Solo to Bermuda – how to follow
Friday, June 2:nd 11:00 EDT, Bermuda 1-2 starts in Newport.
630 nm to Bermuda, across the Gulf Stream, solo. Will probably take 4 days. Feels like a pretty big challenge to me, as I’ve never raced here and this is the longest solo race I’ve done, Weather is still uncertain, but it is what it is.
My goal is to finish. And not screw things up. And see if I enjoy this type of racing or not,
Follow the race:
- Race Tracker
- Blur tracker with regular updates from on board
- Our Facebook page where I try to post something every day
- Race homepage
Some fast boats in Class 1. PHRF =Â rating in seconds per mile (so I should be 2 seconds faster per mile than Abilyn * 630 = 21 minutes.
For some reason, I got the One-Design rating for J/111 despite having a jib that’s just 80% of the area, shorter sprit, less roach in the main, etc. ORC rates me 2.4% slower which would be about 2 hours 20 minutes. But who cares.
| Model | Name | Skipper | Nation | PHRF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finot Conq 53 | Kiwi Spirit 2 | Stanley V Paris | NZL | -33 |
| Class 40 | First Light | Cole Brauer | USA | -9 |
| Pogo 12.5 | II Tender | Robert Ham Kelly | GBR | 4 |
| J/121 | Alchemy | David Southwell | USA | 31 |
| J/111 | Blur | Peter Gustafsson | SWE | 42 |
| J/120 | Abilyn | Josh Reisberg | USA | 44 |
| L30 | Ellementary | Diane Reid | CAN | 46 |
| J/46 | Resolute | D. Scott Miller | USA | 50 |
| Figaro 2 | Envolee | Nathalie Criou | USA | 57 |
| Sunfast 3300 | Fearless | Phil Haydon | USA | 62 |
Jun 1, 2023 @ 14:57
âWHO Cares?â
Peter cares;)
Jun 1, 2023 @ 15:21
This is a test of updates through satellite email
Jun 1, 2023 @ 15:44
Starten kan sÀndas live hÀr: https://www.facebook.com/events/6425202250831431
Jun 1, 2023 @ 23:40
Good luck!
Jun 2, 2023 @ 01:35
I’m sure you will be a podium Contender, as you will have covered and planned in detail :) Enjoy.
Jun 2, 2023 @ 11:32
Skall bli spÀnnande att följa detta utmanande race. Segla snabb, sÀkert och njut av Àventyret! Kommer hÄlla ett sÀrskilt öga pÄ kampen mot Abilyn. Lycka till!
Jun 2, 2023 @ 13:57
Looks fantastic – I will follow you! Good luck and keep it cool!
Jun 2, 2023 @ 17:53
Friday 09:00 EDT
Start is at 11:00.
There are some low-pressure systems forming north that will affect the race. Models are again very different so we’ll see what happens. Currently, max wind is 30-38 knots, but at least it’s with us.
The biggest worry is entering the Gulf Stream, as wind against the current can make the sea state really bad. So try to pick the safest entry point and then gradually get into the better flow. Again, a balance between racing and preserving the boat and crew.
Right now looking at 3.5 days.
Will try to do an update at least every morning.
Jun 2, 2023 @ 17:55
Och vi Àr ivÀg. En snygg lÀstart och först i fleeten. I alla fall en liten stund :-)
Jun 3, 2023 @ 22:17
Saturday 06:00 EDT
The wind is here. 20 knots from NE, so pretty much what the models said. Fast. But uncomfortable.
Yesterday was fantastic sailing, and pretty much a drag race on starboard. I opted for a more northern route both for pressure during the night, but also to be well positioned when the low came.
The wind was variable and I went back and forth between jib, code and A3. Parked up two times, but mostly had better speed than the boats to the south.
Add mist. And lot’s of whales blowing around the boat.
My routing, although I doubted it a few times, seems to have worked, as I’m ahead of the group going east. The only boat that I know dived south was the Class 40.
If everything goes according to plan I’ll enter the Gulf Stream at 16:00. Exciting!
PS. Something happened with Abilyn? Saw him turn around and then lost his AIS.
Jun 4, 2023 @ 10:19
BLUR Saturday 20:00
All is well on board. In my ambition to stay out of “wind against current” I went east and managed to find the 4 knots northerly against 25 knot of wind. Messy sea-state so I’m nursing both boat and crew and sailing with just the jib up.
So not in full racing mode. The goal here is tiĂł get there in one piece.
Try to hand steer a lot while still managing to eat and sleep. Pretty uncomfortable and wet. Wonder why we do this.
Have seen Alchemy ahead and Luna to the west. But now they to far for the AIS to see them.
Dinner: Beef Stroganoff.
Just 450 nm to go.
Jun 4, 2023 @ 10:20
Sunday 04:00 EDT
Finally!
For those of you that follow the tracker my performance in the last 24 hours has been really bad.
