The 40th running of the 360-nautical mile Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is highlighted by both the youthful teams seeking competition and offshore racing experience and the veterans returning for the third, fourth or fifth time seeking to win their division. Divided into seven divisions, the 46-boat fleet set off Sunday afternoon in a 18- to 20-knot southerly breeze with every competitor knowing that this could be a fast, tightly contested race in all divisions.
“This is my favorite race – hands down,” said Dan Hoffman of Annapolis who is competing in his fourth Halifax race and is on board the Swan 44, Stormy Weather and is in Class ORS-1. “I love the feel of sailing in the North Atlantic. I love the cultural aspect of getting to Nova Scotia and I have learned so much about history walking around that city. The reception in Canada is great and that always really blows my mind. And we hope to do well. Our boat is going for line honors This is our kind of weather and the harder it blows the better we do.”
There are many factors to this challenging race and one of the bigger decisions comes as the fleet approaches Nova Scotia and must pass Cape Sable Island. Some skippers truly prefer staying closer to the island rather than going way offshore, others will choose the exact opposite. Described like golf with its sand traps or water hazards, there is a great deal of pressure on the navigator to advise on what course choices to make.
With 15- to 18-knot winds and a bit of a rolling sea state, Fletcher Boland of Marblehead is racing on board the J109 Hafa Adai in the ORR-4 division owned by Marblehead resident Eliot Shanabrook.
Boland said, “It is going to be a windy and fast ride. A lot of it depends on wind conditions and this has the hallmarks of being a fast downwind race so we will likely go farther offshore.”
“This is my third Halifax race,” Boland added. “I like the challenge and adventure of it and spending multiple days offshore. We came in second last year and have a good chance to do well this year.”
Class ORR-3 features 11 boats, and many in this fleet, looked to the J/122 ZigZag from Connecticut as the boat to beat this year. In 2023, ZigZag won their class and came in third overall. According to ZigZag crew member Carlos Rodriguez, “We are excited to come back here, and we feel this is one of the premiere offshore races we have. We like it for many reasons including the sea life, and the owner likes the tranquility of the fog, and we know there are lots of good boats out there.”
Also, in the ORR-3 fleet is the J122 Wild Blue out of the Portland Yacht Club in Maine. John Wilkerson is on board, and he has done four Halifax races and participated in the 1999 race which was one of the slowest on record. Crew mate Tom Hussey said, “This is my fifth time doing the race and I feel like we have seen it all. Squalls, no wind and I think I raced in the slowest one in 2019. We are looking forward to doing well, though.”
Another competitor in the ORR-3 fleet is Extra Mile, a Benneteau 47 owned by Sam Sipe.
“The first time I raced was in 2012 and being here is like coming home. One of the biggest factors in this race is the current,” Sipe said. “To use a golf analogy, there are a lot of sand traps (closer to shore), and this makes it an important decision if you go on the inside or outside.”
There is also a double handed division and David and Isaac Carlen, are a father and son team on board the Bermuda 40 Arion. “Double handing means that when we do look around at the list of people in the other fleets, they include watch captains, tactician, chef, etc. Well, we are just two, so I suppose we have a captain and cook. We won’t fly a spinnaker as you really need at least fr crew for that. But the biggest challenge is that it is tiring for just two of us and we do expect some stormy weather. So, we just must keep our stamina up.”
Strategy and youthful stamina may make the ORR-1 and ORR-2 divisions particularly challenging, and they will be close over the course. The U.S. Naval Academy’s Wahoo were protested at the start of the race as they powered across the starting line with a team of midshipmen and women in their mid 20s, plus three coaches, on board but once they settle down, they are likely going to be the team to watch.
“We have been practicing, and we have a few who are seniors and have raced this before. We have some midshipman here who have never sailed offshore before,” said Chad Schaffner, helmsman and midshipman and senior from U.S. Naval Academy. He was on the boat last year when they got line honors (first over the line).
“We had an exciting race here two years ago and we are looking forward to doing well. It is going to a tough race as our entire fleet is extremely competitive,” Schaffner said.
In the ORR-2 division, a team of mainly and 18-year-olds from Community Boating Center of New Bedford includes nine teenagers and two coaches on the Baltic yacht Crazy Horse. The team includes Maisy Sperry, 19; Sophia Litos, 18; and Pete Herlihy, 18; among others.
A true classic is also featured in the ORR-2 division as Black Watch, a custom yawl owned by Trevor Fetter (among others) and his team include sister and Olympian JJ Fetter and a member of the sailing hall of fame.
“I have competed here in 2007 and 2009. It is great to be on the original Black Watch. The forecasted conditions are exciting, but we also have an amazing team,” Fetter said. “It is a combination of family and friends, and we are really looking forward to it!”
Vice Commodore Kate Ferris Richardson and many volunteers from the Boston Yacht Club will be on hand to greet the teams when they arrive in Canada. She noted she is particularly happy that so many younger sailors are on the racecourse right now.
“We have been targeting younger folks and trying to get them interested in more offshore experience. There is a great appeal as it is about teamwork, and as many are in their 20s it is great they can find community, and they all have a love of adventure. We have many young people out there sailing right now to Halifax who are doing this for the first time.”
To follow the race, visit marbleheadtohalifax.com/about/tracking.
