Newport Bermuda Race 2024

It’s always hard to write a race report after a big race.

Should you do it immediately afterward and try to capture the raw emotions, or wait a week or two to gain some perspective and reflect on strategy and execution?

I had no choice as we had the Bermuda Double-handed Return Race to focus on, starting the day after the price ceremony and packing up the boat in Newport.

And that might be a good thing. Since racing to (and from) Bermuda is an emotional affair. Something I often underestimate when it comes to the bigger offshore races, like Fastnet, Middle Sea Race, Melbourne to Hobart, and now Newport Bermuda. There are always more feelings involved than you expect.

Preparations

Preparation is a big part of any major offshore event, and it is something that many skippers underestimate—more on that later. This spring, I spent two weeks in Newport getting the boat ready and doing the safety inspection. Then, I arrived ten days before the start to splash the boat and get it race-ready.

We’ve established a routine that works really well for us. In the week leading up to the race, we try to get two full days of sailing, looking through the sail inventory, getting up to speed on boat handling, and going through safety training.

Then we try to get the day before the start free to focus on other things. Most tend to show up at the boat at some point to fix some small things, but ideally, everyone gets the day to clear their heads and prepare mentally.

This year was a bit special since we had three new sails to test out.

Coming from the Med, we were set up for lighter conditions, but this race typically has more wind and involves more tight reaching. So, based on historical weather analysis and our experience from last year’s Bermuda 1-2, we added:

• a fractional A6 (to replace our A5)
• a fractional “blast reaching code” (much smaller than our masthead one)
• a small genoa staysail.

We had some very productive sessions and got to check off all the things we wanted to do. Naturally, we added a few things to the worklist.

Actually, the biggest things for us tend to be water, food, and crew gear since we’re racing with nine on a small boat. Regarding the boat, most things should be ready before the crew arrives.

For many in the crew, it was their first visit to Newport. Taking in everything that happens in the week leading up to the race can be a bit overwhelming.

The Gosling Crew Party was given on the agenda, and I congratulated Cole Brauer for her fantastic Global Solo Challenge. We met last year during Bermuda 1-2, and now she’s a rock star!! So inspiring.

During the week, the weather scenario became increasingly clear: a fluky start day with a front just north of the start area, then a few days of decent 14-24 knot gradient wind from SW before a final day with some uncertainties. And a Gulf Stream meander to take into account. 

We had Aksel Magdahl’s support and received recorded briefings from Chris Bedford, so we felt confident about the bigger picture.

However, there were still many things that we couldn’t control.

Ready to go: Fredrik Rydin (SWE), Pelle Pedersen at the wheel (SWE), Nigel Jones (AUS), Cameron McKenzie (AUS), Peter Gustafsson (SWE), Mattias Bodlund (SWE/DEN), Mats Björk (SWE), Michael Wahlroos kneeling (FIN) and Will McKenzie (AUS).

This time, we upgraded our Scandinavian crew with three Melbourne sailors. I met them in 2022 when I raced J/111 Ginan in the Melbourne to Hobart “Westcoaster.” They were definitely an addition since they just came from a successful season in their J/111, while many of us hadn’t raced the boat in a while.

DAY 1 – Getting out of Newport ⛈️

Sounds easy. But often more challenging in reality.

This time, we had a front with rain and thunderstorms coming down from the north. Different weather models showed this coming down over the starting area before going north again. So there was a significant risk of very little wind, especially for us in the later starts.

Wind in the starting area varied from S-SSW 4 to 10 knots, with adverse current to consider.

We decided to start at the pin end to have the option to stay left to avoid the current. It’s always important to nail the start in a 635 nm race – not😀 – but it’s always nice to get Ken Read and the other commentators to take note.

Since port was the lifted tack, the whole fleet went to the right side of the channel. We sailed low and fast and led the fleet past Beavertail lighthouse. Italia 11.98 Christoper Dragon, with an experienced crew, looked good playing the left side at Castle Hill but parked in the strong current around Castle Hill.

Feeling good with a decent lead. But hard to see where the pressure is.

We had a good run going west, and that was our main plan. That strategy was supposed to lead away from the front over Newport and then be early into the new wind.

But that door seemed closed at one point, and we tacked to SE (Blur is the white/pink boat at the bottom). At this point, we led Xp-38 Amadeus (the light green boat that tacked after us) by 3.3 nm, and we couldn’t find (or justify) a lane to tack back and really commit to our original strategy. The tracker is available here.

Very light and patchy.

