Chelsea Clock Mariner Competition

On Monday, July 11, the American yacht Bella PITA glided into Halifax Harbor, just 30 hours, 46 minutes and 52 seconds after departing from Marblehead waters, claiming first place in the Chelsea Clock Mariner Trophy Competition, IRC division. The Bella PITA, a 75-foot yacht which sailed out of Oxford, Maryland, shattered the former record of 33:29:57 set in 1989 by the Starlight Express, a Santa Cruz 70.

“The winds were behind us, the seas were behind us,” says Jim Grundy, Bella PITA’s skipper. “The weather was perfect for very fast sailing.”

Aurora, a Reichel/Pugh 66 out of Larchmont, New York, took second place in the IRC division, with a time of 33 hours, 28 minutes and 38 seconds.

Here are the official race results for the Chelsea Clock Mariner Trophy Competition, reflecting combined relative rankings for boats sailing in both the Annapolis to Newport and Marblehead to Halifax 2011 races:

First-, second- and third-place winners in each division of the Chelsea Clock Mariner Competition were presented with engraved Chelsea Clock keeper trophies at a special awards ceremony held on July 14, 2011, at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. In addition, names of first-place winning yachts will be added to the Chelsea Clock Mariner Perpetual Trophy, which will be on display at the Boston Yacht Club.

“Congratulations to the winners of the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean and Annapolis to Newport Races 2011 and to all who participated in these exciting events,” says JK Nicholas, CEO of Chelsea Clock. “Chelsea Clock is honored to have been an official trophy sponsor of these prestigious sailing competitions, and looks forward to being a part of these future events.”

The Annapolis to Newport and Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Races are biennial sailing competitions, and will take place again in 2013.