ARGO and BELLA MENTE Break Elapsed Time Records In 62nd Annual Wirth M. Munroe Ocean Race to Palm Beach

Elapsed time records fell in the Sailfish Club of Florida’s 62nd annual Wirth M. Munroe Ocean Race to Palm Beach, the second event of the 2018-19 SORC Islands in the Stream Series. Twenty-eight teams raced in near-perfect conditions on a new two-course format with starts on December 7 in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

ARGO, Jason Carroll’s MOD 70 trimaran from the Larchmont (N.Y.) Yacht Club, took line honors, finishing the 60-mile course from Miami to Palm Beach in just over 3 hours, averaging nearly 20 knots and smashing the overall elapsed time record set last year by Austin and Gwen Fragomen’s Interlodge Volvo 70.

BELLA MENTE, the new Botin Maxi 72 owned by Hap Fauth, the syndicate co-head of the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic America’s Cup challenge, broke the monohull record set by Interloge, finishing the Miami course in less than 4-and-a-half hours.

Division winners included: FOX, Victor Wild’s TP 52, won IRC; KENAI, Chris Lewis’ J-44, won ORC; THIN ICE, an Aerodyne 38 owned by Stuart Hebb and John Vincent won PHRF; and OSITA, Becky Lyons’ Tartan 40 won ECRCA. ARGO won the multihull division.

“We are delighted that this year’s race was a success at every level and encouraged that the excitement around our event reflects the growing momentum in the South Florida racing scene,” said Wirth Munroe Event Chair Tom Bowler of the Sailfish Club.

“We had records broken, spectacular weather, a diverse fleet across a broad spectrum that included veterans and newcomers alike, and the wonderful post-race camaraderie that has made the Wirth Munroe Race such a special event.”

The fleet enjoyed mainly sunny skies, mild temperatures and easterly winds from 12-15 knots. The entries represented crews from California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Texas.

This year’s Wirth Munroe race saw the introduction of a two-course format – a 40-mile Sprint course that started off Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, and a 60-mile Classic course that started off Government Cut in Miami. Both courses finished off the Palm Beach Inlet.

The Wirth Munroe Classic Course will be scored as part of the SORC’s “Islands in the Stream” series, which includes the Miami-Nassau Race, the Lauderdale-Key West Race, the Miami-Havana Race and the Pineapple Cup from Miami to Montego Bay. The Sprint Course will not be scored as part of the series.

For decades the Wirth M. Munroe Ocean Race started in Miami, but it was shortened to a single Fort Lauderdale-Palm Beach course several years ago to encourage participation. Two years ago, as a tribute to the race’s 60th anniversary, organizers returned to the longer course starting in Miami. Interest in both courses prompted organizers to offer the two-course format for 2018.

The Organizing Authority for the race consists of The Sailfish Club of Florida in partnership with the Storm Trysail Club and with the support of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. The SORC, the Storm Trysail Club and the Sailfish Club of Florida oversaw race management.

Race details – Results

Source: Gus Carlson, Wirth M. Munroe Race Committee

Bella Mente completed in the second race of the season  in the new Maxi 72 in the 2018 Wirth M. Munroe Yacht Race from Miami to West Palm Beach. Congratulations to FOX!

Early Departures from Fort Lauderdale for Bella Mente at 5am!

Bella moves to the Caribbean in early 2019!

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

The new Bella Mente back in the water for team training and racing in the 2018 Annual Wirth M. Munroe Miami to Palm Beach Yacht Race next week! (Photo Credit: Captain Peter C. Henderson)

Link to Race Information: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=5906

During the month of September 2018, Owner/Driver, Hap Fauth has launched his 4th Maxi 72, Bella Mente Racing in Newport, RI USA.

The Final Touches to the new Bella Mente, Maxi 72 at New England Boatworks.

Bella Mente leaves New England Boatworks – September 17th, 2018

Bella Mente Arrives Newport Shipyard – September 17th, 2018 with theinstallation of the new keel at Newport Shipyard – evening of September 19th, 2018

Bella Mente installation of the new Rig at Newport Shipyard – of September 22nd, 2018

A monumental day for Owner/ Driver, Hap Fauth, and then entire Bella Mente Racing Family! Early this morning we launched Fauth’s New Maxi 72! A huge shout out to Captain Peter C Henderson and then entire Bella Mente Design, Build, Production and Shore Team. Great work! We also appreciate the hard work and support from the team at New England Boatworks and Newport Shipyard!

