Since 1979 the Blue Water Sailing Club has been one of the three sponsors of the Marion Bermuda Race. BWSC has helped many of our members participate in this iconic race by taking on first-time crew, mentoring new skippers, and advising any who may want to consider checking this off their bucket list.  It is not unusual for BWSC to have several boats participating in the race, who often join together in pursuit of the team trophy.  A bit more about the race itself, and preparation for it, follows.

In 1972, purely by chance, two remarkable people met on the dock at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC) in Bermuda. One was Dickie Bird, a gregarious Bermudian and member of RHADC. The other was David Kingery, a Professor of Materials Science at MIT and member of the Blue Water Sailing Club (BWSC) and Beverly Yacht Club (BYC). 

Together for a cruise in the Caribbean, David and Dickie sketched an outline for a new ocean race that became the Marion-Bermuda Race. There were 104 boats at the line for that first race. The organizers had expected 40, perhaps 50 boats, but interest was so strong that they had to cut off applications a month before the start.

In 1979, the Beverly Yacht Club joined RHADC and BWSC as a sponsor, and since then the Marion-Bermuda Race has had the full support of the memberships and capabilities of each club. BWSC members routinely serve as mentors for first time race participants, safety inspectors and volunteers. The 2025 Marion-Bermuda Race had participation from three BWSC boats: Hotspur II (Ron Wisner), Meridian (Murray Beach), and Pouchy (Steve Ricci). Pouchy earned the Commodore’s Cup; Meridian earned the Bermuda Ocean Cruising Yacht Trophy for outstanding performance across the Marion and Newport Bermuda Races; and Hotspur II earned the Founders Class C First Place and the BYC Polaris Trophy. Hotspur skipper Wisner was awarded a Longtail pin for being a veteran of eight Marion Bermuda Races.  The 2023 race included four BWSC entries: Hotspur II (Ron Wisner), Meridian (Murray Beach), Mahina Kai (Arthur Wayne Haubner); and Wind Chime (Tom Greaves).  Wind Chime placed second in the Founders Class C Division.

The Marion Bermuda Race will celebrate its 50^th Anniversary with its start on June 18, 2027. Please mark your calendar and start your preparations. Typically, the race holds a presentation for the BWSC, which will be announced in the Beacon. Other key information exchanges that participants may want to look for are the Safety at Sea trainings, whose schedule is regularly updated, as well as the Northeast Ocean Race Symposium which will be taking place on March 21, 2026 at Bentley University, Waltham, MA.