Bermuda by the Stars

Andy Howe taking a sight aboard Founder's Trophy winner 'Ti' in the 2015 Marion Bermuda Race © Andy Howe

The Marion Bermuda Race is the only US East coast offshore race which features a Celestial Navigation Classification with appropriate time credits. It is the only one that offers prizes for yachts that sail by the stars. The Beverly Yacht Club Polaris Trophy is offered for the first celestially navigated yacht and that yacht's navigator is recognized with the Navigator's Trophy.

So far for this 2017 Marion Bermuda Race, there are 11 Founders Division racers entered to sail under the Celestial Classification. These entries will get a 3% credit on their ORR rating handicap time on time. Completed entries must be in by May 27. The race starts in Buzzard's Bay on June 9.

One of those celestial entries, Ray Cullum— a race trustee, past Beverly YC commodore and long-time race volunteer— is sailing his own Bill Dixon designed 44' sloop "Frolic". This is his first time skippering his own boat, but his sixth Marion Bermuda Race in all. He has raced on boats ranging from 39 to 67 feet.

"I did my first MBR in 1999, and we went celestially." Cullum said. "Going celestially adds an additional level of achievement to the race. You pay a lot more attention to your environment going celestially as your DR [dead reckoning] plot is the all important method and is something many of us no longer use with the advent of electronic GPS and chart plotters."

"There is a certain excitement about navigating to an island 650 nautical miles away by the sun, moon and stars," he added.

Ray has brought a winning navigator on board. Andy Howe, navigator of the 2015 winner "Ti" will be plotting "Frolic's" course south across the Gulf Stream and through the 150 mile long 'happy valley' on the approach to Bermuda. Howe has done ten Bermuda races, six from Marion and four from Newport.

Howe talked about learning celestial navigation and then teaching the skill to others, "I learned Celestial back in the mid 70's while doing a stint in the USCG. I got better at it running private yachts and delivering them back and forth to the Caribbean. Then for 12 years I worked for Ocean Navigator and taught a lot of navigation courses including celestial. I taught both in classroom sessions and on board "Ocean Star" their training vessel."

"Celestial is a traditional skill/art," Howe added. "It demands a lot of attention to detail and enough subjective analysis to bring more than number crunching to bear. Being able to take the hard info from sights, the boat dead reckoning information, and then getting it all onto the chart for interpretation is where the art really comes into play."

"The reward from using celestial accurately across 650 miles of open ocean is tremendous," he continued. "I have rarely been more than 5 miles off in my final position, so it can be done. Doing the 2015 race with a family crew and boat and having all the other variables in the race come together in our favor for multiple wins provided all of us with a lifetime of memories. I hope the "Frolic" adventure is a repeat of 2015."

When "Frolic" reaches a point 50 miles from the finish off Bermuda's St. David's Lighthouse, the team can uncover the electronics for the final approach. This is a concession to safety since Bermuda's northern shore is surrounded by reefs. If you were keeping score it would be something like Reefs 195, Ships and Yachts 0.

During the race, traditional star, sun, planet or moon sights must determine a yacht's location. Navigators of yachts competing using celestial navigation must at a minimum maintain, and have ready for inspection in Bermuda, a paper-based log of each sight (including body, date, time, and Ha), paper or electronic plotting sheets, and a paper chart showing fixes resulting from sights used for navigation. Most important will be the fix used to determine that the yacht was, or was not, within 50 NM of Kitchen Shoal beacon.

Yachts may use modern onboard non GPS based instruments. Speedometer, distance log, compass, depth sounder and the thermometer use to indicate their location in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream are some of the allowances. Calculators and computers may be used for sight reductions and for computing courses.

Like many of the entries in this year's race, Ray will be staying for the America's Cup finals. The America's Cup Match between the final challenger and Oracle Team USA, the defender will be sailed June 17-27 following the challengers qualifying and playoffs starting May 26.

Safety Near You

Whether you're new to sailing or an "old salt" Safety at Sea Seminars are for everyone. Cruisers, racers, offshore or coastal and power boaters, there is a possibility we will face the same dangers at one time or another.

For those that are participating in the Marion Bermuda or Marblehead Halifax Races, the offshore requirements mandate that at least 30% of all crewmembers complete a Safety at Sea course within the last five years. If you missed the March 11-12 Marion Bermuda Safety at Sea Seminar in Boston, check out the many other seminars sanctioned by US Sailing this spring. A list of seminars near you is posted here by US Sailing.

Race to the America's Cup in Bermuda

For race participants who choose to stay for the cup races and festivities, the America's Cup Event Authority has established the first and only dedicated travel website for America's Cup spectators to view and book packages to attend the 35th America's Cup.

Race participants will have slips available at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club for America's Cup finals on a first come first served basis. Special accommodation packages are available, please visit www.americascuptravel.com for more information.

If you are interested in booking hotel accommodation only, please email and a dedicated team member at Travel Places Bermuda Ltd., will happily assist you. If you are interested in Bed and Breakfast accommodations or other Bermuda properties: www.bermudarentals.com

About the Marion Bermuda Race

This is the 21st Marion Bermuda Race and the 40th year for the 645-mile open ocean challenge for cruiser type yachts.

The first Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race in 1977 saw 104 starters cross the line. Over the forty years since that first race the race has evolved into a true offshore challenge for cruising yachts, amateur, family and youth sailors. Special prizes abound to emphasis celestial navigation, short handed sailing. Family crews and regional competition. The race is handicapped under the ORR rating system to assure the fairest scoring available for ocean racing yachts.

Races within the Race

Celestial Navigation - A yacht may elect to race using celestial navigation. If a yacht elects to be celestially navigated, she will receive a 3% favorable adjustment to her ORR rating. This choice must be made by May 12. See NOR Attachment D for the details of the conditions that a yacht must meet to be considered a celestially navigated yacht. In its true Corinthian spirit, the Marion Bermuda Race is the only ocean race to Bermuda that offers a celestial navigation prize.

The Family Race - A "family" yacht is one with a crew of five (5) or more with all or all-but-one being members of a single household or a single family. Persons related to a common grandparent and spouses of these will be considered "family."

The Offshore Youth Challenge - A "youth" yacht is one with at least 4 youths aboard with at least 66% of the crew qualified as youths. A youth sailor must be 16 years of age or older but not more than 23 years old by June 8, 2017. One or more adults at least 23 years old by June 8, 2017 must be onboard.

The Double-Handed, Short-Handed Competition and All-Female Crew - Yachts sailing with a crew of two (2), a crew of three or four (3 or 4) or an all-female crew may elect to compete in the double-handed, short-handed, and all-female competitions respectively.

The Team Race Prize is offered for established Yacht Clubs or Sailing Clubs which may form a team of three member yachts to compete for the Team prize. The team whose three yachts have the lowest corrected time total will be declared the winner.

About the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association

The Marion Bermuda Race encourages the development of blue-water sailing skills on seaworthy yachts that can be handled safely offshore with limited crew. The Marion Bermuda Race is a 501(c)(3) organization and among other educational efforts, supports and encourages Youth Sailing programs. The Marion to Bermuda Race is organized and run entirely by hundreds of volunteering members of The Beverly Yacht Club (BYC), The Blue Water Sailing Club (BWSC) and The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC) for the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association.

www.marionbermuda.com