Gryphon Solo Wins Combined Bermuda 1-2
Top Performance for Both Legs Sets Pace
June 29, 2007
The Bermuda 1-2 certainly was a fantastic three weeks for Joe Harris and the big red Open 50 Gryphon Solo. First, Joe broke the record in Leg 1, won Class 5 on corrected time and elapsed time and had a fun week in St George's Bermuda. Next, he and sailing partner Dobbs Davis won all they could in Leg 2, taking line honors in the 635 mile slog beating the next boat, the Open 40 Wildeyes, by 28 hours and 19 minutes, winning first in class 5 and first overall on corrected time. Finally, Gryphon Solo won the Combined Leg 1 and 2 prizes for both combined elapsed time and combined corrected time.
Sailing solo, Joe smashed the old course record for the solo leg of Bermuda 1-2 earlier this month. His elapse time sailing south was 62:37 from his start on June 9th. He beat the old record by 4 hours and 20 minutes .The old Bermuda 1-2 solo course record was set in 2005 by Kip Stone aboard the Open 50 Artforms.
Then Joe and sailing partner Dobbs Davis clawed their way to line honors in the double-handed leg of the Bermuda 1-2. They drove Gryphon Solo across the finish line at marker R2 off of Newport at 23:41:30 on Monday night. Their elapse time from the Friday start from St George's Bermuda was 82 hrs 41 min 30 seconds. The next closest boat when Joe finished was Wildeyes sailed by Michael Millard and Jim Fauci was almost 200 miles southeast of Newport.
"It has been a great event for all of the Gryphon Solo sailing team," said Harris before heading home to Hamilton, MA from Newport. "We did just about everything we set out to do in the Bermuda 1-2. We didn't win Leg 1 on corrected time overall, but setting the new elapse time record was something special. Working with Dobbs Davis on Leg 2, we pushed the boat hard to escape from foul current and light wind in the Gulf Stream and pull away from the fleet. For the combined legs we beat the next boat by 44 hours on elapsed time and 15 hours on corrected time."
"This was a great introduction for me to doublehanded sailing," crewmate Dobbs Davis said, "and I couldn't have had a better mentor than Joe. Despite some trying conditions, we had a great time sailing together. I think his knowledge and experience will make him a potent force in his future races on Gryphon Solo."
Gryphon Solo shore team Hugh Piggin and Jamie Haines are now setting up the boat with a new suite of Doyle sails to test in the 360-mile Marblehead to Halifax Race starting July 8th. These sails will be used in the around the world Portimao Global Ocean Race beginning in September 2008.
Read stories and see pictures from the B1-2 : http://www.gryphonsolo.com/page Portimao Global Ocean Race ("PGOR")
There's more at http://www.bermuda1-2.org/
Review the race on iboattrack at http://www.iboattrack.com/.
The 2007 Bermuda One-Two is organized by Goat Island Yacht Club, Ltd. and Newport (RI) Yacht Club, with support from the Rhode Island State Yachting Committee, the City of Newport, RI and the Town of St. George's, Bermuda. St. George's Dinghy & Sports Club is the host club in Bermuda.
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"I'm sailing over 3,000 miles to and from Bermuda this summer," Harris quipped, "and based on my experience, no two passages will be the same. The Gulf Stream and the Atlantic are full of surprises. Then I'm off again on July 9th from Marblehead to Halifax Nova Scotia, sailing in colder water, the powerful tides found in the Bay of Fundy and equally tricky currents around Halifax. I'm looking forward to another summer of great offshore racing.
"Going to Charleston for the C2B was important for me this year," Harris commented. "Charleston will be the last stop before the finish in the 2008-09 PGOR, with the race visiting the South Carolina in the spring of 2009.
Gryphon Solo is supported by sponsorship from Iridium, Doyle Sailmakers, Awlgrip/Interlux, New England Rope and Alpine Air Food and is actively seeking title sponsorship and partners in this amazing race.
The full story of Joe Harris' campaign and sponsorship opportunities for the Portimao Global Ocean Race is at www.gryphonsolo.com .
About Gryphon Solo
Joe Harris' big red Open 50 is built entirely of lightweight carbon fiber and uses a hydraulically operated canting keel for added stability. The boat has twin daggerboards and twin rudders to provide added "lift" to windward. The combination of massive sail area, stability and light construction gives the boat tremendous power and acceleration. Gryphon Solo is a modern racing machine, capable of speeds in excess of 20 knots while remaining stable and under control.
The yacht carries the latest high-tech electronics and communications equipment, allowing the skipper to not only sail competitively, but also to stay in touch with sailors, sponsors and the media from anywhere on earth.
The Future...
Future plans for Joe and his Open 50 include the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race, and the 2008/09 Portimao Global Ocean Race (www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com) a solo, 'round the world race starting in Portimao, Portugal with stops in South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil, Charleston South Carolina and the finishing back in Portimao.
The Gryphon Solo Global Ocean Classroom will be a unique opportunity to reach young children with the great story of this adventure and the waters round the world. The Global Ocean Classroom curriculum will be available to schools and individual students and their parents for the September to June 2008-09 academic year, and will follow Harris and a courageous fleet of solo sailors as they battle the elements, their competitors and themselves over 30,000 miles of open ocean.
This will be an animated global adventure that will see students caught up in a unique learning experience as the adventure unfolds before their very eyes. They'll enjoy tracking the PGOR fleet daily via the Internet visiting faraway places once touched by the legendary Captain Joshua Slocum, the first sailor in history to complete a solo circumnavigation, over 100 years ago
Joe and Team GS are actively seeking sponsorship for this sailing adventure, complemented by a branded education program as well as a post-race speaking and promotional tour.
For information about Joe Harris and the Gryphon Solo program and sponsorship opportunities go to www.gryphonsolo.com.
