Chesapeake Bay and on to Bermuda, to pick up not only overall fleet honours but also victory in the ORC class as well.
Hilf crew were followed in by Jane Says, skippered by Robert Dunigan , who picked up victory in the double-handed class. Other vessels who had finished by yesterday afternoon included Allegiant , skippered by Albert Bossar, Jake Kiggins’s Gallan USNA and Defiance USN A, owned by Larry Fraizer.
Bare Bones , skippered by John Tis and Himmel , were the remaining vessels to have completed the course.
Meanwhile, special guest entrant into the 22nd edition of the race Pride of Baltimore II , captained by Jan Miles, remains on course to reach the island by today, having endured difficulties after the start of the race.
The 156-foot topsail schooner’s refrigeration system completely shut down, forcing skipper Miles to signal to race organisers that they were withdrawing from the race. However, a quick on-the-water repair was possible, and the vessel to was able rejoin the fleet for the offshore portion. As of yesterday afternoon, the vessel was 78 nautical miles from the finish line.
The Annapolis to Bermuda Race has marked its return after a four-year wait. Eastport Yacht Club officials were forced to cancel the 2020 running of the biennial race because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the closing of Bermuda’s borders the significant contributing factor behind the decision.
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From Annapolis To Bermuda: Rick Irving’s Five-Day Sailing Journey (And Win) On The Open Ocean
There are competitions that can take place for the better part of a week, generally with off-days — and then there is the five-day Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race. There are no breaks in the action, no recovery days, but plenty of open ocean and challenges to make this experience a thrill for those involved — including Newtown’s own Rick Irving.
Not only did Irving sail the Atlantic Ocean in this marathon race, his US Naval Academy boat came in first in its division, the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet, which featured nine boats. Quite an accomplishment for the 2020 Newtown High School graduate and his fellow crewmen considering such an adventure alone is something special.
Irving spent nearly a month competing with the US Naval Academy varsity offshore sailing team, which also sailed to Newport and Martha’s Vineyard to participate in another race series at Edgartown Yacht Club Race Weekend, closing out a busy June at sea.
For the Annapolis to Bermuda race, Irving and his team sailed a Navy 44 which is, as the name indicates, a 44-foot-long boat. Part of a crew of ten — eight Midshipmen and two coaches —Irving’s primary role is bowman. He is responsible for forward sails and hoist jibs (secondary/upwind sails) as well as spinnakers (secondary/downwind sails).
Detangling lines with a crew and all of that ocean water to think about, and enjoying the calmness when things are going smoothly likely makes competitive sailing both stressful and peaceful on the same journey.
“It’s a lot of clearing lines and making sure everything’s running right. It’s a lot of problem-solving and a lot of things going wrong and trying to fix them,” Irving said.
His secondary role, and one that Irving said is perhaps the hardest part of sailing in the race, is being in charge of food for the crew for this lengthy voyage. Providing meals that make a large group content might be hard enough on dry land. Try five days on the water. Newfound respect for moms (and dads) in kitchens everywhere.
It is probably safe to say Irving and his sailing team members are getting an at-sea education for life as a parent trying to detangle toys, functioning on minimal sleep, keeping things afloat, and making meal time interesting for a bunch of hungry but picky eaters.
“It was pretty tough because I’ve never done anything like that before,” Irving said of his food duties. “I did take suggestions beforehand and drew on some info from previous boats. We did a lot of tortillas, just because it’s less messy, quesadillas, and cold cuts in wraps. We premade a bunch of the dinners, stuff without intense flavors because that tends to exacerbate seasickness, so it was stuff like red beans and rice and pasta with chicken. The big thing is the snacks, so that’s where I got creative and had some variety for everyone. People tend to be a lot less hungry in the middle of the ocean so it’s tough planning for meals when you don’t know who’s even going to want to eat, but we made it work.”
Perhaps like any long race — on land or water — sailing is a test of endurance with some rewarding scenery for competitors to take in along the way. Nearly a week on the waves is quite the extreme.
“Being in competition for five days is kind of rough. It takes a lot out of you,” Irving acknowledged. “Being out there with nothing around you — just open ocean — is pretty cool. It was awesome.”
