Marion Bermuda Race Underway
by Marion Bermuda Race 22 Jun 00:07 NZST
June 20, 2025
It was a wild and windy start to this year's Marion Bermuda Race, as sailors braved 30+ knot winds and 5-foot swells while charging out of Buzzards Bay.
Overnight, the conditions have calmed slightly, with most of the fleet sitting happily in mid-teen southwesterlies, and the majority of the fleet has crossed over the Atlantic Shelf. As the fleet approaches the Gulf Stream and then Bermuda, the forecast indicates that the breeze is starting to taper off slightly, so we will see how much this race will be a test of patience and skill — and how much the Bermuda High will come into play for the fleet.
The fleet can be tracked using Yellow Brick Tracking at yb.tl/MBR25 or through the YB Tracker App.
As of Saturday morning, the Ker 50 Redwood, skippered by Pike Severance from Okacliff Sailing, is in the lead for line honors for both the fleet and the performance class. Lyric, an X-Yachts X 49 skippered by Jay Hansen, from Jamestown, Rhode Island, sits in second, less than 20 miles from the leader. Stephen Murray's Portia is just a few miles behind, all with more than 450 miles left to sail to Bermuda.
A full NOR, as well as further information about the race and its surrounding events, is on the race website.
Scratch sheets by class with skipper names are available here
More photos are and will be available at www.spectrumphotofg.com