Nautor's Swan: Racing to Bermuda

Every two years in mid-June, more than 150 boats start from the historic seaport of Newport, Rhode Island, for a 635-mile ocean passage—the iconic Newport Bermuda Race, which has been co-managed by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America since 1926. On June 20th, spectators, friends and family will gather on the lawns of Castle Hill overlooking Narragansett Bay to cheer the competitors who are about to cross a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean known for challenging weather and strong currents. The fleet is very diverse, with five divisions racing for an array of trophies awarded in Bermuda. This year's line-up includes an impressive fleet of 23 Swan yachts.

An adventure not to be missed in a lifetime, and a race that American writer, sailor and author John Rousmaniere (The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, A Berth to Bermuda, Fastnet, Force 10 and many other titles) summed up to perfection for ClubSwan:

"Few tests of seamanship are as iconic, popular, and accessible as the 635-mile Newport Bermuda Race, whose 48th race will start at Newport, R.I., on June 20th. As usual, Swans will be well represented with more than 20 entries in a fleet that numbers close to 180 boats. Having raced to Bermuda nine times, I can predict what the voyage will be like. The first night, off the New England coast, will be damp and chilly as you get your sea legs. Near the Gulf Stream on the second day, the sea will warm and likely be rough enough to make good on the race's nickname, 'The Thrash to the Onion Patch' (Bermuda once was farm land). After a few days of hard sailing in squalls and occasional calms, you will spot Bermuda low on the horizon ahead. Working around the reef to beautiful St. David's Head, you will finish amid hugs and high-fives. Inhaling the sweet smell of oleander and almost tasting Planter's Punch, you will wind up the long channel to Hamilton, where the long post-race party eventually comes to a reluctant end with the grand prize-giving ceremony at Government House. Whether or not you win silver, each sailor in your and every other boat will glory in the profound satisfaction of having raced to Bermuda."

In keeping with the tradition and strong family spirit, most of the boats tend to have amateur crews comprised of friends and family members. This is clearly the common trend among some of the Swan owners who will be competing in this year's race, as ClubSwan reports.

Brian Finn, proud owner of Swan 45 Trailblazer (USA), is eager to start his first Newport Bermuda Race. Since acquiring Trailblazer, Brian and his wife have made modifications to transform the boat from a full-crew racing configuration to a shorthanded cruising/racing set up—generally it is just Brian and his wife sailing her, along with their faithful retired racing greyhound, Blaze, for whom Trailblazer is named.

"After sailing my Swan 45 Trailblazer for two seasons in and around Long Island Sound, it seemed like the time was right for a bigger adventure. She is entered in the cruising division, where I will be sailing her with three friends. Although in her previous life, Trailblazer (formerly Devocean, owned by Steve DeVoe) sailed in at least one Bermuda Race (as well as the Caribbean circuit and races in the Med), this will be my first Bermuda Race with her. My wife and I double-handed our previous boat to Bermuda and back on a cruise, but this will be the farthest I have sailed Trailblazer.

My expectations are first to finish the race safely, and second to see how many boats we can beat! I believe there are two other Swan 45s entered as well in other divisions, so it will be fun to see how we all stack up. In the future, perhaps we can put together enough 45s for our own class. Because we work full-time, my wife and I mainly use Trailblazer for weekend sailing and local races, although we hope to enter her in the Bermuda Race double-handed class in the future.

I think one of the biggest compliments I can pay Swan is that they designed a boat in the Swan 45 that is awesomely powerful and fast with a crew of 10 – yet she can be easily sailed and enjoyed with just two people as well. We have been amazed at her responsiveness at the helm and how easy she is for just the two of us to handle, while at the same time, with just a little breeze she is easily going 10 knots in cruising trim. And although she is nearly 10 years old now, she looks brand new – a testament to the quality material Swan used in her construction."

Also debuting at this year's Newport Bermuda Race after much waiting and training, is Jamie Walker, owner of Swan 56 AZURA (USA):

"The Bermuda Race is one of the great yacht races. It has been on my must-do list for a long time and now that I own our Swan 56 AZURA I have the yacht in which to do the race. After several thousand miles of ocean racing without any boat issues I am quite confident that we will do well in the Bermuda Race. My wife and I chose the Swan 56 after looking at many other yachts. In the end we chose the Swan because of its high build quality and impeccable safety record. This year we spent much of the winter in the Caribbean cruising with friends and family as well as participating in the RORC Caribbean 600 race. The Swan 56 has completely met our expectations. After the Bermuda race we are headed to Martha's Vineyard for a little cruising and the Round the Island Race!"

For James Madden, owner of Swan 601 Stark Raving Mad VII (USA), the Newport Bermuda Race is a tradition, and his team has been preparing diligently for this year's event. In only two years of ownership, they've campaigned hard, doing everything from the NYYC Annual Regatta (placing 2nd) to the Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo (2nd), Les Voiles de St Tropez (2nd), the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean (1st) and the Block Island Race (2nd only to 'Rambler'):

"This will be my fourth Newport to Bermuda Race. I've done each of them since 2008. They've all been exciting in one way or another, but the last one was incredible. We finished the race in less than 60 hours, with speeds of over 20 knots on a few occasions while Tropical Storm 'Chris' passed over us. We were fortunate to win the Swan Challenge Trophy, sailing a good course, hitting favourable Gulf Stream currents and eddies, and optimizing boat speed with frequent sail changes. Though I'd like for this coming race to be as exciting, I suspect it will present a new and different experience, and I'm looking forward to the challenge."

For Madden, crew safety is a very important factor: "Though we always want to race competitively, there is no higher priority than the safety of the crew. We want to be sure we're prepared for just about any condition that might present to us. I think this is why most of my crew have sailed together for the past eight years. Safety and performance are also two of the main reasons I bought a Swan 601. This is my second Swan, and it's been everything I'd hoped for and more. She's fast (for a non-grand prix race boat), she's graceful, she's extremely well built, and she's fun. And she's one other thing too: according to Leonardo [Ferragamo], when asking me where my Swan was during the NYYC Invitational Challenge... I pointed to my Club Swan 42 and he responded, No, I mean where's the sexy boat, your 601."

Following the Bermuda Race this year, Madden's Swan 601 will head back to Newport, RI where she'll be participating in the NYYC Annual Cruise in August and a few other events following, and they're already entered for the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean 2015. The dream continues on, as Madden concludes: "I'm already thinking about my next Swan."

For more information on the Newport Bermuda Race, visit www.BermudaRace.com.