The crew can have long practices but five consecutive days of sailing is uncharted territory until it comes time for the race. “There is no way to prepare for that,” said Irving, adding that it was even more of a unique experience for the freshmen who had never been in such a long race before.
With ten participants, five get to sleep while the other half makes the boat do its thing. Does not sound so challenging, does it? Well, it’s four hours on and four hours off to sleep in a stretch at night and three hours on and three off during the day in a continuous rotation for the crew during this five-day experience.
“It’s like napping,” Irving said of bedtime on a competitive sailboat. “It’s pretty tough. Three hours of hard sailing followed by three hours of sleep, three hours of hard sailing followed by three hours of sleep,” he explained.
On day five, with pretty blue water all around, Bermuda came into view for Irving and company.
“We were riding pretty high after that,” he recalled. “It was interesting because Bermuda came out of nowhere. There’s nothing around it.”
After spending four days on Bermuda island, it was off to Newport for more sailing.
Irving, who will be a junior, is working toward a degree in political science. He said the Naval Academy is one of few programs with a fleet of boats for big competitions, and that other universities visit the Naval Academy and use the host’s boats for competitions during the fall.
According to the Naval Academy website usna.edu/sailing , the Navy Intercollegiate (IC) team is consistently one of the top programs in the country and has a long history of turning out collegiate All-Americans, College Sailors of the Year, Olympians, and America’s Cup sailors. The team competes in the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) and sails in over 60 collegiate events each year.
“MAISA is arguably the most competitive district in the country, and includes such schools as St Mary’s College of Maryland, Georgetown University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Old Dominion University. Annapolis is situated far enough south to allow the team to practice late into the fall and start early each spring, giving Navy sailing a competitive edge during each season. The IC sailing team practices five days a week for three hours a day and competes most weekends in both the fall and spring,” according to the website.
“The IC sailing program’s fleet of racing dinghies consists of 42 racing Lasers, 50 training Lasers, 22 420s, 22 Flying Juniors, three Interclub Dinghies, four Tech Dinghies, and three Vanguard 15s. This gives the team opportunities to practice in specific boats that will be sailed in upcoming events. With such a large fleet, Navy is able to play host to a multitude of events every year, including two of the largest college sailing regattas in the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA): the Navy Fall Intersectional and the Truxtun Umstead Regatta in the spring. Both regattas feature four divisions of 20 teams with all divisions racing at the same time, which allows for some very exciting sailing,” according to the site.
“It’s a really unique program,” Irving said. “We’re a pretty competitive group.”
Practicing each day after practice is something that not only makes Irving and his teammates better but also is something they enjoy.
“It’s really cool to go out there every day and be able to get away a bit,” Irving said.
Irving played soccer and volleyball, and was on the swim team at Newtown High. Always around the water, if not on it or in it, he is helping coach the Newtown Torpedoes swim team this summer.
Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at [email protected] .
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The 2024 Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Race provides a unique combination of inshore and offshore racing through its route down the Chesapeake Bay, across the Gulfstream, and onto Bermuda. ... A2B provides these challenges within a framework designed for safe offshore sailing. The race is technically challenging, physically taxing, and ...
By Bay Living / June 13, 2024. The 753-mile Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race kicked off June 7 with an 18-boat fleet that represented a diverse collection of sailboats between 30 and 156 feet in length. The challenging course offered both inshore and offshore racing, with the fleet navigating its way down the Chesapeake Bay ...
2024 Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race Eastport Yacht Club / The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club Annapolis, MD, USA 07 June 2024: Online Registration Form - Closed For Entry, please contact the Event Organizers. Current Registration List. Scratch Sheet.
After the start, bookmark the Race Tracker to follow the action all the way to Bermuda. Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race. Friday, June 7, 2024 11:00 AM. PO Box 3205 317 First Street Annapolis, MD 21403. Phone: (410) 267-9549.
The Mustang Survival Annapolis-Bermuda Ocean Race has announced that entries are open for the 2024 race, with the start scheduled for June 7, 2024. NOTE: The event below, Arts Alive 25, was held ...
