2021 Marblehead to Halifax announced

Oct 22, 2020

Toronto-based YYZ carried crew from both countries in 2019. All Photos credited to: Cate Brown

Being cautiously optimistic that COVID-19 will be manageable by summer, the Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race committee is pleased to announce that the race is scheduled to start on July 11, 2021.

In the meantime, please be safe and we look forward to seeing you at the race. In order to improve the chances that the smaller boats can meet the time limit, significant changes have been made.

Thanks to the insightful comments that we received from those who responded to the survey last fall, the committee has decided:

Good Luck from the Boston YC RC

The starting sequence will have the slower-rated boats start first, thereby giving them one to two hours of added time to complete the course (all boats will sail the same course). In some cases some time will be added between starts so as to reduce the chance of faster boats overtaking slower boats until they’ve cleared the triangle component after the start.

The finishing line will return to its historic location of HB at the harbour entrance. Not only does this reduce the elapsed time required to sail the course, but it reduces interference between racing boats and commercial vessels.

Brazil Rock Gate: As a Hail Mary move for boats who cannot meet the time limit at the finishing line, crossing times will be taken at Brazil Rock and these will be used to assign a finishing position. Boats who sail the course and finish will be assigned the first group of positions, and any subsequent positions will be available for assignment based upon the Brazil Rock Gate crossing times.

About the race

The Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is rooted in the prosperous trade that existed between Nova Scotia and the ‘Boston States’ during the 18th and 19th centuries.

With the last edition in 2019, the race has been running, with a hiatus or two, for 114 years. It predates the first running of the Newport-Bermuda and the Transpacific yacht races by a year (both began in 1906) and is believed to be the longest running offshore ocean race in the world. (The America’s Cup (1851) is not an offshore race and the Chicago-Mackinac race (1898) is not an ocean race.)

Prizes Awarded 2019


Click on any underlined prize to see prize photo and/or history

THE HALIFAX HERALD AND THE HALIFAX MAIL TROPHY (1935) awarded to the monohull with the fastest elapsed time over the course, has been won by:
The Yacht:	WARRIOR	Skipper:	STEVE & STEPHEN MURRAY SR. & JR.

THE MINOT-MacASKILL TROPHY (1905) awarded to the team of 3 yachts chosen by the Commodore of the Boston Yacht Club to represent USA and the Commodore of RNSYS to represent CAN, has been won by team USA consisting of:
The Yacht:	HAFA ADAI	Skipper:	ELIOT SHANABROOK
The Yacht:	AMADEUS V	Skipper:	JAY TURCHETTA
The Yacht:	GIGI	Skipper:	TOM MAGER

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS CUP (1935) awarded to the yacht making the best overall corrected time in the ORR Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	ZARAFFA	Skipper:	MIDSHIPMAN SEAN CARAHER – NAVY ACADEMY SAILING

THE PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA TRAY (1959) awarded to the yacht making the best overall corrected time in the PHRF Racing-Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	MacINTOSH	Skipper:	DURK STEINGENGA

THE GUILFORD MEMORIAL CUP (1935) was not awarded since, due to light winds, no yacht competing in the PHRF-Cruising-Spinnaker Division finished within the race time limit.

THE HALIFAX TOURIST BUREAU CUP (1935) was not awarded since, due to light winds, no yacht competing in the PHRF-Cruising-Spinnaker Division finished within the race time limit.

THE DAVID P. PRINCE MEMORIAL CUP (2007) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class ORR-1 of the ORR Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	ZARAFFA	Skipper:	MIDSHIPMAN SEAN CARAHER – NAVY ACADEMY SAILING
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	WARRIOR	Skipper:	STEVE & STEPHEN MURRAY SR. & JR.
The third place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	KIWI SPIRIT	Skipper:	CHLOE RILEY

THE CAPTAIN J. ALBERT CHAMBERS MEMORIAL TROPHY (1967) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class ORR-2 of the ORR Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	GIGI	Skipper:	TOM MAGER
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	WAHOO	Skipper:	MIDSHIPMAN MATT McCLELLAND – NAVY ACADEMY SAILING
The third place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	VALIANT	Skipper:	GARY GREGORY

