Registration is now open for the 40th biennial Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race, which will leave Marblehead Harbor on Sunday, July 6. First started in 1905, it is the oldest ocean race in North America. The 361 nautical-mile race is sponsored by the Boston Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.
A World Sailing Category 2 event, the race is open to all yachts meeting the Offshore Safety Regulations (OSR) requirements published in the Notice of Race, as modified by the Race Committee. The race will offer scoring under ORR and PHRF-NE with racing and cruising divisions. The race will start in Marblehead, Massachusetts and finish in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Full information and the Notice of Race can be found on the website: www.marbleheadtohalifax.com or https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=17005
This race is a qualifier for the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy, the New England Lighthouse Series for PHRF yachts and the ORR East Coast Championship. Special competitions will include short-handed crew in the racing divisions, club teams, and senior crews.
The last race was in July, 2023 and David Greenstein’s Space Monkey, a Mills 68 with a crew of 15, took Line Honors, first to finish in the ORR Division and Third in ORR-1. The 68-foot sloop crossed the finish line in one day, 23 hours, 18 minutes, and 29 seconds.
Close on their heels and in the same ORR-1 division was the Naval Academy’s Reichel Pugh 66 Kodiak with a crew of 17, which won the division on corrected time. A total of 69 boats participated.
“We are delighted to be up and running for next year’s race,” said Boston Yacht Club Vice Commodore Kate Ferris Richardson, co-chair of the race. “And we are anticipating a brisk signup. Because available mooring space is limited, especially over the July 4 holiday, we are asking racers who require moorings to request them at the time of registration.”