It had all the hallmarks of a classic day on the water: broken records, near-misses with cruise ships, floating picnic tables, and a frantic rescue mission for stray rum bottles. Bermuda’s Annual Round the Island Seagull Race certainly did not disappoint.
After a frustrating start to June, where mild conditions gave way to a middle-of-the-month howling gale, organizers were forced to trigger their contingency plan. The fleet finally took to the water on the rain date of Saturday, June 27, greeted by a hot, light southerly wind and a deceptively choppy South Shore littered with tricky clumps of seaweed.
Yet, the elements did little to dampen the spirits of a record-chasing fleet. Following an unprecedented wave of pre-race press promotion, a massive 59 boats registered for the round-the-island spectacle. By the time the starting klaxon sounded, 4 crews had failed to show, while another 3 willingly disqualified themselves, opting to sacrifice their race positions just to enjoy the day with non-Seagull engines.
Of the starters, 36 battled their way to the finish line, while 14 were forced to register a Did Not Finish (DNF). One crew, completely defeated by the time constraints, took a drastic shortcut through Castle Harbour to register a Did Not Comply (DNC).
Then, there was Brian Lightbourn. Sailing under the moniker 'The Picnic Table', Lightbourn continued his fine tradition of registering for the event with absolutely zero intention of racing, choosing instead to simply float out and enjoy the party.
The light winds clearly suited the front-runners, as two historic course records tumbled into the ocean.
In the highly competitive Sport Cruisin’ G2 class, One More for the Road put on a masterclass in navigation and throttle control. They shattered the previous benchmark of 3 hours and 9 minutes, storming across the line in an incredible 2 hours and 55 minutes to claim ultimate bragging rights.
There was equally dramatic history made in Class H (Small Engine). Stephen Seagull smashed the grueling 9-hour barrier, setting a new record of 8 hours and 41 minutes. It was an anxious debut for helmsman Jonny Gaugain, whose daughter and crew member spent the South Shore transit gripping the gunnels in absolute terror, frantically shouting directions to avoid the treacherous reefs.
Innovation also shared the spotlight, with two foiling boats—Xpair a Mental and One Foot Skankin', crewed by Happy Henderson and Nigel Pollard—defying the chop to successfully foil their way entirely around the island.
The finishes provided spectators with heart-stopping drama. Line honours came down to a paint-trading drag race between One More for the Road and Team Bermuda. One More clinched the victory by mere seconds, leaving powerboat racing veterans Luis Martins and Steven Bridges thoroughly deflated in their heavily promoted Seagullboat.
In the Sports Racing class, a spectacular "hook" between Leon Simmons (Boat 20) and Jared Souza in POPS saw Souza snatch victory by a solitary second.
Moments later, Longwood, Jungle Bridge, and TBD crossed in a chaotic three-way photofinish, separated by less than a blink of an eye, with Bust N Knots agonizingly missing out just a minute behind. Meanwhile, in Class E1B, Carlos Falcoa (Shrimp n Grits) edged out Kate Cabral (De Rum Barrell) in a thrilling, low-stakes duel that had the shoreside gallery on their feet.
The day was not without its controversies. The Prototype entry sadly broke down, though thankfully clear of the reef line. However, the crew of Motor Boat Her, captained by Corry Kowalchuk, can expect a sternly worded letter from Marine and Ports.
Approaching Dockyard, Kowalchuk audaciously slipped his vessel between the wharf and a massive cruise ship that was actively attempting to dock. With furious dockworkers waving their arms in panic, the captain remained completely unphased.
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