We went back and forth between jib, code, and even A3.

And had some unusual cloud formations (maybe not for Newport in June):

Looking good. Even if we were uncertain of our position, we always had good speed vs the other boats in our class.

And some downwind with wind from NE!?

Still looking good.

The fleet ended up in three distinct groups. One group committed hard to going west and ended up close to Block Island. Initially, this didn’t look good, but it ultimately paid off. Another group in the middle (including us) came out reasonably ok, and a bunch of boats took their chance further east but all of them had to bail out at some point.

Here’s the situation at midnight when everyone had hooked into the new wind. We’re just 0.3 nm behind Amadeus, but their angle to the entry point for the Gulf Stream was slightly better. All in all, we ended up okay, but in hindsight, we should have gone west early and perhaps led that group.

It’s always easier in hindsight.

DAY 2 – Entering the Gulf Stream 🚀

After the wind filled, it was all about straight-line speed.

We had roughly 20 hours to go to our “entry point” into the Gulf Stream, and we made the most of it.

After Bermuda 1-2, we did some homework and looked at historical weather. We added a genoa staysail and a smaller code to have a really flexible sailplane. The idea was to go between J2 and J3.5 (both can be reefed) and add the staysail as soon as we went outboard with the jib sheet.

This proved useful as the wind increased from 10 to 18 knots during the day and TWA varied from 80 to full upwind. We went from a J2 + staysail to a reefed J3.5.

Naturally, jib-reaching is a weak spot for the light and weak J/111 against bigger boats with longer waterlines and also “French” boats with more stability, like the JPK. But we pushed as hard as we could and knew that it would come down to nailing the Gulf Stream as well as the approach to Bermuda.

Looking good?

I always think the first day of any offshore race is horrible. But after the first night, you get “into the bubble”, and things start to work. People enter their routines and watch schedules, making everything feel more natural. The J/111 is a small boat, and watch changes can be busy. Or chaotic. Depending on the weather.

This time, everyone had plenty of offshore experience. Fredrik (left) has done the Fastnet Race and many other races doublehanded with his J/121 Jolene, Cam (middle) has many Hobart races under his belt and campaigns J/111 Ginan in southern Australia, and Mattias (right) has raced with Blur for the last 12+ years and did the Bermuda 1-2 with me last year.

With guys like this, I can focus on navigation and never worry about people on deck pushing hard.

We entered the Gulf Stream late in the evening. It was 15 nm further south than expected but also stronger. We had 4.4 knots and over 29 degrees C.

We had a pretty clear strategy for the stream and stayed west to hit the exit we wanted. Many other boats entered west of us and then went lower and faster. It looked great for a while, but they had a hard time coming back from their more easterly positions.

DAY 3 – A bumpy ride in the stream 😱

The combination of more wind, typically 16-20 knots at TWA 60 (40-70), and current, turned into a wet and bumpy ride.

The J/111 is especially tiring since it’s fast enough to either power through and fly over waves but small and light enough to get airborne and make every little bump in the road feel onboard. This ensures a wet, exhausted, and often seasick crew. Luckily, we just had one case of seasickness, but watch after watch of the same thing took its toll.

From the VHF chatter, we gathered that something had happened. We were close to another J/122 named “Alliance” (what’s the odds) that was mixed up with the one that lost its rudder and sank. Another boat, Swedish Yachts 41 “Gunga Din,” was also abandoned after water ingress.

So quite an eventful part of the race.

The “Aussie Watch” with Nigel, Cam and Will.

Michael and Pelle trying to make the boat go fast.

Late evening. It is time to settle into another rough night on starboard.

DAY 4 – Laylines 🤔

Last full day. Let’s get the approach to Bermuda right.

04:43. Looks very similar to yesterday.

It felt like Groundhog Day.

Get up.

Get into the foul weather gear (even if you’re sweating). Fill your water bottle.

Push the boat hard for 2 hours. Rotate between helming and trimming the main. Get showered by waves regularly.

Standby for 2 hours. Change jibs. Reef the main. Make food. Keep the boat tidy. Discuss navigation & strategy. Get showered by waves regularly.

Sleep for two hours. Get thrown around in a super hot bunk.

Repeat.

Before the start, there was a decent chance we would get headed on the last day and make a final tack to the finish on a lifted port tack.

That scenario was no longer in the models. But there was now a decent chance that some of the boats would be lifted and make the finish, but others would have to make a painful last tack.