I payed to go east to enter the Gulf Stream at a place where the chance of adverse current should be low, and then I could go south after the bad sea-state was over. Instead I got 80 nm with 3.0-4.2 knots currnt going 330-360, WTF!
And this against 2-30 knots of wind. And I can’t see this in any models or the maps I got before the race.
I tried to go even further east to get relief, but no sign of any. Then finally I just had to eat it and pound south, straight against it,
Anyhow.
Newbie misstake?
Or bad intel.
Gave up a lot of distance.
But now I got 26C in the water and 5 knots of current going 110. Looking better. But still bumpy as we’re doing 9-11 knots with just the jib. Main might go up tomorrow as I’ve been able to catch up on sleep.
Wind should stay at 24-26 knots into the afternoon.
Time to catch some boats.
Jun 5, 2023 @ 07:36
Sunday 18:00 EDT
A long day with lots going on.
After being miserable about the current for a while, I put the hammer down. For 6+ hours I averaged 9.75 knots (11.6 SOG) and finally found current going the right way.
Full main & jib was plenty and hand-steared most of the day to keep speed up. Wind was between 20 and 26 knots. At the end I averaged 11.5 and topped out at 18. Wind gusted 30. Seas was huge and I avoided surfing several of the biggest waves for safety reasons.
Borderline condition, and I ended taking the main down. Need to fix the halyard cover + get some rest. And eat. Still doing 11 knots SOG. As I said, I’m not here to win, but to finish in one piece. And pushing to hard can be costly.
Had a rendezvous with Diantus. We talked on the VHF, waved and took photos. Otherwise not many boats around.
The models says that wind will go below 20 knots tomorrow morning, so then I hope for some champagne sailing.
260 nm to go
Jun 6, 2023 @ 08:40
Monday 08:00 EDT
Good news or bad news first?
First good news is that the big A2 genaker is up and we’re doing good speeds on port gybe. Looks like one gybe and similar conditions all the way to Bermuda. Lets try and catch some more boats.
170 nm to go and ETA is tomorrow morning.
Second good news is that I’ve managed to both eat and sleep well, so just keep it up. Simple Minds are played really loud and life in general is good.
I managed to get through the nasty stuff without breaking anything on the boat except the main halyard extra cover. Should naturally replaced it sooner.
The bad news then? I think I might have cracked a rib or two when a big wave slammed me into the mast taking the main down yesterday. Hurts like hell, but I’m able to sail the boat at 100%. The ships doctor has ordinated lots of painkillers and also a “Swedish Fish” (the candy) whenever the skipper feels sorry for himself.
On the nature side of things; besides all the whales Friday night, I had a bunch of dolphins play around the bow just now. Found a flying fish in the cockpit this morning and had an exhausted bird take refuge on the boat for several hours. Small things becomes notable out here.
Jun 6, 2023 @ 08:41
Monday 18:00 EDT
Yup. Like any regular Monday I punched in bright and early and kept hammering all day. Sunny and nice, but winds are very variable with both wind cellsand patches of no wind.
Have been going back and forth between A3 (light reaching) and A2 (running in >6 knots). Quite a procedure to get one down and the other one up, running around the boat connected. And then someone needs to pack them. Who? Looking at me?
I’ve passed a few boats, and I just got J/121 Alchemy showing up on my AIS. 15 nm ahead, but still I have contact. I think they were almost twice that ahead at one point.
Now wind is 6-8 knots from 260. Pretty comfortable now, but we’ll see what happens
127 nm to go.
Thanks for all advise regarding my broken ribs. No bruises, no blood in the urine, and generally feel very good except when I bump into things or when I try special bowman poses (like jamming yourself in the pulpit to sort out the tacklines. PAINFUL! But I can scream out loud without anyone hearing.
After 500 nm, I’m asking myself if I enjoy this type of solo sailing? I thought the feeling of being alone for such a long time would feel different. I’m not hating it (I might have a few days ago) but I don’t get that special feeling I hoped for, or maybe feared, I might need some perspective before I decide.
Jun 7, 2023 @ 12:57
I finished!!!
It feels fantastic. And a bit surreal.
My goal was always to get to Bermuda in one piece and to manage myself and the boat in the best way possible. And I wanted to experience the difference between the type of coastal solo racing I’ve done before and the longer courses offshore.
I accomplished all the things I set out to do and learned a ton along the way.
Would I do it again. Probably…
I need to reflect som more and promise a full report later this week.
Jun 7, 2023 @ 17:42
Imponerande och inspirerande Peter
Hoppas du fÄr en vÀlförtjÀnt viloperiod för ÄterhÀmtning
Jun 7, 2023 @ 14:22
Congrats!!
Jun 8, 2023 @ 23:13
Hej Peter, har kollat blur.se senaste veckanâŠmycket imponerad!! Fantastisk prestation!!!
//RvH
Jun 9, 2023 @ 21:19
Stort Grattis till din fina prestation Peter! MÀktigt projekt som naturligtvis krÀver oÀndliga förberedelser.