Whisper makes loud impact in tough ocean race
Whisper, a 48-foot boat based in Vineyard Haven, earned three trophies in the recently completed Marion to Bermuda ocean race. Weather conditions were so severe over the 700-mile course, that 17 of the 44 racing boats had to drop out, and many others finished with blown out sails and damaged equipment.
Maggie McGillivray (right) at the helm of Whisper in the first hours of the Marion to Bermuda Race. She and crew member Rob Hoyt saw 30 knot winds and 20 foot seas later in the race. Photo courtesy Dr. Sheldon Brotman
"I had my foul weather gear on for five days," said crew member Maggie McGillivray. "I had my sunglasses on once."
Owned by Dr. Sheldon Brotman, Whisper took second place in Class A, the main division for the largest boats, racing under the Ocean Racing Rule (ORR). She also won first place in another division, IRC, and was awarded the prize for the best performance by a New England yacht.
Dr. Brotman, a respected trauma surgeon at the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, owns a home with his wife Marilyn, in Oak Bluffs. They spend most of their spare time throughout the year on the Island.
Skipper and boat owner Sheldon Brotman (center) and watch captains Ralph Racca (left) and Mark Gervais are all smiles after Dr. Brotman's Vineyard Haven-based boat Whisper captured three trophies in the Marion to Bermuda ocean race.
This year marked Dr. Brotman's 22nd year racing in the Marion to Bermuda Race, or its sister race, the Newport to Bermuda Race. The two legendary ocean racing events take place in alternating years.
He remembers his first race, when few boats had the kind of electronic navigation gear common today.
"The first time to Bermuda, you had to go by sextant, through the Gulf Stream," Dr. Brotman said. "The first race was a little scary."
Now, preparing the boat, testing gear, and training the crew is a year-round affair for Dr. Brotman. Beginning in the winter, the crew works nearly every weekend. Every piece of gear is inspected and replaced or repaired.
Preparation is key
Planning for the race extends to a near fanatical degree. In general, a lighter boat is a faster boat. The crew agonizes over the tiniest bit of unnecessary weight. One crew member this year discovered five separate tubes of toothpaste aboard for the race. That sparked a spirited argument about the merits of Colgate vs. Crest. "It was one tube of toothpaste," said Dr. Brotman, "and don't lose the cap."
While a few ounces of toothpaste may not matter much in terms of boat speed, that kind of attention to weight, extended to all gear and provisions aboard, can definitely provide an advantage. The issue becomes critical when the crew decides what spare parts to carry. While extra bilge pumps, halyards, and steering cables came along, carrying spare parts for everything that might break is impractical, and would add unwanted weight. Sometimes, it comes down to a matter of luck.
During this year's race, a sudden clanging noise at the stern signaled trouble. A bolt securing the rudder had sheared off. "It was hanging on by a quarter of an inch," Dr. Brotman said. "I just happened to have a 3/8 inch stainless steel bolt and washer." It was one of the few spare bolts brought along, and it was the right size for the job. With the boat in danger of rudder failure, leaving the vessel with only a backup steering system in the middle of a severe Atlantic Ocean storm, it proved to be a critical piece of preparation.
Stormy weather
The race began on June 19, with light winds. But there were storm clouds on the horizon.
"The first day or two really wasn't bad," said Dr. Brotman. "Then we got word of a severe weather system building." Whisper's crew soon found itself sailing into the face of 30-knot winds, with seas building to 20 feet. "A 20-foot sea is a pretty big deal," said Dr. Brotman.
Conditions like that put a tremendous strain on a boat, and on the crew. A critical point came for Whisper when the mainsail began to tear. Ms. McGillivray, and watch captain Mark Gervais, ventured forward to make repairs.
"It was blowing really hard, we were in the second reef," said Ms. McGillivray. "When it's blowing hard like that it's also noisy. Communicating is always a challenge. We encountered several potential race ending events. Because our crew was vigilant, we saw the problems and fixed them before they became catastrophes."
The sailors alternate watches, but in heavy weather, the entire crew could hear an "all hands on deck" command at any moment. Sometimes they sleep in their clothes and safety harnesses, in case they are called in an emergency.
"The ability to keep going in those conditions was what allowed us to persevere," said Dr. Brotman. It took just over five days to complete the race.
In past races, Whisper has had plenty of company as the fleet neared the finish line in Bermuda. Not this time. "We didn't see any boats in front of us, and we didn't see any boats behind us," Dr. Brotman said.
More than a third of the competitors dropped out of the race. Many had to retire because of equipment failures, but four skippers were honored because they diverted from the race less than 200 miles from the finish, after spotting an emergency flair. A solo sailor in distress, who was not in the Marion to Bermuda race, fired the flare. A cruise ship eventually rescued him. Craig Slater, skipper of Phantom, Philip Clorite, skipper of Lucky Dog, David Risch, skipper of Corsair, and George Denny, skipper of Restive all received special awards of merit. "That is in the finest sailing tradition," said Ms. McGillivray. "You sacrifice everything to save someone's life. Every one of those boats sacrificed their race standing, that they worked for, for an entire year, to help someone in trouble."
Vineyard waters
Dr. Brotman's affection for the Vineyard appears to be as strong as his devotion to the Bermuda race. He singled out the West Marine store, The Martha's Vineyard Shipyard, Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, and Tisbury Harbormaster Jay Wilbur as key elements of the Island support system for Whisper. But equally important is the Vineyard itself, along with the waters and weather conditions that surround it.
In future years, Dr. Brotman hopes to recruit more sailors from Martha's Vineyard, but most of the current crew live in Rhode Island. On-the-water training begins there in early spring, but soon shifts to Island waters, where the crew can get a better sense of how the boat will perform in severe conditions.
"It's convenient for them to tune up in Narragansett Bay," Dr. Brotman said. "After about a month of that, we come to the Vineyard. I call that area off Gay Head the ultimate testing ground. The boat really takes a beating."
Once all the boats had crossed the finish line in Bermuda, the crew realized they had fared well, but Whisper's skipper and crew had to wait several days until the awards ceremony to find out exactly how well. They knew they had captured second place in the main division, but the crew was surprised and elated when they were called up twice more during the awards ceremony, with the governor of Bermuda among those applauding. "We were thrilled," he said.
"What made me so happy was the smile on Sheldon's face," said Ms. McGillivray. "Sheldon is a very accomplished surgeon. He has received very significant professional awards. He's used to winning awards. This really meant a lot to him."
