Stanley Parris the father of Alan Paris, the only Bermudian to sail solo around the world was yesterday leading the annual 1-2 Race from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda.He was expected to arrive in St George’s about 4am tomorrow morning.And of all goes well, he too will make plans to circumnavigate the globe in his 63-foot Kiwi Spirit.Parris is competing in his own “experimental class” in a boat he designed.The race started on Saturday in an 18-knot westerly breeze, following the effects of Tropical Storm Andrea which passed the Newport area,This year’s entry was 23, four having dropped out before the start.The 1-2 event, sailed for the first time in 1977, challenges skippers to a gruelling two-part race, with boats skippered solo on the trip down to Bermuda, followed by a double-handed return leg to Newport.Brian Oatley, chairman of the Sailing Committee of St George's Dinghy & Sports Club, which co-hosts the race said that although the event doesn’t have the allure of the Newport-Bermuda Race, it has become “the favourite for competitive offshore solo sailors looking to test their talents and earn bragging rights.”“The fleet this year includes Class 40s Bodacious Dream, Dragon and Gryphon Solo (a former line honours winner), but as in previous races there are no women racing and no Mini Trans-Ats (the 21 footers that have raced in the previous two races).”Paris is expected to be joined by son Alan for the return leg.The awards presentation for the first leg will take place in Bermuda on June 18, while the race will restart for the double-handed return leg on June 20 in St George’s Harbour if weather permits.This year, as in the past, live boat tracking is available through the race’s the website at http://bermuda1-2.org/