Swampscott Yacht Club members Matt Bachman and Chris Swartz made their club proud this summer when they took first and second place in their division at the 25th annual Beringer Bowl.
The Beringer Bowl is an overnight ocean race. Starting at 7 p.m., the course takes racers on a 45-mile course from Marblehead to Provincetown.
This year’s event drew 45 teams, testing the endurance and strategic thinking of even the most seasoned sailors.
The race is a demanding test of skill and strategy. It requires a deep understanding of the principles of sailing, as well as the ability to make quick decisions under pressure. It is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. And there is a little superstition involved with prayers to Poseidon and the four winds.
Swartz explained there have been many races he didn’t place in because his theory wasn’t right. There are theories on tides, wind and current, and scenarios for what you are going to do.
“During the course of this race, my co-captain and I spent a lot of time talking about what the weather looked like, and asking ‘what should we do?’ Throughout the entire race, we just held our course and the wind changed in our favor. It allowed us to point a little bit better during the evening, which was great, but not forecasted. The wind was forecasted to slow us down and we had a plan for that, but that plan never materialized,” he said.
“There is quite a bit of physics involved, not for a physics major or engineer, but as a sport, it does kind of bridge the gap between academics and games,” said Bachman. “There’s so much to it. There’s definitely a lot of thinking and factors involved.”
“Swartz and I were neck and neck the whole time,” said Bachman. “It was very cool, because as the sun went down, you lost vision of everybody. You saw the lead division disappear over the horizon. Then you saw our boats start to spread out. Swartz, I would say, was between a half-mile and a mile off my starboard. When the sun went down, you could still see his lights, and it was a good sanity check.”
Swartz added, “I will say for a race, it was what they call champagne sailing. It was really good conditions, with 97% moonlight. We had clear skies and 15 knots of wind, which is a very friendly number for sailing.”
Matt Bachman sails off the coast of Swampscott.
Chris Swartz, left, placed second in the 25th annual Beringer Bowl and Matt Bachman placed first.
Not surprisingly, there are not many overnight races that take place, which makes the Beringer Bowl that much more special.
“There are some of the bigger ones,” said Swartz. “There’s the Marblehead to Halifax and the Newport to Bermuda. Those are multi-night races. Halifax is usually three to four days. What is unique about the Beringer Bowl is that the race starts at sundown as a part of the tradition.”
Swartz shared that you do have to train for these bigger races and the Beringer Bowl is a good dry run. He hopes to participate in the Marblehead to Halifax next summer.
Both Bachman and Swartz wanted to give a hats-off to the Boston Yacht Club, which hosted this year’s event.
“They do a great job,” said Swartz. “They do the Wednesday night sailing out of Marblehead and they host a number of different races.”
As far as sailing goes, Bachman said, “A lot of people grow up doing it. I grew up doing it and Chris as well. But you can learn this sport. It is a learnable thing.”
Bachman said sailing has an aura of being an exclusive sport, and it doesn’t do any favors that it’s managed in a lot of towns out of yacht clubs that require people to join. The magic of being in Swampscott is it’s incredibly inclusive. You can join a big boat even if you’ve never sailed before. You can just be on it and learn.
“People are always looking for help on their boats, whether you’ve never been on a boat before or if you’ve never been sailing before,” he said. “You can come and learn. It’s not exclusive. And we encourage as many people as we can to participate.”
“This is the best harbor you can imagine, just by design,” said Bachman. “It’s deep water and it’s protected on all sides. It’s not super crowded. It has a tremendous amount of potential.”
Through Swampscott Recreation, kids are learning to sail from a young age, and adults are taking part in evening weekly sailing programs that are open to residents and others outside the community. Thursday night races continue through the end of September.
The Friends of Swampscott Sailing (FOSS), a nonprofit that was started about a decade ago, is dedicated to supporting the town’s sailing program. It helps with the high school program, as well as the summer sailing program, and allows Recreation Director Danielle Strauss to do amazing work in the town.
“None of the members are on a payroll, and it gives us an opportunity for all funds coming in to go directly into the program,” said Strauss. “We use it for if something small breaks or or even sometimes we buy some of the racing boats. We buy new, but we get them used through more professional programs. We’re kind of slotted into that program where we buy in great shape. A lot of the programs that you see in Marblehead and other towns are run through private organizations like yacht clubs, so they’re far more expensive.”
