Arrived in Bermuda

Ninaofsouthampton
Thu 13 May 2021 22:58
We arrived safely this morning ( local time ) in Bermuda. The first leg is complete.

So how did Nina do?

Results all a bit confusing at this stage. We were definitely the 4th boat to arrive. Be Love shot past us on the last morning in very strong winds. She is a big 55ft Amel and they appear to love those conditions. Chatted with the delightful Bulgarian owners waiting for Customs, Covid testing......

As to who won we really won’t know until the last boat comes in and we take little interest in the competitive side. For a start the 2 Catamarans are in a separate class so just race each other. Cats go very fast downwind but don’t really sail upwind at all. Completely different handling characteristics.

Then they add time on for the motoring hours declared. To be honest I don’t know exactly what the formula is but it is in the paperwork somewhere. Something like a 50% add on of time for each hour you motor. There was zero wind at one stage and boats around us kept moving so, in the leading boats at least, thinking it would be similar.

Then each boat has a handicap factor. Big Bear has 10% time added. Nina has a tiny reduction.

Plus, and not to be forgotten, the YB tracker shows 5 boats cut out a corner early on around Dog Island. Do they get disqualified? Or a time addition? Apparently the normal race rule is disqualification - but we weren’t racing!

We will therefore not see an official result until Wilson comes in. YB tracker suggests Wilson had to go back to harbour for some reason and they have a few days to make up. We did see them at the start.

It’s absurdly complicated.

More importantly we consider we sailed well and Nina proved again that she is a wonderful boat in all sorts of wind and sea conditions.

A few days resting in Bermuda now. Annoying thing is that we have to quarantine for 4 days and will have little time to see the island. Life is so simple out at sea


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