RBYC 'confident' of winning Memorial trophy clash

The rivalry between the two prominent Hamilton sailing clubs will be stoked once again today when they go head to head for the Howard Lee Memorial Trophy (6pm).

The host Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club will battle it out in their Bermuda fitted dinghies for the trophy, which was introduced to commemorate the life of Howard Lee, Bermuda’s first black Olympic sailor.

The skipper of RBYC’s Contest Peter Miller told the Bermuda Sun: “We always enjoy being able to match up with the red boat from down the harbour. We have handled ourselves pretty well against them in the regular fitted dinghy season, but this is anybody’s race with the added intrigue of sailing in shifty Hamilton Harbour on a course that is different from what we usually sail.

“This is a special race for us, as Howard’s grandson Rockal Evans is on the crew with us. I am pretty confident our crew can keep the trophy this year.”

Lee sailed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal in the Finn Class and continued to have a rich connection with the sport, including the Bermuda Fitted Dinghies and Comet Class, throughout his life.

The trophy was donated by the Corporation of Hamilton in 2013. The race wlll start off at the RBYC flag pole and head out to a few islands within the harbour before returning for a finish in front of the flag pole.