J/109 wins Miami to Nassau Cup Race
by J/Boats 24 Nov 2020 05:49 PST
Miami to Nassau Cup Race © Carol Ewing
The 79th edition of the Nassau Cup Ocean Race, a 180 nm course from Miami to Nassau, leaving Great Isaac and Great Stirrup to starboard, is no longer possible due to current protocols in the Bahamas. Instead, an ocean race of approximately 178 nm was held starting in and returning to Miami.
Since 1934, some of the best offshore sailors in the world have battled for the prestigious Miami to Nassau Cup, including Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Dick Bertram, and Ted Hood, aboard legendary boats like Running Tide, Windward Passage, Tenacious, and Boomerang. Half a generation after World War II forced a short intermission, the race became part of the fabled Southern Ocean Racing Conference in the 1980s until the series' dissolution in the 1980s. Building on the race's welcome rebirth in 2003, the new SORC, a group of race-veteran race managers, announced its management of the Nassau Cup Race in 2010.
Starting in very light airs under Code Zeros, the fleet wandered their way across the Gulf Stream to the first mark, with the breeze steadily building all day. In the end, the J/109 HARM'S WAY sailed by Andy Westcoast won their ORC 3 class handily by over four hours corrected time. Meanwhile, Ashley Maltempo & Bill Wiggins sailed the new J/121 WINGS to fourth place in ORC 2 Class, narrowly missing the podium by just minutes on corrected time.
More Miami to Nassau Cup Race sailing information here.