40 year old boat with a crew of older people wins class in Newport Bermuda race.

[Concerto]

The Newport Bermuda Race finished at the end of June but I thought it was nice that a 40 year old cruising yacht won class 10. This report makes you realise the boat or crew, age does not matter that much, age is just a number.

Bermuda Race Winners Claim the Best

 

[dunedin]

Perhaps having an Olympic Gold medalist as crew helps? Also many rules give rating advantage to older boats, and sometimes being the right size for the weather helps.
Hence why a certain Contessa 26 (?) raced by ex-Olympic sailors often does well in the Round the Isle of Wight race

 

[geem]

The Cal 40 is an early 1960s design with a spade rudder and fin keel. Way ahead of its time. A friend campains one in Antigua very successfully. They look nothing special but sail very well. He often beats modern cruisers of the same size around the course

 

[Bajansailor]

I am reminded of Holger Danske winning the 1980 Newport - Bermuda race in fine fashion as well.
She is a fairly traditional timber ketch, designed by Aage Nielsen - and while she was a comparative youngster then (at 16 years old), she still happily trounced all the 'modern' boats taking part.
The Plan and the Newport Bermuda Race >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News

We had met Holger Danske and her crew the previous winter when they arrived in Barbados after a fast 19 day crossing from the Canaries.
Here is a nice video of her sailing -

 

[Poignard]

What a fine looking boat!

 

[Stemar]

What a fine looking boat!

Yes, lovely, provided you have the means to keep her in the state she deserves.

The Cal 40 isn't bad

I don't know what it is about some boats, but they just look right

 

[creeks]

I don't know what it is about some boats, but they just look right

I always remember the day in 1989 when I was on the Red Funnel ferry to Cowes and noticed a large red ketch motoring down Southampton Water. I immediately thought "Wow, that boat looks just right".
Turned out she was called Steinlager 2.

Steinlager 2: On board Sir Peter Blake’s refitted Whitbread champion

 

[wully1]

Perhaps having an Olympic Gold medalist as crew helps? Also many rules give rating advantage to older boats, and sometimes being the right size for the weather helps.
Hence why a certain Contessa 26 (?) raced by ex-Olympic sailors often does well in the Round the Isle of Wight race

Deffo helps having someone who knows a bit about sailing on board..
But for me the one and only way to race is strict one design . It’s utterly meaningless otherwise. Even then you need allowance for crew weight.
And physical size, muscle mass, length of levers, bone density. Gender. ( real gender, not deciding you don’t want a boabie any more… or maybe you do want one.)