New record for Marblehead – Halifax race

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The Marblehead to Halifax race has a new record holder in Prospector, a 68-foot monohull yacht from New York. Prospector finished the race in 28 hours, 28 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the previous record by about two hours and the second place boat by nine hours (six hours in corrected time).

The race's co-director, Anne Coulombe of the Boston Yacht Club, said the race is a very technical one because of geography, the time of year and weather, according to Canadian news organization CBC.

The Bay of Fundy has the largest tidal change in the world (up to 47 feet). 1994 racer Jim Flanagan writes on the races website, ‘the water surging in and out of the Bay of Fundy…can make or break you’ and stressed the importance of using the currents to your advantage.

The 21-member crew of Prospector met those challenges perfectly. Being a mixture of friends, family, and professional sailors was helpful: "You have to really be a team to be offshore," Anne Coulombe said. "You have to know what you're doing. It's a dangerous sport, but it's also a ton of fun."

 

By Ocean Navigator