OLIN J. STEPHENS OCEAN RACING TROPHY

The Boston Yacht Club, the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, the Cruising Club of America, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club continue to jointly award a major new trophy for offshore yacht racing: the Olin J. Stephens Ocean Racing Trophy, to be awarded to skippers competing in consecutive Newport Bermuda and Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean races.

The Olin J. Stephens Trophy is awarded yearly to the skipper with the lowest total point scoring in consecutive races of the subset of boats competing in both of these prestigious ocean-racing events. The low-point scoring is determined using the ORR, the VPP-based handicapping system which serves as the primary scoring system for the Newport Bermuda Race and numerous other North American offshore races.

In joining with the sponsoring clubs of the Marblehead-to-Halifax Race in creating the Olin J. Stephens Trophy, the sponsors of the Newport Bermuda Race continue their tradition of supporting joint trophies to encourage wide-spread participation in ocean racing. The Newport Bermuda Race also co-sponsors the Bermuda Cruising Yacht Trophy with the Marion-Bermuda Race for consecutive-year performance in the Marion Bermuda Race and the Cruiser Division of the Newport Bermuda Race, once again using ORR low-point scoring.

The Olin J. Stephens Trophy honors a legend, the man who was arguably the most successful designer of offshore racing and cruising yachts in the last 100 years. For much of the 20th Century, designs by Olin Stephens dominated ocean racing. He also produced a series of America’s Cup Defenders that stretched over five decades. Since his retirement in 1980, Olin Stephens has been a world-wide ambassador for sailing, and has been the conscience and a perpetual voice of reason for the highest levels of the sport.

The Olin J. Stephens Trophy was awarded for the first time in Halifax, Nova Scotia in July 2007, based on combined performance in the 2006 Centennial Newport Bermuda Race and the 2007 Marblehead-to-Halifax Race. It was awarded for the second Time in June 2008, based on combined performance in the 2007 Marblehead-to-Halifax Race and the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race. Each of these two awards went to Peter Rebovich, owner/skipper of Sinn Fein.

NOTE

Skippers who competed in the 2008 St. David’s Lighthouse or Gibbs Hill Lighthouse divisions of the Newport Bermuda Race and who will compete in the 2009 Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race in either the IRC or the PHRF Racing division and who elect to also be scored under ORR will be eligible for the 2009 trophy.

Those desiring to compete should notify the Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race Committee and submit a valid ORR rating certificate to registration AT marbleheadtohalifax.com. (substitute @ for AT in the email address)