Carina has triumphed in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division of the 53rd Newport Bermuda Race. The celebrated yacht crossed the finish line with a corrected time of two days, 16 hours, and 12 minutes, marking a historic moment as it secured its place as the most-winning yacht in the race’s 118-year history. This year, 96 boats competed in the St. David’s division.
Carina’s latest victory is its fourth in the Newport Bermuda Race, with previous wins in 1970, 2010, and 2012. Rives Potts, who has owned Carina for three of these victories, expressed immense pride in his crew. “It means a great deal, I’m just so proud of the crew,” said Potts, who greeted the sailors as they docked at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC). “A lot of [the crew] are on the boat for the very first time, and they all did well.”
Skipper W. Barrett Holby Jr. reflected on the race, highlighting the crew’s relentless effort. “From five minutes before the start we just raced hard. We realized we were doing well, but we didn’t think about that, we just kept racing.” Holby praised his team, saying, “Everybody pulled their own—we had great food, great navigation, great sailors, and great helmsmen. Everything came together.”
Carina managed to lead its class out of Narragansett Bay early on, though weather conditions near the top of the course presented challenges. Holby noted that at times it felt like the boat was under a personal rain cloud with still winds following them.
In the Gibbs Hill division, Summer Storm 52 emerged as the champion. The experienced crew, including owner and skipper Andy Berdon and navigator Chris “Lew” Lewis, who navigated the division’s winning boat in the 2022 race, delivered an exceptional performance. “It was champagne sailing most of the way for us,” Berdon commented. He credited boat captain Alec Snyder with the preparation, stating, “The boat was inside a shed in Germany in February, and it is now sitting on top of the podium in Bermuda.” Sixteen boats competed in the Gibbs Hill division, which has no limits on professional crew.
Scores of boats completed the race late Monday and early Tuesday, including some closely followed teams. Hound finished Monday night with a corrected time of two days, 16 hours, and 25 minutes. A 30-minute penalty for crossing the starting line early cost Hound the overall win, placing them just nine minutes behind Carina.
In the Finisterre division, Northeast Wind claimed victory with a corrected time of two days, 15 hours, and 53 minutes. Skipper Frank Sobchak and his crew aboard the Hinckley 48 sloop were elated upon learning of their success upon arrival in Bermuda.
The doublehanded division saw an inspirational win by Phil Haydon and Alexander Kraebel aboard their Sunfast 3300, Fearless. Haydon, founder of Sail for Epilepsy, dedicated the victory to his supporters and virtual shipmates. “We had a strategy we were going to execute, and we did, and it paid off. We have been working for over a year training, and all the hard work paid off,” Haydon said emotionally upon learning of their win.
For live updates and complete results of the 53rd Newport Bermuda Race, visit our Live Results Page.
At the time of writing, the crew of Gunga Din, who abandoned ship on Tuesday, have reported safely boarding Desna, a 37-foot boat now holding 14 people. “It was a snug night but everyone got some hot dinner,” they reported. Desna is racing to Bermuda and is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon.
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