2010 Race Coverage:

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Recent Race News:

More Race and After Race Photos
By Penny Hutton
Here are a few more photos of the finish, dock side, J22s and awards from Penny Hutton. Enjoy! Click here for Penny's photo album.

November 16, 2010
Wrap Up
By SORC PR - Paige Brooks
Congratulations to the big winners of this year's Nassau Cup, Stephen Murray Jr, of the TP52 'Decision' in IRC and Frank Atkinson and crew of the Fast 40 'Different Drummer' in PHRF.  The course from Miami to Nassau is made up of three legs - the crossing of the Gulf Stream, Great Isaacs Lighthouse to Great Stirrup in the Bahamas, and then the southward turn from Great Stirrup to the finish in Nassau.  14 of the 15 boats who started finished on Friday, with one boat dropping out early due to equipment failure.  The Race Committee could not have asked for better or more challenging conditions - clocking, then backing breeze, velocity from 15 - 27 knots, and 70 - 80 degree temperatures.  Tom Lihan, crewing on Decision, said, "we never tacked, but we were constantly thinking, wondering if we should follow the rhumb or look at the current, which sails to use (they had 7 changes and flawless crew work), watching the weather....these were classic conditions for this boat."  Part of the Decision team was made up of Morning Light crew, Lihan said, and they've sailed together enough to make the work look effortless.   Frank Atkinson was unavailable for comment as of this writing.  Full results posted here.

After the ocean racing crews arrived in Nassau on Friday, they enjoyed R&R Bahamas style around the pool at the Atlantis Resort and at the Nassau Yacht Club for dinner on Friday night and prepared for a Saturday of match racing in J22s  This from Carol Ewing, PRO of the Nassau Cup Race:

"We had a J-22 Match Race Championship that was quite exciting. The breeze was still up from Friday and the races were run just off the Nassau Yacht Club docks in some VERY shifty conditions. We had a total of nine teams compete, five of which were manned by competitors from the Ocean Race. It was a really great turnout! The Decision Team placed first with four wins, Team RTIA comprised of me, Fernando de Cardenas from Balamena, Paul Hutton (who ran the finish line for the ocean race) and James from Tampa Girl, posted a second place (they even let me drive).  Third went to the Team Nassau representing Ocean Warrior.

It was great fun and the prizes which were awarded at the Trophy Presentations Saturday night were beautifully framed photographs of very old SORC races taken by Roland Rose. The keeper trophies for the Ocean Race were some of these pictures as well. There was an award also for Best Finish by a Bahamian - and Andrew Pike on Prince Benoit won that perpetual trophy.

Many dignitaries from Nassau were there including the Ministry of Tourism at the trophy presentation. A very nice buffet and open bar from 6:00 - 9:30 kept people quite happy. There were approximately 150 in attendance for the prize givings. We were all very encouraged about the enthusiasm and eagerness of the competitors to see this race continue and grow, with the help of the organizers of this event in both Florida and the Bahamas."

Many thanks to all of the competitors who sailed in this event.  We encourage you to post your stories and photos to the SORC Sailing Facebook page!  Next up for SORC is the Ft. Lauderdale to Key West race in January.

November 16, 2010
Photos Available
Great start photos were taken by John Payne and Alina Boisjoly.

November 12, 2010
Rough and Tumble
By SORC PR - Paige Brooks
Upwind in the gulf stream is always a challenge, but the 10-15 degree 'push' you get from the current makes it worthwhile.  Frank Kern, owner of J120 Caranthia, who just eked around the Great Isaac Lighthouse said a number of boats had a hard time getting around and had to throw in multiple tacks to make it.  The right turn they'd all been looking forward to became more of a labor than the Detroit based crew expected as the wind piped up at around 2 am to 27 knots with storm bursts they couldn't see coming.  "We sailed a bit more conservatively as we had moments where the wind would go from 15 to 25 knots in seconds," said Kern.  Having a jib top in the sail quiver helped them with their tighter wind angles at the northern most points of the course and they "finally got the kite up about an hour before the finish."  The J120 flew along at 12-13 knots.  That seems fast until you see the speed the TP52 Decision was clocking...over 20 knots of boat speed at their peak according to their race tracking page.

At the moment, the Steven Murray's TP52 'Decision' is holding first place in the IRC division and Frank Atkinson's 'Different Drummer' is holding first in the PHRF division. See the complete results here.

