By Greg Mancusi-Ungaro
Bermuda’s Martin Siese along with Patrick Cooper, Bill McNiven, Andrew Butterworth and Melinda Bessey claimed the Vrengen Cup for first place overall at the 2023 edition of Bermuda Race Week. They bested 4-time Race Week champion Peter Wickwire’s team from Chester, Nova Scotia, during a blustery week of sailing on Bermuda’s Great Sound.
Throughout the regatta, Siese and Wickwire dominated the podium positions as they faced off against each other in seemingly every race of the series. Although the final margin in the overall Race Week series was five points, every race of the week was a battle between these two deeply experienced competitors—hard fought and close.
As always, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club was a generous host, welcoming 12 teams to compete in the event. Siese and Wickwire were joined by teams from Sweden, the UK, and the US. The roster of competitors included 10-time world champion and multiple Bermuda Race Week winner Bill Widnall, who now co-skippers his boat with Charlie Richter. Special guests for the week included Courtenay Jenkins, who led a team from Gibson Island, Maryland, where a small group of IODs is gathering and growing, on a path to becoming a chartered Fleet. The RBYC also reached out to The Royal Thames Yacht Club, which was represented by Harry Arnold, and the Daring Harbor Fleet (UK), represented by David Gower.
The opening day of the regatta featured picture-perfect Bermuda conditions, southwest breezes, starting at 8-12kt, bending farther to the south and building throughout the day—ideal for teams who were mostly stepping aboard a boat for the first time in 2023. Royal Thames YC representative Harry Arnold made the most of the week’s lightest winds, sailing over the finish line first in Race 1. Siese and Wickwire traded aces during the second and third race of the day. On Sunday evening, the three first-day race winners were at the top of the standings, 10 points clear of the next closest competitor.
Overnight the expected strong southwesterlies (30+kts!) arrived, and competitors were not surprised when N over A was posted on Monday morning. Tuesday morning, the weather was a somewhat more favorable SW 15-20kts with higher gusts. The Race Committee managed to sail four races on Tuesday, though as the day wore on and the winds built, Code Flag W, which curtailed the use of spinnakers, became a regular feature of the Signal Boat laundry.
Martin Siese made the most of the testing day, posting a score sheet of 2-1-1-1 to put some breathing room between the Bermuda team and the rest of the competitors. “The team did a great job getting the boat dialed in, and we just had a little bit of speed on everybody,” said Siese, after the racing. “We could just get that little bit extra out of the boat, and it showed on the results.” The defending champions coped best in the blustery winds, which took its toll on the fleet. “It was pretty brutal on the boat and on the crew. We had four races in pretty tough conditions, so I am sure everyone slept well,” Siese added. “Everyone was a little banged up and a few bruises I’m sure here and there.”
Most years, Peter Wickwire’s Tuesday line of 1-3-4-2 would have been the envy of any competitor at the regatta, but in 2023, the Canadians found themselves behind the leaders by five points with only three races remaining.
The competitors made full use of the spare race day Wednesday—Tuesday had been a very hard day. And perhaps some of the sailors were not too upset when the bigger winds returned on Wednesday night, forcing the cancellation of Thursday racing.
Fresh breezes also greeted the sailors on Friday, but the conditions were raceable, and the Race Committee made every effort possible to finish the event strong. The competitors were summoned to the boats early with an ambitious plan to sail the final three races of the regatta and be off the water in time for the Prizegiving at the RBYC.
Wickwire edged Siese in first race of the day, clawing back a point, so he had high hopes that two races would change his result. But the weather did not cooperate— the winds strengthened beyond the sailing limits, so the sailors returned to shore with no more racing attempted.
“It was definitely a windy week, so challenging to get all the races in and were probably lucky to get one in today to be fair,” said Somers Kempe, the principal race officer after Friday’s shortened day. “It was quite windy out there and started to be a little bit of boat-breaking conditions, so we made the right decision to postpone the rest of the day….”
With the racing ended, Siese claimed the top spot on the podium. Chester’s Wickwire was firmly in second position, seven points clear of the third-place finisher, Henry Arnold of the Royal Thames Yacht Club.
On shore after the racing, Siese was understandably thrilled with his team’s performance. “It feels wonderful for us to repeat last year’s performance,” Siese told The Royal Gazette. “I must admit personally it feels even better to have been on the helm and manage to match what Patrick Cooper did last year, so very happy with how the week went.”
Bermuda Race Week Final Results
- Martin Siese (Bermuda) 2-1-(5)-2-1-1-1-2 = 10
- Peter Wickwire (Chester) 3-(4)-1-1-3-4-2-1 = 15
- Henry Arnold (Royal Thames YC, UK) 1-2-4-3-4-2-(13DSQ)-6 = 22
- Sandy Yellott (Nantucket) (13OCS)-6-3-4-6-3-4RDG-11 = 37
- Richard Pearce (San Francisco) 9-(10)-9-6-2-6-3-8 = 43
- Bjorn Wahlström (Sweden) 6-7-7-5-8-7-4-(10) = 44
- Colin James (Bermuda) 7-8-(10)-7-7-10-5-3 = 47
- Courtenay Jenkins (Gibson Island) 5-5-6-(10)-5-8-9-9 = 47
- Chris Gould/Peter Barrett (Nantucket) 4-(13DNF)-2-9-9-5-7-13DNC = 49
- Bill Widnall / Charles Richter (Marblehead) 8-3-8-(13DNF)-10-11-6-7 = 53
- David Gower (Daring Harbor Fleet, UK) (13DNS)-9-11-8-13DNF-9-8-4 = 62
- Rick Echard (Northeast Harbor) (13DNC)-13DNC-13DNC-13DNC-13DNC-13DNC-13DNC-5 = 83