Marblehead-to-Halifax Race Set To Begin July 8

by Keith Taylor on 21 Feb 2001 The Boston Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron are inviting blue
water sailors from throughout the U.S. and Canada to compete in the 29th biennial
Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race, which begins in Marblehead on July 8, 2001.Entry
forms are available from the Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race Committee, P.O. Box
487, Marblehead, MA 01945
One of the oldest and most challenging long-distance sailboat races in North America,
the Marblehead-to-Halifax Race offers intense boat-for-boat competition and requires
racers to make complex tactical choices as they sail a 360-nautical-mile course (about
425 statute miles) from Marblehead, Massachusetts, to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The race is open to boats competing under the following handicap systems: IMS (boats
handicapped under the International Measurement System); PHRF Racing (Performance
Handicap Racing Fleet boats sailing with spinnakers); PHRF Cruising (Performance
Handicap Racing Fleet boats sailing without spinnakers); multihulls and classic yachts.

'We limit the fleet to 150 boats,' said Boston Yacht Club Vice Commodore and race
co-chair James Flanagan. 'And we hope to get close to that number of entries this
year.' In 1999, 112 boats crossed the starting line, including three highly-sophisticated
70-foot ocean racers, a 75-year old, 155-foot schooner, six multihulls and scores of 35-
to 50-foot monohulls.

Depending on wind conditions and boat speed, racers will be on the course anywhere
from 33 to more than 100 hours. The course record-33 hours, 29 minutes and 52
seconds-set by Starlight Express, a Santa Cruz 70 in 1989, has yet to be broken.

The Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is jointly run by the Boston Yacht Club and the
Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.