Mudbox
2005 Bermuda1-2

The below was written back in 2005 as part 1 of 3 about the race. Part 2 was supposed to be about the preparation for the race, and part 3 the race itself. Part 2 and 3 were never written…

The Bermuda1-2 Race is a biannual shorthanded offshore race on the East cost (sailed in the ‘odd’ years).

About the Race
The race has two parts – the first leg starts in Newport, RI and finishes in St. George, Bermuda. This leg is sailed single handed (only one person on the boat). The second part of the race is the return trip from Bermuda to Newport and is sailed double handed (two people on the boat) – hence the name Bermuda 1-2. The official website for the race is http://www.bermuda1-2.org and is well worth a visit.

The Course
Observe Exhibit A: the map below for a visualization of the race course.

As can be seen on the map – Bermuda is located approximately in the middle of bloody nowhere (I think that is a technical term), but what makes this race really interesting a certain warm water river that tears through the North Atlantic.

Yes, I am of course talking about the Gulf Stream one of the most interesting oceanic features of this planet. Many people and companies are devoted to tracking and predicting the Gulf Stream. A quick search on Google will reveal endless Gulf Stream Information. People like Jenifer Clark and Commanders Weather specialize in these neat little color charts showing where meanders, cold, and warm eddies are and a good guess as to where they will be when be in a few days.

When people talk about the race from Newport to Bermuda they typically divide it into three stages. First the cold, foggy stage from Newport to the entry of the Gulf Stream. This is followed by the second stage – the trip through the Gulf Stream – which is typically characterized as wet and wild. Stage three is from the exit of the Gulf Stream until Bermuda. This part typically involves bobbing around in a high pressure system surrounding Bermuda wishing for a little of the wind experienced in stage two.

The much less frequently quoted fourth stage takes place upon arrival in Bermuda and consists of copious Dark-and-Stormy consumption, a long hot shower and the ceremonial burning of the clothes.

The People
This is an amateur event (or Corinthian as it is called in the sailing world). This does not reflect on the skill of the participants, for the quality and management of the event. It just means that there are ‘regular’ people who like to sail and who what to push the envelope a little further.

A lot of the people that sail the Bermuda1-2 come back to do it again. Indeed – I was the only ‘first timer’ in my class. Everybody else had already done the race before .. and I think some of the sailors in the other classes had done it a handful of times. They must either like it or be very slow learners!