Carina The Great Wins Fourth Bermuda Race

26th June 2024

The 1968-vintage Carina is basically a Jim McCurdy design built in aluminium for Dick Nye, with her underbody modified by Scott Kaufman in 1978. She has now won the major trophy in the classic biennial 636-mile Bermuda Race four times, and continues to achieve an immaculate yacht-like finish with a minimal but perfectly maintained amount of exposed varnishwork

Every time I hear the beginnings of Sinatra singing The Summer Wind, it's immediately accompanied by personal visions of classic American-designed yachts by Sparkman & Stephens, John Alden, Philip
Rhodes or - best of all - Jim McCurdy, sailing serenely in an unmistakably New England setting.

It's ironic, as the original song was German. But those stylish American yacht visions are very real, and they aren't just pretty pictures. The Best of the Best - Dick Nye's 48ft Carina of 1968 vintage - has just won the premier trophy of the Bermuda Race, the St David's Lighthouse Trophy - for the fourth time. The previous times were 1970, 2010, and 2012, and now 2024 has been ticked off as well.

The first win was in Dick Nye's ownership when she was always in the frame but had just the one clear victory. Subsequently, she was bought by boatyard and marine manager/owner Rives Potts, who became Commodore of the New York Yacht Club but found the time to fit in class wins in the Fastnet in addition to his Bermuda successes.

CARINA A PERFECT MODEL OF EXCELLENT VALUE

Time constraints meant he couldn't do the race personally this time, but under the command of Barrett Holby Jnr she did the business nevertheless. And everything about Carina is interesting. At the time of
her building, Dick Nye's home club was Indian Harbor Yacht Club near New York City (he was a Wall Street man), and in the club, he was voluntary administrator of the club launches. In renewing them, he found a builder of Great Lakes ships, barges and workboats in aluminium in Port Erie doing beautiful work. So in moving on from his famous and successful timber Rhodes-designed yawl Carina II, he made an extremely shrewd deal by getting the Jim McCurdy-designed Carina III built on Lake Erie before the hull was shipped to Long Island Sound for finishing by Bob Derecktor.

The ultra-dark-blue Carina has always looked like a classic yacht, yet it is done with greast economy. It is a case of less is more. There's very little exposed varnishwork. Even the rail is simply pale grey
painted aluminium. Yet any varnshed deck trim is absolutely immaculate. The effect is stunning- and it wins great races too.

Published in Offshore

Tagged under

Bermuda Race

About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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