‘Morning Glory’ Wins PHRF Championship
The inaugural championship for Bermuda yachts run under the PHRF handicap system took place on Saturday [May 12], with 16 teams entering the 3 race competition for the Ignition Trophy.
The PHRF handicap system allocates each boat a handicap, based on her design, and that is used to adjust her time to complete a course to her “corrected time” – the lowest corrected time wins the race.
Race 1 was a two lap race in the Great Sound. Some crews were scrambling for the race instructions as unfamiliar flags flew from the start boat, but all boats started cleanly and settled down on the long racecourse in the stiff northerly breeze. Conditions were ideal for focussing on boat speed, and seeking out favourable breeze.
“Fram” was first on corrected time, beating “Crossfire” by 22 seconds, with “Morning Glory” a further 3 seconds back.
Race 2 was another long two lap race, with “Morning Glory” beating “Smokin”, helmed by RBYC Vice Commodore Somers Kempe, by 12 seconds, and with the other Dragon design in the championship “GER1114” a further 43 seconds back.
Race 3 was a distance race, of approximately 13 miles, around various Government Marks in the Great Sound, finishing off White’s Island in Hamilton Harbour. This tested the boats in reaching conditions, where finding a lane with undisturbed air was vital to maintaining speed.
“Crossfire” was the first boat to finish after 1 hour 40 minutes, and “Cyclone” the last to cross the line after 2 hours 24 minutes, but once handicaps had been applied, “GER1114” beat “Morning Glory” by 34 seconds, with the J105 “Elusive” 48 seconds further back.
The championship was scored by rating band (for Class-2, 3 and 4), and by division (boats using either symmetric or a symmetric spinnakers), as well as the overall.
- Class 2 – “Triangle Rigging Tankard” – Smokin
- Class 3 – “Montpelier Re Bowl” – Fram
- Class 4 – “Hiscox Plate” – Morning Glory
- Asymmetric Fleet – “Gubinelli Decanter” – Smokin
- Symmetric Fleet – “Yabsta Plaque” – Morning Glory
For the overall results, in third place was “Smokin”, with 13 points; in second place with 8 points “GER1114”; and in first place with 6 points the Dragon “Morning Glory” helmed by Hasso Plattner.
The Dragon design, which dates back to 1929, was the slowest boat in the fleet by handicap, but was sailed consistently in the series, in ideal conditions for this small three man boat.
There were six different yacht designs in the first seven places, illustrating that whilst handicap systems are a challenge in yacht racing, and the subject of much discussion off the water, the results were shared between modern and old designs, small and large boats alike.
The organising committee – the Bermuda Yacht Racing Association, is looking forward to this becoming an annual event on the sailing calendar.
