Bermuda International Race Week
April 29 -
May 5, 2001
Ali Meller
Updated 10 May, 2001
Bermudian 505 sailors very recently imported four used Parker Model 25 505s from the UK. I purchased a similar boat and had it shipped to Bermuda with the other four. All five were acquired on our behalf by Paul Young (Thank you, Paul!). These five Parker 25 505s in Bermuda are the only high performance dinghies on the island(s), and the class should be well positioned for further growth.
Angela Stenger - German 505 Class President -- and I raced my "new" 505, 8249, at Bermuda International Race Week. I actually bought two used 505s from Paul, the other one -- Parker 7080 -- will be shipped to the US East Coast. So for those of you keeping track, these are my fourth and fifth 505s. Both boats are for sale! I plan to sell 8249 in Bermuda and charter 7080 within Severn Sailing Association.
Bermuda Race Week is a terrific event and Great Sound is a fabulous place to race 505s. While we only had four 505s racing (the person lined up to race the 5th boat backed out at the last minute) this year, we could easily have quite a number more there next year, now that we have five ready-to-race boats in Bermuda. It is easy and quick shipping from the US East Coast, and not expensive. All/most competitors are billeted.
I would very much like to see a strong turnout for next year's Race Week.
Bermuda is a "people scale" place with small roads, small cars, small taxis, mopeds, and bicycles. The inhabitants are friendly gracious people, who are not in as quite a desperate hurry as the average resident of a major US city. The Bermuda dollar is pegged to the US dollar (1:1), and either currency is accepted. The national drink is a "Dark and Stormy" - a fabulous drink of dark rum and ginger beer. The islands are surrounded by fine white and pink sand beaches and the colour and clarity of the water is better than I have seen anywhere else.
There were moments when I was driving the moped along the shore that reminded me of movies set in the Riviera.
We raced in Great Sound, perhaps a half hour sail from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The ex Royal Navy Dockyards mentioned later in this report are on one side of the entrance from the ocean into Great Sound.
The Schedule
This is a fun-filled and varied week, with an opening cocktail party on Saturday, a practice race (and optionally a first real race) on Sunday. Racing Monday and Tuesday, lay day on Wednesday, racing on Thursday. Friday is a spare day, Saturday cocktail party and prizes. We had no wind Tuesday, and so raced on Friday to make up the two races. Each class can determine its own schedule.
It was sunny every day, trapezing upwind conditions and even a little spilling; we raked a little one day as did Chuck Millican. Most days Angela and I were swimming in Great Sound after racing; the water was so warm! We would jump off the boat and hold on to the transom or rudder, while the other person sailed the boat back towards RBYC.
Though we sailed out of RBYC as we did the last time 505s were at Race Week (boats are kept on the dock next to the bar), this year we were on the dinghy course with Snipes, Lasers and Sunfish. Our courses had 3/4 to 1 mile beats, and we sailed 3 laps while the other classes sailed 2.
Saturday: Opening Cocktail Party
Sorry no photos. Everyone dresses up a little and enjoys a cocktail party -- included in the entry fee -- at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Cool!
Sunday: Practice Day
After a hectic Saturday of rigging and re-rigging -- I brought lots of spare parts and line -- and picking up Angela at the airport Saturday evening, 8249 was ready for a practice sail by noon on Sunday. We missed the practice race, but fortunately the 505s had opted for a practice race only, on Sunday. This decision may have been made to give me time to get 8249 ready. The other classes had a practice race and the first race that counted.
Bermuda is 60,000 people on 21 square miles, in the Atlantic Ocean. Given
these statistics, you can imagine my surprise when Bill Masterman turned up!
Bill didn't know Race Week was on, didn't know 505s were racing in Race Week,
didn't know any of us would be there, but was simply holidaying in Bermuda with
his British Airways flight attendant wife! (Not reading 505world e-mail are we,
Billie Boy!) I also bumped into one of my junior sailing instructors; he was
crewing on a J-24. Then Art Gleason, Louise VanVoorhis Gleason and Charlie
VanVoorhis, all well known within the US 505 class, walked by; they were racing
an IOD. I suppose it really is a small world, sometimes.
 Angela Stenger getting ready |
 Looks like a 505; but hey It has a launcher AND the jib is tacked on the bow! |
 Parker Model 25; Hull Number 8249 |
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
The camera never made it out on the water in the 505, so all the photos of are on-shore action. We didn't spend all our time in the bar... really. It just looks like that from the photos. The other place the camera didn't go is with us on the moped. Next time the navi-guesser on the moped can double as team photographer. There are lots of scenes I saw from the moped that I wish I could have stopped and photographed.
Conditions were marvellous all week, sunny and warm. The only time I wore a wetsuit was when we went snorkeling; all you needed sailing was shorts, a shirt and a lifejacket -- I wore my lightweight Lycra and rarely added a spraytop. Most days we were swimming in Great Sound off the 505, after racing. We were trapezing upwind in every race, and sometimes spilling and depowering. It is frequently windier for Race Week, this year's event was probably a little on the light-air side of the average.
 The bar is very near to the 505s |
 The 505s are on the dock, near the ramp |
 J-24 sailors party in the background while Ali plans rerigging schemes for his latest 505 |
 Wetsuit not required |
 Close to the bar |
Partying at the RBYC
A number of evening events are included in the entry fee, including an opening cocktail party, a closing prize presentation cocktail party, and a during the week more casual party. Other events like a BBQ are optional and you have to buy tickets.
All the Etchells, IOD and J-24 sailors had to walk past "505 row" to get to/from their boats, so they all saw a lot of 505s.
All these boats with cabins on them inspired us to name 8249...
 Angela and Willie |
 Lots more available, Bacardi is the title sponsor! |
 Before the crowds |
 What a great bar! |
 8249 is temporarily named |
 Angela LOVES being in Bermuda |
 Angela helps the Bacardi staff prepare punch |
 What a nice place to hang out |
Monday and Tuesday: Racing
We had two races good races Monday, but the
wind died during the start sequence on Tuesday, causing the RC to postpone and
never filled in to the point the RC could consider starting. We were towed in
after a couple of hours and Angela's swim.
Wednesday: The Lay day
Despite no racing on Tuesday due to no wind, Wednesday remained a lay day. After a leisurely morning we were at the De Couto's in time to pick up Doug and head in to Hamilton for lunch. Then it was back to the De Couto's -- on the beach at Grape Bay -- for some snorkeling. This was the clearest water I have ever swum or snorkeled in. Incredible. I felt like you could see each fine grain of sand on the bottom, 30 feet below you. There were coral heads, Parrot Fish and other fishes, but this was not the real Bermuda reef, which is further offshore. This was the only time I wore a wetsuit.
With the well known reef and all the wrecks, this would be an incredible place to SCUBA dive, or just snorkel on the reefs.
Back to the mopeds for a moment: These are way better than go-karts! The speedometer on ours was broken, but James assures me I was going plenty fast enough the evening he followed me. Two J-24s sailors were stopped by the Bermuda Police after a late night party on Friday. One was below the legal limit, but the other was not, and is thought to have been a guest of HM for the night.
 Leader of the Pack? Maybe I should get a Harley? |
 Downtown Hamilton |
 With cruise ships |
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| Grape Bay Beach (at the De Couto's), panning to the right | ||
