Equipping your boat for ocean racing

What does it take to make your boat and crew race-ready and as safe as possible for your first ocean race? For Annapolis sailor Bruce Irvin, it took more than a year of safety training, veteran racers’ guidance, an off- shore coach, a dedicated crew, and many hours of hard work.

Irvin says, “Growing up, I thought it would be exciting to race offshore. Life moves fast, and the opportunity to try it out never arose. That aspiration never left, so after 10 great seasons racing Shamrock (J/30), I decided to make offshore racing a reality before too much more sand passed through the hourglass. This meant moving to an ocean-capable platform (the Corby 40 Time Machine). I was very fortunate to have a great crew ready to figure it out together.”

Last year’s Annapolis to Newport Race (A2N) was Irvin’s first offshore race: “I have done a lot of racing over the years, some ocean-adjacent, but I had zero miles of actual offshore experience. There was a lot to learn.” – Full report