By Richard Donn, Captain, Poeske
Entering the 2008 Newport-Bermuda Race fulfilled a dream which was conceived early on in my sailing career but incubated slowly and only came to fruition in this year’s race to the Onion Patch. For a 64-year-old man with a 25-year-old boat, the anticipation of the race was a mixture of excitement, apprehension, desire, and anxiety.
In 2005 I crewed in the Marion-Bermuda Race, and in 2006 I did the return trip from Bermuda to Newport. Two members of my crew and I crossed the Atlantic in the 2007 ARC and collectively we 
accumulated enough blue-water experience to apply for entry in the 2008 Newport-Bermuda Race. (photo L to R: Ben Fisher, Miriam Donn, Richard Donn, Curtis Farley, Steve Farley)
I use the word “apply” with great care because paying the entry fee is the least challenging part of the race. Fortunately the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee offers first- timers the opportunity to work with a mentor who can assist them to complete the marathon to the starting line. I was fortunate enough to be assigned to Richie Shulman, the 2006 Gibbs Hill Trophy winner. He was generous with his advice, and when he was unable to answer one of my many questions he would refer me to someone who could. How easy it is to be only a crew member! As Captain there was an exponential increase in anxiety as I realized that not only did I have responsibility for my boat but also, more important, for the safety and lives of my crew.
The Crew
The first step in doing a Bermuda Race is deciding who has the right stuff to co-exist in close quarters while wet, cold, and close to exhaustion. The Bermuda Race is too short to really establish a rhythm, yet it’s long enough to sap the strength of even well-conditioned sailors who are too psyched up to get the rest they need between watches. Our crew for the race numbered seven, ranging in age from 64 to 18. Two of the crew had limited sailing skills and as old friends were along for the ride. Big mistake! This is big casino, and you need to have crew who are solid and can pitch in when needed.
The next step in the process is preparing the boat to meet the ISAF Regulations as well as the special requirements of the race. Going offshore far enough to demand self-sufficiency is not racing around the buoys, and you can’t start too early to prepare for it. Fourteen months before the start we obtained our ORR rating and as Peter Reybovitch, this year’s St. David’s Head (ORR) and North Rock (IRC) winner emphasized at the post-race navigators’ meeting, working with US Sailing to optimize your rating can make a big difference. Remember, he beat all the big boys in this year’s race.
The Boat
My own boat is an l983 Beneteau First 42 deep keel/tall rig that I have had for six years after trading up from a Hobie 16. While cost was clearly one factor in the decision- making process I knew that Jim Mertz, a man who did more Newport Bermuda Races than any other sailor, had raced Allegra, a First 42, quite successfully for many years. Having a boat that is known to be seaworthy and capable of an offshore journey is very comforting the first time you drop off a big wave or when the wind pipes up and the rigging and hull groan under its force. A sail to Block Island or Nantucket, as we had done many times on our boat, is nowhere near comparable to a race to Bermuda.
In some sense I started preparing for the race right after I purchased her. The standing and running rigging was inspected and for the most part replaced. The boat was repowered and over several years rewired and fitted out with new instruments, radar, and SSB. A high output alternator was installed, and one of the house batteries moved to a lazerette in the cockpit so that we could continue to power our instruments and communications gear should we ship water below. I spent considerable time identifying each wire run on the boat and creating a schematic diagram just in case problems arose. During the race I joked with the crew that I should have named her E-Bay II because that’s where many of the upgrades came from.
We also opted to convert to a cutter rig, which permitted us to reduce sail fairly easily without having to rely on relatively inefficient roller furling.
I found Bill Seifert’s book Offshore Sailing: 200 Essential Passagemaking Tips extraordinarily helpful. Having permanently installed preventers was worth the price of the book alone.
Buying an older boat and doing the upgrades may not be for you unless you enjoy getting your hands dirty and doing much of the work yourself. If I had to outsource the work a newer boat might have proved to be a better investment.
No matter what your choice, I would emphasize that no matter what type or age of boat you own, you had better be very intimate with her before heading offshore. Knowing which wire goes where or what path the plumbing or fuel lines take can mean the all the difference when a problem arises and you can’t call Boat US.
The Inspection
Next came the preparation, outfitting and inspection of the boat. It goes without saying that every item specified in the Notice of Race and Special Regs must be in place and available for inspection. What is not obvious is that, as daunting as they may seem, these are minimum requirements. You better believe your boat is going to get a workout and knowing that all elements of your rig are up to the task and that your electronic systems, steering controls, and instrumentation are not only functioning but well integrated is key to a safe race.