We had stayed low and fast to avoid as much adverse current as possible. We still had over a knot most of the day. But looking at the other boats afterward, we gave away distance and had to pay for that sooner or later.

On the tracking above, Blur is the white/pink boat that has tacked back to starboard, 6 nm behind Amadeus V. We could probably have made a shorter port tack to nail the layline, and maybe saved 20-30 minutes.

Congrats to Amadeus V, who nailed the strategy both on the first and last days when it mattered.

Finishing 🏁

We finished just before sunrise at 03:45, and I think everyone was pretty happy that this race was over. Does everyone look slightly older than in the photo taken just before the start?

When starting the engine, we also found this around the propeller. We had to anchor outside St Georges, wait for some light, and let Mattias, our designated diver, do his thing. We had some performance issues for a few hours, so this might have been the reason.

Reflections 💭

I think we’re pretty happy with this race.

Although placing 5th in our start wasn’t great, we ended up 11th overall in the St. Davies Lighthouse Division. We were one of only two yachts where no one onboard had done the race before. We beat all similar-sized J/boats that normally dominate this race (J/120, J/121, J/122, J/133). And jib-reaching isn’t the favorite discipline for the J/111.

We also won the City of Newport Trophy for “Best Performance By a Foreign Yacht”.

Five 👍

Looking back, there are always things that you’re happy with. Here are the ones that stood out for me.

1. No drama. We had zero issues in a race with two abandoned boats and many close calls (the rudder almost fell out of a J/121 and a J/125, a mast came down, and many torn sails). No breakages. Nothing that stopped us from pushing 100%. We’re pretty particular about preparation, and we leave nothing to chance.
2. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a great team. My theory was that an experienced crew, where almost everyone could race the boat solo, would be able to push the boat when conditions were terrible. That proved to be correct. As a skipper, it is a luxury not to worry about people taking responsibility.
3. The course. I’ve raced across the Gulf Stream four times in two years (including the Shorthanded Return), and I see the beauty of this race course. Regarding scenery, it can’t compete with the Middle Sea Race or Aegean 600, but there’s something special about the open ocean and the skewed perspective of time. I understand why people keep coming back.
4. Newport has been my second home for the last two years, and it will always hold a special place in my heart (together with Valetta, where we spent 2019-2022). Not just because it’s a legendary sailing hub but also because of all the wonderful people who have helped us in many different ways.
5. Our fans. It doesn’t matter where we are; people approach us to chat about how they followed us for years and reference old YouTube videos. It’s hard to understand the impact and the reach we seem to have.

Five 👎

And some things that were not that great.

1. Managing a project on the other side of the world. It’s hard. It takes a lot of time and is expensive (also connected to the exchange rate). Don’t get me wrong. It’s super rewarding and doable without a semi-professional team. But it’s a challenge.
2. Racing once a year. With the boat in the US, we don’t get as much time racing together on Blur as we need. We’ve tried compensating by racing similar boats (like Fredriks J/121 Jolene) and taking every chance to sail J/111 offshore. But it’s hard to rely on routine alone. I also miss some of our younger team members who can’t fit a race like this into a schedule with kids, work, house renovations, and everything else that’s important when you are in your 30s.
3. Sticking to our strategy. We’re usually pretty good at this. But for some reason, we lost the bigger picture coming out of Newport and became too focused on local pressure. This took us too far south. It’s not the end of the world, but some lessons can be learned here. The good thing is that it’s up to me as navigator to fix this.
4. Nine people on a J/111. I had forgotten how crowded the boat gets with all the gear, food, and sails. We tried racing offshore with 7 or 8, but 9 is ideal for pushing hard. It’s not ideal if you’re uncomfortable being close to other sweaty men.
5. How do we top this? I had this strange feeling after the race. And even more so after the Doublehanded Return, which was also tough (another boat sunk nearby). You always feel empty after a real offshore race, but this time, it was different. What more do we need to prove? The last race of this 10-year bucket list challenge was supposed to be Transpac next year, but now I’m not sure. Sure, it will be a fantastic experience. But will it push us to be even better offshore?

We’ll spend a few months regrouping and figuring out what to do next.

Apparently, this is the effect this race has on you 😀

Thanks 🙏

Thanks for all the support: B&G, Cyclops Marine, Happy Yachting, Henri Lloyd, J/boats, J/Composites, Maurten, North Sails, Liros, Safe Harbor NEB (especially PJ✨), and Spinlock.

Also, thanks to Aksel Magdahl for helping with the pre-race strategy and weather.

And a huge thank you to everyone following us on our adventure.