Broken records, near-misses with cruise ships, floating picnic tables, and a frantic rescue mission for stray rum bottles—Bermuda’s Annual Round the Island Seagull Race truly had it all.
Delayed to the rain date of Saturday, June 27, after mid-month gales, a record fleet of 59 registered boats took to the water. They were greeted by a hot southerly breeze, choppy south shore waters, and heavy clumps of seaweed.
Of the starters, 36 completed the grueling perimeter, 14 recorded a DNF, and one crew took a shortcut through Castle Harbour. Meanwhile, Brian Lightbourn—sailing ‘The Picnic Table’—simply floated out to enjoy the party with zero intention of racing.
Two historic course records shattered in the light winds. One More for the Road conquered the Sport Cruisin’ G2 class in a blistering 2 hours and 55 minutes, while Stephen Seagull smashed the small engine benchmark in 8 hours and 41 minutes. History was also made by Happy Henderson and Nigel Pollard, who successfully foiled completely around the island on innovative crafts Xpair a Mental and One Foot Skankin’.
Line honours came down to a thrilling, paint-trading drag race, with One More for the Road edging Team Bermuda by mere seconds. In the Sports Racing class, Jared Souza in POPS snatched a dramatic single-second victory over Leon Simmons.
The afternoon’s biggest controversy belonged to Motor Boat Her. Captain Corry Kowalchuk audaciously slipped his craft between Dockyard and a massive, actively docking cruise ship—ignoring frantic, arm-waving dockworkers simply to stay ahead of his closest rivals.
