Merlin Runs Away With the St. Pete-Havana

Author:: Peter Swanson
Publish date:: Feb 28, 2018

Merlin lies alongside at Marina Hemingway in Havana after a speedy run from St. Petersburg.

“Sails like a witch,” New Englanders used to say about a particularly nimble and speedy craft. The same could be said of wizards. At 7:20 a.m. Merlinarrived at Marina Hemingway as part of the revived St. Petersburg-Havana Race, and she was nearly 12 hours ahead of the second boat, a catamaran.

Merlin, built by Bill Lee, is one 20 boats that started this year’s race, which was revived in 2017 after a 58-year hiatus. She averaged 5.7 knots over the approximately 280 miles between start and finish.

Ultimately, she ended up winning both line and handicap honors.

That Merlin is swift should surprise no one. In 1977, Merlin completed a roughly 2,560-mile TransPac ocean race, setting a record that would endure for 20 years.

Tracking software shows Merlin at rest with the rest of the fleet miles away.

For details, visit http://spychabanarace.com

February 2018

Related

rdm-002

In this episode of Point of SAIL, Principal Editor Adam Cort talks with renowned yachtsman and Navy veteran Rich du Moulin about the role of leadership in safety at sea. A veteran of four America’s Cup campaigns and five Transatlantic races, du Moulin is also a past commodore of ...read more

Profurl

Sail, Rope and Rigging

Profurl NEXe motorized flying-sail furlers make it possible for shorthanded crews and solo sailors to handle large reaching sails, like gennakers, Code 0s and other A-sails, with minimal effort and in safety. Two versions are available, the NEXe 5.0 for boats with LOAs up to ...read more

RaceToAlaska,The_still-4_Liv-von-Oelreich-728x

Zack Carver's film titled The Race to Alaska has earned a spot in the Vancouver International Film Festival. This film follows the five-year evolution of the R2AK, a motor-free boating race that covers 750 miles of the Inside Passage from Port Townsend, WA to in Ketchikan, AK. ...read more

01-SUGGEST-CROP

Twin-rudder raceboats have been with us since the mid-1980s. In the last 10 years or so, they’ve also become increasingly popular aboard cruising boats, including those available for charter. It is therefore a good idea to be aware of their idiosyncrasies. In some circles, ...read more

11thHourRacing

Newport welcomed America's ocean racing home team, 11th Hour Racing, back to its waters earlier this week for the start of their autumn training season. In the video, which recounts their Atlantic Crossing from France, Charlie Enright, Mark Towhill and their international crew ...read more

AdobeStock_180386204

Sailing Charter News

The BVI Tourist Board has set December 1st as the date visitors will be allowed to return to their territory, just in time for the winter charter season to kick off. Several charter companies including Horizon Yacht Charters, Dream Yacht Charter, TMM, CYOA and Conch Charters ...read more

DSC_5337-2

The Danish builder X-Yachts does not simply stick taller or shorter rigs and keels on the same hulls to create boats for both cruisers and racers, as some mass-production builders do. Nor is it content to build two distinct lines of cruisers and racers. Instead, the company has ...read more

Screen Shot 2020-09-18 at 1.18.36 PM

. In a video posted yesterday, Peter Harken cheerfully announced that his company, Harken Inc., the trusted hardware brand bearing his last name, which was formerly owned by founders and their families has changed hands. The owners have sold their shares to employees—"passing ...read more