The Marion Bermuda Race fleet got smaller by three more boats yesterday. Ray Cullum in Frolic, a McMullen & Wing Dixon 44, was becalmed; Robert Purcell’s Swell, a Beneteau 40, had no wind; and Kenneth Olsen’s Skellum, an Oyster 47 in persistent light air, have all retired.

The retirees now total seven, so the fleet is down to 42 boats.

From the information on the YB Tracker they all appeared to be heading for Bermuda probably under power.

Frolic was doing 7.3 knots, Swell was making 5.8 knots and Skellum was going at 6.1. Defiance Peter Noonan’s Swan 56 five miles from Frolic was making only 4 knots.

The fleet was still in a bunch yesterday from 116nm out from Bermuda to about 212nm out. Boats at the top of the YB Tracker’s leaderboard for line honours are the scratch boat Jambi, a new Hinckley Bermuda 50 skippered by John Levinson, Tenacious, a J47 owned by Barrett Levenson and Integrity, the US Navy 44 skippered by Christopher Cantillo.

Not only is this a slow race, but it is also close. The top 20 boats on the line honours leaderboard are still within 15 miles of each other.