November 11, 2010
Launched!
By SORC PR - Paige Brooks
At 11:05 this morning, 15 boats set off from Miami for Nassau in the 77th Nassau Cup.  One boat, just after her start, had to turn back almost immediately as the cabin top started to lift, thanks to a chain plate giving way.  Skipper Peter Christie of "Balamena" said he "guessed they were showing their age."  He and his team plan to fly to Nassau for the rest of the SORC festivities, which include J22 match racing and what will surely be a fun filled BBQ & party.  From the start, two boats, "Decision" and "Sjambok" launched out for the gulf stream followed by the rest of the fleet in gorgeous south Florida weather and 15 knots of breeze. 

The forecast this evening is for the wind to come up another 5-10 knots, so sailing could get interesting on the gulf stream.  In Nassau, RC official Paul Hutton says, "Current conditions in Nassau are NNE around 10-15 knots. We have great assistance from Bahamas Customs and Immigration who are on standby to expeditiously clear arriving competitors."

November 6, 2010
After Race Fun!
Join the fun after the race on Saturday the 13th at the Nassau Yacht Club for a poolside BBQ, bocci ball, and J-22 match race championship. Click here for more details.

October 11, 2010
Race Apparel Available Order Now!
Get your official apparel for the 2010 Nassau Cup Ocean Race. Visit our online apparel store to order. Custom monogramming is also available. Order Now.

June 18, 2010
Southern Ocean Winter Racing Kick Off – Nassau Cup
Paige Brooks SORC PR - The 77th Anniversary Nassau Cup Race, from Miami to Nassau, opens the South Florida ocean racing season this year on November 11th.  Running since 1934, this race is known for its share of great racers and dramatic weather.  Starting in the balmy Atlantic waters off of South Florida, sailors must navigate their way across the often tricky Gulf Stream on this 176 nm easterly course to the Bahamas.

Competitors over the history of this challenging race include race winner Ted Turner on Tenacious to the more recent four-time winner, Jim Bishop, on Gold Digger. Past contenders for the Cup include Dennis Conner, Dick Bertram, Ted Hood and Bobby Symonette.  This race has been covered by the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, numerous local papers, and is featured in the recently published Legend of Imp, which won her division several times in the 1970s. 

Fully crewed ocean racing category 2 monohull and multi-hull boats 30’ and over are invited to participate. SORC may also add a double-handed division (please contact the organizers for more information).

The Coral Reef Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club, Nassau Yacht Club and the Storm Trysail Club combine to sponsor this race, which is managed by SORC for the collective group. 

January 1, 2010
New SORC Event!
SORC PR - In 1934, sailors first embarked on this competitive sprint across the gulf stream, working hard to figure out how far south to head before the left hand turn into the northward push of the stream on their way toward Nassau.

The Southern Ocean Racing Conference - SORC - is now running this storied race to the Bahamas.  The organizers are in the process of developing the NOR and SIs for the race, which will start on November 11, 2010.  There has already been a lot of interest in this race and the SORC team foresee a tremendous turnout for this race across the gulf stream.

You may email mail@sorcsailing.org for more details

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Since 1934, some of the best offshore sailors in the world have battled for the prestigious Miami to Nassau Cup, including Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Dick Bertram, and Ted Hood, aboard legendary boats like Running Tide, Windward Passage, Tenacious, and Boomerang.  Half a generation after World War II forced a short intermission, the race became part of the fabled Southern Ocean Racing Conference in the 1980s until the series’ dissolution in the 1980s.  Building on the race’s welcome rebirth in 2003, the new SORC, a group of race-veteran race managers, announces its management of the 2010 Nassau Cup Race on its new date, November 11, 2010. 

Starting in South Florida, racers leave Great Isaacs Light to starboard and proceed past Great Stirrup Light, finally finishing at Nassau harbor. The current course record is held by George S. Coumantaros on the yacht Boomerang with an elapsed time of 14 hours, 26 minutes and 39 seconds in 1986.  Today’s modern boats just need the right conditions to claim this legendary prize, and racers of all types will enjoy the navigational and crew challenge of the race across the Gulf Stream. 

For a list of past winners of the Miami-Nassau Cup Race, click here. 

To be included on the mailing list for future Miami-Nassau Race information, please sign up for our email updates in the top right hand corner of this webpage.