Every boat entering the race must pass an inspection. Our inspector informed me that as a first timer he would be spending about two hours “looking things over.” The bad news was he found a significant problem with my lifeline stanchions. The good news was we scheduled the inspection early enough to make the fix. He also pointed out a number of items that eluded me and could have been potential disasters, like securing my anchors so they wouldn’t fly around when the bow dropped from 25-foot waves, and the need to actually install the batteries in the strobe units on my life vests. Sure, there were plenty of times before the inspection when I viewed the inspection as needless meddling with my boat and prerogatives. But in the end it was one of the most important safeguards. It saved our butts when things started to really heat up during the race.
In Newport
We planned to arrive in Newport three days before the start of the race. Not a day too soon. Not only were we able to get a mooring ball close to the launch service, but we had time to go over our boat one last time from stem to stern. One of my best investments was in having a communications technician come out to the boat to go over our systems before the race. Once you’re out there, unless you’re Stan Honey, you probably don’t have the skills to troubleshoot electronics yourself.
The committee in Newport does a good job of processing you in and helping you pre-clear Bermuda Customs. There are plenty of world-class boats to ogle, and it’s a treat to review weather, tactics, and safety issues with the crew. Going out for practice sails also makes great sense. I can’t count the number of times we reefed or set up the forestaysail during the race, and being able to do it quickly and safely was critical.
The Race
Once you’re past the staring line, it’s attitude and endurance. 2008 was a heavy-weather race but even in light air things will go wrong. During our trip we had to deal with a broken head, a dislodged auto pilot, significant water in the bilge, operator-induced malfunction in our charging system, plus a myriad of other issues. Having the appropriate manuals, knowing how to troubleshoot our basic systems, and having the spares and tools (including a good digital multimeter) to accomplish the repairs is essential.
Attitude is the other essential. There is no such thing as giving up in the Bermuda Race. You have to collect yourself and your thoughts, and as each problem arises you need to set your priorities, think out your approach, and resolve the issue. There is truly no greater satisfaction than to think that when you’re up the creek without a paddle, you can discover and make a fix that will get you through.
In the end we crossed the line tired, elated, and filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. We didn’t win but we placed well and exceeded our personal and collective goals. For me it was the fulfillment of a dream, an opportunity to test myself and put my life in perspective. It clarified what is important to me and helped me define the direction in which I wished to head. It redefined the concept of teamwork and strengthened friendships to a degree that would have been impossible under less trying circumstances. It was worth all the effort, expense, and frustration inherent in a true challenge.
As tough as it was if you share this passion I urge you to go for it.
Lessons Learned
This article was prepared at the urging of John Rousmaniere, who I had the pleasure of speaking with as we did our wash at the RBYC after the race. John was kind enough to edit it and suggested I make a list of lessons learned. Here goes:
- Start your preparations as earlier than you think is necessary.
- Read accounts of previous races.
- Use your mentor; they’ve been through this before and want to get you through safely.
- Really know how to access and interpret weather data.
- Pick your crew carefully and sail with them under conditions other than day sails on Long Island Sound.
- Insist that your crew get into physical shape well before the race.
List all gear you plan to take ,know where it is stowed and anticipate what damage it might do when it gets dislodged.
- Have each crew member stow their gear in either a locker or a zipped sea bag.
- Use plastic baggies to keep sleeping gear and spare clothes dry.
- Hypothermia is a real risk and can be deadly. Bermuda may be warm but the sea temperature north of the stream will be in the mid-50’s. Inadequate foul weather gear is a recipe for hypothermia. Personally review your crew’s foulies and safety gear. Every crew member should have a fleece jacket and pants which will insulate them when they get wet.
- There is no such thing as overkill when it comes to spare parts, service manuals, and troubleshooting guides.
- If significant work has been done by others to help prepare your boat for the race go over it in detail with the person who did it. Understand what was done and know how to trouble shoot it if something goes wrong.
- Love your inspector and plan to have your inspection well before the deadline so that any fixes can be made in time for the race.
- There is no emergency that justifies leaving the cockpit without a life jacket and tether.
- Appreciate in advance that this will be an intense experience, that anxiety and to some degree fear need not be disabling but to some degree can be enhancing.
See you in 2010