First tracks: M32 Series Bermuda (Event No. 1)

January 22, 2016 Mattias Dahlström

Perfect racing conditions in Bermuda

The M32 Series has already visited places like Miami, Newport, and Scandinavia, and now it’s gone Mid-Atlantic with the M32’s first trip to the beautiful island of Bermuda! Billionaire sailing enthusiast and current America’s Cup defender Larry Ellison certainly knew what he was doing when selecting Bermuda for the 2017 America’s Cup – the island, and especially the Great Sound, is truly a sailor’s paradise. And while a nasty 50-knot gale wrecked the best intentions amongst the largely newbie skippers and crews for two days of practice and tuning, Bermuda turned out in her weekend best to shower the fleet with picture-perfect racing conditions on Saturday and Sunday.

Volvo Ocean Race watch leader Sally Barkow and her team of VOR veterans came close to winning their first regatta aboard Team Magenta, but it was Chicago monohull match racer and keelboat sailor Don Wilson and his Convexity team squeaking by Barkow on the final race of the 15-race series for a one point regatta victory. For a full news release on the event, click here. Click the video above for the thrilling video report from Bermuda shot and edited by award-winning racing videographer Brian Carlin. Carlin also put together a gorgeous gallery of high-resolution photos.

Joining the Bermuda fleet in February will be Team GAC Pindar skippered by defending five-time Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams, while 3-time Farr 30 World Champion Deneen Demourkas and her Grooverderci team will join the fleet in March. The series returns to Bermuda next month from 19-21 Feb with a third event from 11-13 March and a final event 15-17 April.

Anyone interested in chartering a race-ready boat for the M32 Series Bermuda should contact M32 North America Manager Dave Doucett at dave.doucett@astonharald.com

Images – Day 01 Images – Day 02