A total of 51 boats will compete in the 40th anniversary of the 21st biennial Marion Bermuda Race.

The start of this blue-water classic is on June 9 from Marion. The race finishes in the midst of America’s Cup activity in Bermuda some four or five days later.

Entries are up slightly since 2015 when 48 boats took the Marion challenge, racing the 645 nautical-mile race from Marion, Massachusetts, south out of Buzzard’s Bay to the finish line of St David’s Lighthouse. In 2013 the race had 35 entries.

The 2017 edition of this classic will see boats ranging from Selkie, GJ Bradish’s Morris Ocean 32½ footer from Boston to the Hinckley SW 59 Pescatore sailed by George Tougas of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, with a Youth Trophy team.

Nine of the boats, including Selkie will sail in the Celestial Navigation Division.

In its true Corinthian spirit, the Marion Bermuda Race is the only ocean race to Bermuda that offers a celestial navigation prize.

Marion Bermuda also offers a prize in honour of past Commodore Faith Paulsen for the fastest corrected time by a boat with an all female crew. The Commodore Faith Paulsen Trophy was initiated in 2011.

Since that time it has been won twice by Anne Kolker and her all-female crews aboard Etoile, her Stellar 52. Kolker recalls, “My first MBR race was in 2009 on Maren Erskin’s Cayenne with an all-female crew. We started the race but turned back due to weather considerations. Since then I have done subsequent races on my boat Etoile. This race, 2017, will be my fourth on Etoile.”

“The biggest challenge of the race is finding competition for our all-female team. We would love more competition. I have no problem finding crew,” she adds.

“Although one might think there is a strength issue for dealing with a 52 foot boat, Etoile is equipped with power winches and roller furling main and jib. We have had our share of mechanical problems. We have either fixed them or found a workaround solution.

“I insist that all crew members are intimately familiar with the boat including sail handling, crew overboard and generator function to charge the batteries.

Etoile is a complex boat with sophisticated electronics and multiple battery banks and leisure furl main sail.

She proudly admitted that, “In 2013, we won the Ancient Mariner Award for the oldest average age crew.”

“The special reward for sailing to Bermuda, she said, “is arriving there.”

“Over 600 miles of sailing is a thrilling accomplishment that is never the same as any prior trip. In addition to increased competition for us, I would love to see more women get involved in offshore racing.

“Although I do not dedicate the race to a specific cause, I hope to inspire other women by example to sail offshore and join the race.”

“There is a great camaraderie in the Marion race as I have come to know many of the people who run and organise the race. I am a member of the Blue Water Sailing Club, one of the cosponsors of the race.

“Additionally, I was recently asked to join the Board of Trustees of the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race Association.”

All of the Etoile crew are experienced offshore sailors returning for another voyage on “their” yacht. Watch captain, Deb Gale-Malone has done eight Marion Bermuda Races and two from Newport. This will be her eleventh ocean race to Bermuda.

Gale-Malone has sailed twice with an all female crew on Cassiopeia as watch captain, once on Cayenne with all women and this will be her fourth all-girl voyage on Etoile, co-skipper with Kolker in 2011 as it was her first race.

The rest of the crew will be watch captain Pat Marshall, the navigator Garet Wohl, and crew members Solvej Freitas, Katherine Ainsworth and Deb Watson.

Gale-Malone commented on sailing to Bermuda: “I’m always excited about sailing offshore, you get the best and worst of conditions in one sail.

“However, I think having the America’s Cup on the ‘Rock’ adds a great deal of excitement. There will be so much activity at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club and on the island.

“The AC racers are the rock stars of the sport of yacht racing. The AC committee has tried to market it to a diverse crowd. The dynamics of the two events are so different.

“I know the Cup races are a big draw. But what we are doing is pretty darn cool as well. There is nothing like being offshore, experiencing the elements and surroundings, especially on the 0200 watch.”

The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, the race host, is also Bermuda’s home away from home for the America’s Cup defenders, the Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco, and their defending team, Oracle Team USA.

The club will be a hub of activity not to be missed. Actual racing in the America’s Cup Match start June 17, the day of the Marion Bermuda prize-giving.

While Marion Bermuda Racers are in Bermuda, the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta runs from June 13 to 15. The J Class Regatta is June 16, 19 and 20. And Red Bull Youth America’s Cup races are spread from June 12 to June 20.