The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee is removing the Performance Screen from the St. David's Lighthouse Division. This change will permit some higher performance yachts that would have been assigned to Gibbs Hill in 2014 to now enter the St. David's Division, writes Talbot Wilson a Sailing Corresponded for Bermuda.
This is being done in response to interest expressed by a number of owners and charterers of high performance boats with amateur helmsmen and mostly-amateur crews. One example is the U.S. Naval Academy's TP52, Constellation, which sails primarily with a crew of midshipmen.
A.J. Evans, 2016 Race Chairman, explained, "We are making a slight change to the St. David's Lighthouse Division description to accommodate a surge in interest from boats with amateur helmsmen and mostly-amateur crews. These boats would have been assigned to the Gibbs Hill Division in 2014 due only to their Performance Screen value.
In anticipation of these and other entries, the 2016 race will also include a special competition for the highest performance boats in the fleet across the St. David's, Gibbs Hill, and Open Divisions."
For the first time, and also in celebration of the 50th Thrash to the Onion Patch, yachts in the professional Gibbs Hill Division or amateur St. David's Lighthouse Division with a Performance Screen of 0.50 or higher will have the option to enter the Open Division in addition to their Lighthouse Division. "This unprecedented opportunity," Evans added, "allows a yacht to compete to win both the coveted St. David's Lighthouse Trophy or the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse and the Open Division's Royal Mail Cup. Open Division boats that are not eligible for either Lighthouse Division will have the chance to compete with a broader section of the fleet for historic bragging rights on a world stage."
Lighthouse Division boats that take this option must still comply with their division's rules, including those concerning movable ballast and stored power.
In recent history, only yachts in the St. David's Lighthouse and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Divisions have competed for Line Honors and the fastest elapsed time record -- the only record mentioned in the Notice of Race.
To mark the 50th Thrash to the Onion Patch, a blank record book will be created for the fastest elapsed time without excluding boats with movable ballast and stored power from the chase. Additional details will follow In future bulletins and the Notice of Race.
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