Newport to Bermuda Regatta 2000
Race review by Bill Nichols
Navigator aboard Sinn Fein- a Cal 40 from Raritan Yacht Club, Perth Amboy, NJ
The Crew:
Skipper/Owner Peter Rebovich Sr.
Watch Captain Mark Rebovich
Navigator Bill Nichols
Doctor Peter Rebovich Jr.
Crew Gary Gochal
Horst Delfusen
Henry Henning
Bob Kinsman
Peter Rebovich Sr., Peter Rebovich, Mark Rebovich, Horst Delfusen, Henry Henning, Bob Kinsman, Bill Nichols, Gary Gochal
Race preparations went well......
The Start - Friday, June 16, 2000
As Sinn Fein , a Cal 40, was classified in the slowest division, we were the first group to start. The time was 1300 hours (1:00pm).
Ten minutes prior we entered into the starting area and jockeyed for position. At the starting gun Sinn Fein was midway on the line (not over) and we worked our way to the front of the pack. We were keeping an eye on our closest competitors--the 2 other Cal 40's, Nicole and Phantom both from Annapolis, MD.
June 16 - 1800 hours
As the afternoon progressed, we held our own in our division while the fastest boats that started after us filtered up through the fleet. The wind stayed strong at 17 to 23 knots from the southeast. We had a reef in the main to keep the heel in the boat acceptable. The #2 jib was up. It was wet on deck. Every few minutes a wave would wash across the deck drenching everything. We had to keep all boat hatches closed to keep the water out. The point of sail we were on was a "close reach." That is, the wind was coming over the front right part of the boat. Throughout the next 2 days we reefed the main and shook out the reef many times.
June 16 - 2200 hours
Fog rolled in and we lost visual contact with the fleet.
June 17 - 0200 hours
I was woken up by chatter on the VHF radio. The skipper, Peter Rebovich Sr., filled me in what was happening. An unsuspecting fishing boat was drifting with his outriggers and reeling in his nets. As the racing fleet approached, he found himself in the midst of a hundred or so of radar contacts. One inbound sail boat was heading straight for him. He started broadcasting his position (longitude and latitude) from his GPS. I climbed from my bunk, shook off sleep as I only had 1.5 hours at this point, and started to plot the information. First I had to determine the immediacy of the situation. From the fishing boat's position, I could determine that he was at least 4 minutes of longitude away from us. I transposed his position onto our plotting chart and then I transposed our position and determined that he was 4 miles abeam on our port side. We were already past him. Another boat had communicated and altered course to avoid him. The Coast Guard at one point broke into our conversation and told us to move to another frequency because channel 16 was for emergency communications only. The fishing boat responded to the Coast Guard by telling them this was an emergency situation for him. Because he was caught in the middle of the racing fleet heading toward him and his nets. During the chatter he asked what was going on. Another racer replied and informed him about the Newport, RI to Bermuda Regatta. "Just my luck" he answered.
Strategy
We were heading toward favorable currents in a warm eddy just east of the Rumb Line. Mark Rebovich wanted to fall off a bit for speed, but I held him to the course to our entry point into the gulf stream. We knew when we reached the eddy; the water temperature jumped from 60 to 65 degrees in 2 minutes or so. Our speed over ground (GPS data) confirmed that we were getting 1 knot of push from the current. Our speed jumped from 7.4 to 8.3 and then maximized at 8.9 knots, all with similar wind conditions.