Navy continues Annapolis to Bermuda Race tradition

Like most members of the Naval Academy Varsity Offshore Sailing Team, Duncan Mamer and Holland McCabe had little to no experience in the sport prior to arriving in Annapolis.

Mamer grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, participating in all manner of outdoor activities such as white-water rafting, fishing and hiking. Sailing fit the type of lifestyle to which Mamer is accustomed so he joined the offshore team.

McCabe did some recreational dinghy sailing while growing up in Olney, but readily admits he wasn’t particularly skilled at the activity. However, that taste of sailing was the impetus that led McCabe to try out for the offshore squad.

Four years later, Mamer and McCabe are skippers who will lead Naval Academy entries in the Annapolis-to-Bermuda Race, which starts this Friday afternoon on the Severn River. After hundreds of hours of training, both rising seniors have the knowledge and experience required to direct a crew during a major offshore passage.

“Our team practices for multiple hours five days a week and about six months out of the year,” Mamer said. “We go out sailing in all sorts of weather conditions and work repeatedly on every possible situation. I feel very confident that each of us has molded a crew that can perform in a distance race such as this.”

Navy has entered two of its Mark II version 44-foot sloops in Annapolis-to-Bermuda, a 753-nautical mile crossing that finishes in St. George’s. These second generation Navy 44s were designed by David Pedrick and built by Pearson Composites. – Capital Gazette, read on

More: Nineteen teams will be on the line for the 19th biennial Annapolis Bermuda Race. Click here for event website.