Bermuda Sun – May 9th 2003 All systems go for Charleston-Bermuda Race By Patrick Bean All those clanging noises being heard about Patriot’s Point to the untrained ear might indicate things falling apart, but for residents of the historical seaside hamlet that is Charleston, South Carolina such sounds are definitive proof of a plan coming together. The countdown for the Charleston to Bermuda Race has begun in earnest, with most of the field of 16 sailboats assembled and making final preparations and alterations to their craft for the 777 nautical mile passage to Bermuda starting next Saturday (May 17). “Things are buzzing. We have a few boats over at Patriot’s Point, which is the race headquarters, with everybody trying get last minute things done on their boats before next Saturday,” spokesperson Katy Durant told the Bermuda Sun yesterday. “We’re quite pleased with the amount of boats competing this year, we’ve doubled our numbers for this race from that of previous races, we’ve had the best turnout and a quite nice response.” Durant will be competing as well aboard a Hinkley B 40 as part of an all female endeavour skippered by Susan Ford and promises to give the guys a run for the money. One of the pre-race favourites is Neal Petersen, who has stated his goal is breaking the current speed record for the crossing believed in the region of 73 hours. Petersen is a former Around the World Alone competitor, who on this occasion will place some reliance in his crew for swift passage. However, his may not even be the fastest boat, with the multihulls of Teddy Turner and Rex Conn looming large. Yet, while the racing aspect provides for much dockside and cocktail banter, there is more to the event, that of building relationships between two communities with rich maritime histories. Such is the importance of this that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford will be making a special venture to the Island to take part in the awards ceremony hosted by Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and Bacardi (May 22), while area Congressman Henry Brown and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley will be honoured guests at the opening ceremonies. “This is really about twinning two communities and developing close ties with Charleston, which is why it’s grown the way it has,” Ralph Richardson, member of the race organising committee said yesterday. “Bermuda is in the process of having a tall ship built as are the Charleston people and coincidentally both boats are about the same size. “The South Carolina Maritime Heritage Organisation are building a tall ship and the Bermuda Sloop Foundation is building one for Bermuda, so the event at Bacardi will be an invitation from those two organisations to discuss these joint projects. “There will also be a strong focus on the shared maritime history of our two communities at that particular function, which will have around 200 people attending, so these factors make it slightly different from just any race it’s really about bringing communities together. “It is hoped that in a future Charleston to Bermuda Race our two tall ships will be racing each other and there will actually be a tall ship component to the race.”