THE H. MARY POWERS MEMORIAL TROPHY (1985) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class ORR-3 of the ORR Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	IN THEORY	Skipper:	PETER McWHINNIE
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	TEMPTRESS	Skipper:	JOHN GOWELL
The third place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	SELAMAT	Skipper:	RONALD ROSSETTI

THE WYLDE-HIGHLANDER CUP (1933) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class ORR-4 of the ORR Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	LUNA	Skipper:	ALESSANDRO PAGANI
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	DREAMCATCHER	Skipper:	MUDRATZ OFFSHORE TEAM
The third place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	NANUQ	Skipper:	GLENN DONCASTER

THE COMMODORE J.C. MacKEEN TROPHY (1950) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class ORR-5 of the ORR Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	TOWHEE	Skipper:	PAUL JENNINGS
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	ACTAEA	Skipper:	MICHAEL M CONE
The third place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	TALISMAN	Skipper:	RICHARD PEDONE

THE FRANCIS P. DUFFY TROPHY (1995) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class PHR-1 of the PHRF Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	REVOLUTION	Skipper:	EBEN MOULTON
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	DEVIATION	Skipper:	STU McCREA
The third place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	DRAGONFLY	Skipper:	KEITH AMIRAULT

THE NATIONAL SEA PRODUCTS LIMITED TROPHY (1987) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class PHR-2 of the PHRF Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	MacINTOSH	Skipper:	DURK STEINGENGA
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	HAFA ADAI	Skipper:	ELIOT SHANABROOK
The third place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	TAMARACK	Skipper:	BOB KELLOGG

THE WRIGHT CUP (1906) awarded to the yacht making the best corrected time in Class PHR-3 of the PHRF Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	SEA SMOKE	Skipper:	MIKE EVANS
The second place trophy has been won by:
The Yacht:	AIRBORNE IV	Skipper:	WILLIAM GREENWOOD III

THE PARKER C. HATCH MEMORIAL TROPHY awarded to a competition among clubs having three or more entries in the race, has been won by team STORM TRYSAIL CLUB consisting of:
The Yacht:	TEMPTRESS	Skipper:	JOHN GOWELL
The Yacht:	TAMARACK	Skipper:	BOB KELLOGG
The Yacht:	HIGH NOTE	Skipper:	GARY NACKMAN

THE BRAS D’OR LAKES TROPHY (1985) awarded to the Doublehanded entry making the best corrected time in the PHRF Racing Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	DELAWANA	Skipper:	HANS HIMMELMAN
		Stbd Watch:	DAVID ARENBURG

THE RNSYS TRUSTEES BOWL (2003) awarded to the Doublehanded entry making the best corrected time in the ORR Division, has been won by:
The Yacht:	LUNA	Skipper:	ALESSANDRO PAGANI
		Stbd Watch:	STEPHEN ZACHARY LEE

THE ACADEMY CUP awarded to Academy Training Vessel making the best corrected time, has been won by the U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY SAILING SQUADRON with the following entry:
The Yacht:	ZARAFFA	Skipper:	MIDSHIPMAN SEAN CARAHER – NAVY ACADEMY SAILING

THE GEORGE F. LAWLEY MEMORIAL CUP (1983) awarded to the schooner, ketch or yawl making the best corrected time, has been won by:
The Yacht:	SELAMAT	Skipper:	RONALD ROSSETTI

THE FRIAR TROPHY (2007) representing the Olin J. Stephens Ocean Racing Award goint to the skipper with the best combined performance using ORR scoring in the previous Newport-Bermuda Race and the current Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race, has been won by:
The Yacht:	WARRIOR	Skipper:	STEVE & STEPHEN MURRAY SR. & JR.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION awarded to skipper who has competed in the Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race 21 CONSECUTIVE TIMES was presented to:
The Yacht:	CILISTA	Skipper:	JEFFREY EBERELE

THE OVER THE HILL GANG TROPHY (1999) awarded to the yacht where the average age of the skipper and crew is over 60 ranking best under proportional scoring, has been won by:
The Yacht:	ACTAEA	Skipper:	MICHAEL M CONE

THE COOKS TROPHY (1979) awarded in the spirit of offshore racing to the Chef aboard the last yacht to finish within the time limit, has been won by:
The Yacht:	PINNACLE	Chef:	PETER TOROSIAN