The Bermuda Race is the big sailing event, particularly on the East Coast. Yes the America’s Cup is coming to Newport after the race leaves.
The Bermuda race is traditionally broken into three parts, the race to the north wall of the Gulf Stream, the Stream, and the race from the Stream to Kitchen Shoals. Really the Gulf Stream is the obstacle on the race course. I have only sailed 12 races, (my first in 1966) but I have still managed to see many unusual events.
Click HERE to see an animated view of the stream so far this year. It is what has already happened so it will not be much help for what will occur in June, but shows just how much change can happen.
Wow – there is a larege amount of turbulance. That could really help if you got into the right place. Good luck this year! Bill
Nice to see this. When I did my first Newport-Bermuda race in 1968 or 1970, there was no public information about where the Gulf Stream was or what it was doing. I don’t think the eddies were understood yet. A few of the richer guys in the race would charter an airplane to fly them out to the Stream to take a look and gather private information, which gave them a significant edge in some years.
Now we have too much information! In 2006, for example, there was a complex decision facing competitors whether to go east or west of the Stream’s looping meander at the start. The eventual winners — the smallest boats — paid no attention and went straight down the rhumb line.