June 12, 2013 at 3:14 p.m.
Spirit high for Marion race
Last week, captain Dave Thompson announced 94-foot Belle's withdrawal from the 645-mile race due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’ over the owners’ schedule.
However, that has failed to dampen the enthusiasm among the Spirit crew.
Skipper Preston Hutchings told the Bermuda Sun: “It will be a blast, particularly because this is the closest we can get to experiencing the way Bermudians sailed back and forth between North America and Bermuda.
“They certainly didn’t sail with a spinnaker up going at 15 to 20 knots — speeds that Morgan’s Ghost reached in the 2007 race.”
Neil Redburn, Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club Rear Commodore, will assume the role of watch captain on Spirit of Bermuda.
He said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be on board. I have a nice little wager with the other watch captain, Dr Steve Sherwin, on who can make the boat go the fastest!”
He added: “We want lots of breeze so we can get down here fast. The real shame is there isn’t a big classic yacht we can race against but the goal now is to put in a really good performance and sail the boat really fast all the way down.”
The Spirit crew will have a practice sail on Thursday before the race gets under way on Friday. The boats are scheduled to arrive at the St David’s Lighthouse finish line on Monday.
There is another Bermuda entry to look out for — Alice Kay, a Hinkley 40 ketch skippered by George Cubbon. Keep tabs on the race tracker at www.marionbermuda.com.
Don't miss Friday's special supplement on this year's race — only in the Bermuda Sun.
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