"Rambler 88" navigator Stan Honey has informed the Race Committee of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatt that the yacht hit something in the water today, on July 10, 2018, around 01:32 UTC and as a result lost the port rudder. Therefore, the race will end prematurely and return to Newport / Rhode Island (USA). All crew members are unharmed.
So shortly after the start, the top favorite for the fastest sailed time is out of the race. Part two of the bad news: This means that the "Rambler 88" is unlikely to come to the big anniversary party in the port of Hamburg and can be viewed.
Meanwhile, the other participants try to get the familiarization phase over with as quickly as possible. From aboard the Class 40 "Red" it says: "It's rarely the best day of a long passage. You feel a little seasick, miss the beauty of life on land, the people, the colors, the smells. You always feel yourself still uncomfortable with the movement of the boat, and it is indeed uncomfortable: an empty cave bouncing up and down in the waves, you cannot move without holding yourself, like on a roller coaster. You have to force yourself to eat because your stomach doesn't really want to. And then the darkness at night, the maneuvers on the foredeck, showered in waves, always a bit creepy while you are surfing the waves at 17 knots."
The crew of the "Bank von Bremen" writes: "24 hours ago we had an exciting start in Bermuda. Since then we have driven 247.4 nautical miles. Everything started with perfect downwind conditions and we enjoyed the fantastic sailing. The conditions below deck were however More like a sauna. Melli, our skipper, thought that she was looking forward to coming to the north, that she had a lot of warm things in her luggage. During the night the wind intensified up to 27 knots. We had to go from the gennaker to the This was an intense all-hand maneuver and a good team experience. The wind speed has been increasing since the morning and we have showers, storms and gusts of up to 37 knots."
From aboard the Broader View they say: "After a day and a half at sea, the mood is unbroken. We were allowed to compete in the most beautiful conditions before Bermuda Race: With 15 to 20 knots of southerly wind and bright sunshine, the weather was perfect for football! The media-effective up and down sections We started in the long-distance mode, but it is well known that timing is at the finish line. For this we went on our journey freshly strengthened with risotto à lbonheur, the first of a good 60 dry meals that Funky Arne served us shortly before the start in the fantastic setting in the Narrows of Bermuddar. The perfect start to this long-awaited regatta."
To the Racetracker …