There will be no boats representing Bermuda in this year’s Marion to Bermuda yacht race that starts today.Instead, the fleet of over 50 boats will comprise sailors from the United States as well as a few from other countries vying for top honours in the 645-mile course.The race will start in Buzzards Bay off Marion, Massachusetts and finish off St. David’s Head.In the 2009 edition of the event Hotspur (Marion, Massachusetts) took her own finish time off St. David’s Lighthouse, clinching the Class D Cook’s trophy in the Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race.That race had local boats in it, including Big Bear, who was amongst the early leaders in the competition.Liz Stott, director of Marketing for the event, downplayed the loss of Bermuda boats in the fleet, noting that major sailing events over the past few years have had very few local sailors compete for top prizes.“I know there’s been a lot of discussion about why there are no Bermuda boats participating in our race this year but as a matter of fact, Newport to Bermuda only had one Bermuda boat in their entire fleet out of 196 entries in the 2010 race,” said Scott.The little Rhodes 41 sloop took more than a week to cover the 645-mile course, and was the last boat overall.In the Marion To Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race, the last boat in each class wins a Cook’s Trophy.Taking the other not so coveted awards were Jim Geddes in the Class A Ocean Jasper (Wilmington, Delaware), Ed Mapes in the Class B Voyger (McKinney, Texas), and in Class C Harvey Howalt’s Experience (Middletown, Rhode Island).The race, started in 1977, provides an opportunity for cruising yachts and amateur crews to participate in an ocean race and a rendezvous