The first Annapolis To Bermuda Race was run in 1979 with seven yachts that competed informally. The organizers determined there was sufficient interest in the race and it became a popular biennial event starting in 1980. Since then the fleet has grown and now attracts both racing and cruising boats. 2022 Race Results. 2018 Race Results. 2016 ...
Entries are open for the 2024 Mustang Survival Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race, with the start scheduled for June 7, 2024. ... Founded in 1979 by members of Eastport Yacht Club, the race is 768 ...
Annapolis2Bermuda, Annapolis, Maryland. 2,737 likes · 367 talking about this. Official Page for the Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race
Annapolis & Bermuda Events — 2024 Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race. 1800 - 2000 Finish Line Cocktail Reception St. David's Lighthouse. 08:00 - 21:00 hours Duty Desk: Lower Lounge (subject to arrival of boats) 10:00 - 20:00 hours Ship Store: Lower Lobby (subject to arrival of boats) 11:45 - 14:30 hours Lunch: Dining Room ...
A biennial 725-mile-long sailboat race from Annapolis, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay to Bermuda, hosted by the Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis. SpinSheet Annapolis Crew Party 2024 Every spring as sailing season begins, SpinSheet hosts at least three of our signature Crew Parties to connect sailors.
This year's event set sail on Saturday, with 29 boats attempting to to race 753 miles down the Chesapeake Bay and on to Bermuda. It typically takes five to seven days for most sailors, barring ...
The Annapolis to Bermuda Race is finally poised to get under way again today after a four-year wait. Eastport Yacht Club officials were forced to cancel the 2020 running of the biennial race ...
This changes RRS 60.1(a). 1. RULES. 1.1. The event is governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing and the 2024 Annapolis to Bermuda Offshore Safety Requirements (A2BOSRs). 1.2. For all classes, power-driven winches and mechanical or electro-mechanical steering devices are permitted.
Eastport Yacht Club officials were forced to cancel the 2020 running of the biennial race because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the closing of Bermuda's borders the significant contributing ...
For the Annapolis to Bermuda race, Irving and his team sailed a Navy 44 which is, as the name indicates, a 44-foot-long boat. ... US Naval Academy's Rick Irving, of Newtown, stands by the mast on the boat at right, during the Edgartown Yacht Club Race Weekend in Martha's Vineyard in late June. The boat, Tenacious, goes head-to-head with ...
Official Documents — 2024 Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race. Safety is a primary consideration of the Race and the Committee is committed to ensuring that entrants are as well-prepared as possible for their adventure. The A2B is a Category 1 Offshore Race and generally follows the applicable US Sailing Offshore safety equipment ...
Yacht Scoring is a web based regatta management, regatta administration and regatta scoring system that simplifies the task of competitor registration, event management, competitor and media communications while providing results in near-real time to competitors and the World following your event on the internet. ... Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean ...
June 1, 2022. The Mustang Survival Annapolis to Bermuda Race gets underway on Friday [June 3]. One of the longest ocean races on the East Coast of the United States, the 753-mile race, which ...
Mike Maholchic has skippered an entry in the Annapolis-to-Bermuda Race seven previous times without capturing class honors. His best result came in 1998 when Nirvana, a Tartan 415, placed second.
The Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race provides a unique combination of inshore and offshore racing through its route down the Chesapeake Bay, across the Gulfstream, and onto Bermuda. It enables many sailors to fulfill a lifelong ambition: a blue water passage to a coral island with white sandy beaches and legendary hospitality. The Race covers 753 ...
June 7-10, 2024. If you're going to attempt the Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race, you've got to love the open sea. The race covers 753 miles, making it the longest ocean race on the East Coast of the U.S. The distance isn't the only difficulty, however. Setting sail from Maryland's Chesapeake Bay - known for its unpredictable winds and ...
Where Did You Learn About the Event? ...
The AC75, or America's Cup 75, is a 75ft foiling race boat with one carbon-fibre hull (a monohull instead of catamaran or trimaran) and has been described as like a "large windsurfing board with ...
The Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race awards trophies for "first to finish" overall, fastest corrected time out of the Chesapeake, fastest corrected time for the ocean leg, as well as first, second, and third place finishes in each class. ... US Sailing offers a few seminars in the spring. Please check their web page. Please note that you must ...