Bella Mente Sea Trials concludes September 2018.

MANIFESTING A DREAM: BELLA MENTE

by Sharon Green October 11, 2018

One of the joys of being a photographer is when I consider a boat as more than just an inanimate object. In many cases it’s the manifestation of a life-long passion and dream, brimming with energy and personalities. 

I have been photographing Hap Fauth’s series of racing yachts since 2006, when I shot his first Bella Mente (a Judel/Vrolijk Cookson 66) at Key West Race Week. Since that time, it’s been a real thrill getting to experience and document the evolution and growth of thisracing campaign, and his passion for competition and excellence. 

Just two years after campaigning the first Bella Mente in ‘06, he built another: the Reichel Pugh 69, later modified to 75-feet for Transpac2011. 

The Los Angeles to Honolulu Transpac race had been on Hap’s bucket list for years. It was exciting to capture their start, slippingaround Catalina Island – then disappearing from sight. We waited daily for results as they sped across the 2,225 mile course, and were on pins and needles at the finish, hoping they wouldn’t arrive in the dark. They came screaming in at first light and I got the shot: first to finish, for the Barn Door trophy – after six and a half days at sea. 

The following year, this beauty was launched: the 72-foot mini-maxi JV design, built by New England Boatworks. Our October image, in the 2018 Ultimate Sailing Calendar, features Bella Mente in Newport, RI during the Rolex Maxi 72 North Americans and New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta. They won the event.

This photo was a truly lucky catch! It was extremely windy that day and rough on the outside course: my favorite ‘fresh to frightening’ conditions! I was shooting with colleagues Daniel Forster and Stephen Cloutier, on a Protector 28. It was pretty rough and tumble, and I ended up bruised from head to toe! The calendar photo was shot with a Canon 1DX, 70-200 2.8L, Aperture 5.6, ISO 320, Shutter 2,500. We situated ourselves well in front of the boats after they set on their layline and maneuvered so the racing yachts were coming toward the photo boat and then away. It happens very fast and you only have one chance.  

It remains one of my favorite photos – showing the sheer power of a state-of-the-art raceboat harnessing the wind, and the dedication and skill of Hap and his crew: the focused driving, skilled trimming, and outstanding crew work that have made them three-time world champions in the Maxi 72 class. It doesn’t hurt that the boat is very photogenic. 

The fourth Bella Mente was launched in September of 2018: another Maxi 72 design by Botin Partners and New England Boatworks. Plus, earlier this year, Hap teamed up with Doug DeVos, to announce they would represent New York Yacht Club in the challenge for the 36th America’s Cup!  

Hap was quoted as saying, “I’ve always found tremendous satisfaction in bringing together a group of individuals in pursuit of one goal. With a return to a more traditional style of yacht and windward-leeward courses, with which the vast majority of racing sailors are intimately familiar, the 36th America’s Cup represents a unique opportunity to re-engage the grass roots of the sport and re-energize American sailing.” 

We wish them good luck and can’t wait to capture the newest Belle Mente on the racing scene in 2019.  

Sharon Green has been capturing electrifying images of performance sailing for more than 30 years. Her annual Ultimate Sailing Calendar, featuring the highlights of competitive sailing, is eagerly anticipated by yachting and photography enthusiasts worldwide. Sharon has been published in major boating publications, both locally and internationally, since she first took up a camera while still in high school. In recognition of her extraordinary accomplishments in photography Sharon was awarded an honorary Masters Degree from the prestigious Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, where she lives with her daughter Michaela and son Kieran.

Sharon is happiest when she is on the water or hanging from a helicopter in search of the elusive image that can be called ‘Ultimate Sailing’. “My greatest satisfaction is when it all comes together: the anticipation, planning, organizing, traveling and epic conditions that combine to create a thrilling photograph. The pursuit of ‘Ultimate Sailing’ images never seems to grow old. Three decades and I still love the challenge of creating memorable images for my clients and the calendar.”