Crew Orientation - Newport to Bermuda Race
Lupo Di Mare (Italia 12.98 Fuoriserie)
Read this before you arrive for race week. It is not long.
The Boat
Lupo Di Mare is an Italia Yachts 12.98 Fuoriserie, built 2023. She was previously named Querencia. She is: - 42.6 ft overall (12.98 m), ~17,500 lb displacement (7,950 kg) - light for her size, built to race - Axxon carbon mast and boom - this matters for how we handle heavy air - J-sails (J1, J2, J3, J4) run up the forestay track - every J-sail change is a foredeck peel. Code 65 is furling on the sprit (rolls up, faster to deploy and recover than a peel). - Two spreaders, swept back. No inner forestay. No running backstays. - Clean offshore deck. Fast. Not a cruiser.
The most important thing you need to know about this boat: None of this crew has sailed Lupo Di Mare in racing conditions before. The delivery a few weeks ago was mostly motoring. Race week will be the first real sailing. This is normal and manageable, but it shapes everything about how we'll approach the race - conservative sail strategy, lower maneuver counts, thorough pre-race drills.
The Race
Newport to Bermuda: 636 nm. The rhumb course to St. David's Head is 150°T. The fleet starts in Narragansett Bay.
Key phases: 1. Start to Block Island (0–12h): Upwind and reaching in Rhode Island Sound. Crowded. Tricky tides. 2. Offshore (12–30h): Open Atlantic, steady wind. First night offshore. 3. Gulf Stream (typically 30–50h): The defining feature of this race. A river of warm, fast-moving water flowing NE at 2–4 kts. Crossing it correctly can gain or cost 6–12 hours. The Stream produces steep, confused chop, rapid weather development, and squalls. This is when the race is won or lost. 4. Sargasso Sea (50–80h): Post-Stream to Bermuda. Conditions can be reaching, light, or anything. Bermuda itself can create a wind shadow that parks boats in the final miles. 5. Bermuda approach: St. David's Head finish. Final layline decision.
Expected elapsed time: 80–95 hours in typical conditions (3.5–4 days).
What You Need to Know About the Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream is not just a concept. You will feel it. Here is what to expect:
- Water temperature jumps. In 5–10 nm, the water goes from 64°F to 81°F. The ocean turns blue. This is your entry signal.
- Wave character changes. The Stream produces short, steep, confused chop - especially if the wind is against the current. It is physically uncomfortable.
- Squalls can develop fast. Convective cells can build in 15 minutes. We run radar every 10–15 minutes inside the Stream. The squall protocol is non-negotiable (see below).
- Current sets you. The Stream flows NE. If you are trying to go south, it pushes you east. Compensate heading accordingly or you will exit 20 nm east of your plan.
Key rule for this race: We choose our sail for the Stream before we enter it. There are no sail changes inside the Stream for this crew. The risk of executing a peel in steep chop at night on a boat we're still learning is not worth the speed gain.
The Sail Inventory
You will be using these sails:
| Code | Sail | When |
|---|---|---|
| J1 | Main headsail (genoa) | Upwind, medium air |
| J2 | Intermediate genoa | Upwind 16–22 kts |
| J3 | Heavy headsail | Upwind or reaching, 18+ kts |
| J4 | Storm headsail | Very heavy air, survival |
| Code 65 | Code sail | Reaching, 60–80° TWA, 8–14 kts. Critical for light-reaching |
| A1-1 | Light asymmetric | Light air, broad angles |
| A1.5-1 | Mid-light asymmetric | 70–110° TWA, 8–15 kts. The Newport-Bermuda workhorse |
| A2-1 | Medium asymmetric | 80–120° TWA, 12–20 kts |
| A3 | Heavy asymmetric | 80–130° TWA, 18–28 kts |
| A4 | Heaviest asymmetric | Heavy air, broad |
| GS | Gennaker (old, orange - required) | Running in lighter air |
| SS | Symmetric spinnaker | Heavy air running |
J-sails run up the forestay track - every J-sail change is a foredeck peel. J1 → J2 → J3 → J4 each requires going forward and changing the sail. Code 65 is different - it furls on the sprit and can be deployed/recovered without a full peel.
Squall Protocol
This is not negotiable. Know it before you sail.
Radar echo within 30 nm (W or NW or N of us): → Kite comes down. Now. No discussion.
Radar echo within 20 nm: → Kite down. Reef #1 goes in. All crew clips in with tethers.
