Marion Bermuda Extravaganza

'TI ', skippered by Greg Marston won the Beverly Family Trophy and a full house of other trophies in 2015 © Fran Grenon / Spectrum Photography

Entries now stand at 60 yachts for the 2017 Marion Bermuda Race and there is still time to get off the fence and enter this classic, 40th Anniversary Race.

The start of this extravaganza is June 9 from Buzzard's Bay near Marion, Massachusetts and the race finishes in the midst of Bermuda's America's Cup activity with its traditional St. David's Lighthouse finish.

Entry closes on May 27, 2017 and all information required on the entry forms must be completed by then.

The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club that hosts the race in Bermuda is also Bermuda's home away from home for the America's Cup defenders, the Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco, and their defending team, Oracle Team USA.

The RHADC will be a hub of activity not to be missed. Actual racing in the America's Cup Match start June 17, the day of the Marion Bermuda Race's evening prizegiving.

If your boat is already entered, now is the time to start thinking about the competition for extra prizes. There are many races within the race. Additional entry forms need to be completed for these 'races'.

The Kingman Yacht Center Team Trophy is offered for established Yacht Clubs or Sailing organizations that form a team of three member yachts. The team whose three yachts have the lowest corrected time total will be the winner.

Yachts sailing with a crew of two, a crew of three or four or an all-female crew of any number may elect to compete in the double-handed, short-handed, and all-female competitions respectively. Prizes are the Double-Handed Trophy, the short-handed L. Bryon Kingery, Jr. Memorial Trophy and the Commodore Faith Paulsen Trophy for the ladies.

A "family" yacht racing for the Beverly Family Trophy is one with a crew of five or more with all or all-but-one being members of a single household or a single family may race for the family prize. Persons related to a common grandparent and spouses of these will be considered "family."

The Offshore Youth Challenge Trophy is offered for yachts encouraging youth participation. 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.

And there is a prize for stargazers, too, the Beverly Yacht Club Polaris Trophy, A yacht may elect to race using celestial navigation. If a yacht elects to be celestially navigated, she will receive a 3% favourable 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.

While Marion Bermuda Racers are in Bermuda, the America's Cup Superyacht Regatta runs June 13-15. The J Class Regatta is June 16, 19 & 20. And Red Bull Youth America's Cup races are spread from June 12 to June 20.

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.

On island hotels and guest houses and even airbnb accommodations are still available. 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. visit www.americascuptravel.com for more information.

If you are interested in booking hotel accommodation only, book directly or 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.

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.