Marion Bermuda Race to include Youth Class

The Marion Bermuda Race organization has played a major role in promoting youth sailing. The race organizers have been making efforts to retain and train young sailors after they outgrow sailing camp and to help them make the steps into ‘grown up’ sailing by supporting youth sailing programs in Boston, Marion and Bermuda.

The 2015 Marion Bermuda Race has announced the addition of a new Youth Class to the race.

The Marion Bermuda Race recognizes that there is an age gap in participants of offshore racing. It takes time to have the means to invest in a solid cruising boat and the resources to put it together to do an offshore event. For years the Naval Academy and Mass Maritime have fielded boats with a select group of 18 to 22 year old sailors. But you don’t have to go to an academy to be a competent sailor and a good crew member. You just need a good boat!

“We have already received an excellent response to the addition of the Youth Class and a number of boats are ready to participate,” Ray Cullum, Marion-Bermuda Race. “We hope this encourages people to give a group of young enthusiastic sailors an opportunity to realize the joy of sailing offshore.”

The requirements are that crew members must be between the ages and 16 and 22 years of age and each boat must have a 3:1 ratio crew to adults. The remaining requirements will parallel what is required of every sailor doing the race (see Notice of Race). Race start date is June 19, 2015.

Race website: http://www.marionbermuda.com/