Radar echo within 10 nm or lightning visible: → Kite down. Reef #1 in. All non-watch crew called up. Hatches closed.
Why these thresholds? Gulf Stream squalls can deliver 35–45 kts in 10 minutes. A kite up in 40 kts on an unfamiliar boat at 0200 is not a recoverable situation. These thresholds may feel conservative. They are correct.
Note on thresholds: If we have drilled the squall protocol in race week (which we will), we may use the 20 nm trigger as default. If for any reason the squall drill was incomplete, the 30 nm trigger is the default. This will be confirmed in the pre-race brief.
Safety Basics
Harnesses and tethers: - Everyone in the cockpit: harness on. - Anyone going forward of the cockpit coaming: clipped to a jackline before stepping forward. - Inside the Gulf Stream: everyone on deck is clipped in, no exceptions, at all times.
Man overboard: - Shout "MAN OVERBOARD" immediately and loud. - Press MOB button on GPS immediately. - One person keeps eyes on the person in the water - does not look away. - The skipper runs the recovery. - Know where the MOB gear is before we leave the dock.
Communication: - VHF Channel 16 is always monitored. - Emergency contacts and EPIRB location: confirm with skipper before departure.
What Race Week Looks Like
Race week is not vacation. It is the shakedown we need. Here is what we are trying to accomplish:
Priority 1: Asymmetric kite set and douse (×3 each) We need every crew member confident handling the A2-1 and A3. This is the highest-risk maneuver in the race. If we don't nail this in race week, we won't do it at night in the Stream.
Priority 2: Headsail peels J1 → J2 → J3 peels. Foredeck work - forestay track sails, takes 8–12 minutes for an unfamiliar crew. Target: under 10 minutes by race start.
Priority 3: Reefing Reef #1 in and out, starting from pre-rigged state. Target: under 7 minutes. Do this twice.
Priority 4: Night sailing At least one night watch rotation before the race so the first night offshore isn't completely unfamiliar.
Priority 5: Instrument verification Make sure your instruments match reality. GPS speed vs log speed (current measurement). Wind speed and angle calibration. These are navigator tools, not decorations.
Personal Gear
For a 3.5–4 day offshore race:
Essential: - Offshore foul weather gear (jacket + trousers, not just a spray top) - Harness with tether - 2-meter and 1-meter tethers if you have them - Non-slip sailing boots (not sneakers) - Lifejacket (automatically inflating offshore type) - Personal EPIRB or PLB (strongly recommended) - Headlamp with red light mode - Multiple layers - it will be cold at night in the Stream - Seasickness medication (Bonine, Dramamine, or prescription Scopolamine patch - start it 12h before departure)
Useful: - Offshore sailing gloves - Sunscreen, lip balm - Offshore sunglasses - Small dry bag for phone, wallet, documents - Ear plugs (the boat is loud at night) - Food you like - the boat will have provisions but your favorites are your problem
Leave at home: - Anything breakable or irreplaceable - Laptop (the boat moves; things fall and get wet) - Bulky roller luggage (use a duffel bag)
Watch System
We will discuss and confirm the watch system in race week. As a starting point for planning:
- Two watches of approximately 4–5 crew each
- 4 hours on / 4 hours off during the day; modified at night if conditions allow
- Watch handoff brief is mandatory: wind trend, boat speed status, next decision point, any concerns
- Navigator is off the watch rotation or modified rotation to allow analysis time at Stream entry
The skipper will finalize watch assignments before the race.
Key Contacts
| Role | Name | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Skipper / Owner | ||
| Tactician / Navigator | ||
| Watch Captain (Watch 1) | ||
| Watch Captain (Watch 2) | ||
| Shore contact |
Complete before departure
Pre-Race Week Reading (optional but useful)
If you want to understand the race better before you arrive:
- Read Onboard Card 09 - Squall Protocol (in the 10_onboard_cards/ folder) - the squall protocol is the single most important safety procedure
- Read Onboard Card 04 - Gulf Stream Entry - this is the most critical tactical phase
- Read Onboard Card 02 - Offshore / First Night - especially the unfamiliar boat notes at the top
- Look at the sail inventory in
01_boat_data/sail_inventory.md- know the code names before you arrive
If you have never sailed in the Gulf Stream before: that is fine. Most of the fleet's crew haven't either. The preparation protocols in this project are specifically designed for that situation.
See you on the dock.
PRE-RACE RESEARCH - NOT race-period routing advice