February 2008 marked the 75th Anniversary of the Miami-Nassau Race. The
first running of the 176-mile race was first held in 1934, co-sponsored by the
Miami Yacht Club and the Nassau Yacht Club, and won by skipper Makaroff
helming yacht Vamarie. Twelve boats participated in that first race,
only three of which survived a violent storm in the Gulf Stream to finish
the race. Three years
later the race saw the southern debuts of two famous racers, the 72-foot
Herreshoff yawl Tioga, later renamed Ticonderoga, and the
53-foot Sparkman and Stephens yawl Stormy Weather. 1941 saw
Stormy Weather’s fifth consecutive overall victory. The race was not
held again until 1947, when a gale-force southerly slammed the 14-boat
fleet, dismasting
Ticonderoga
and several other boats. Francisco Garcia, the professional aboard the
cutter Windy was washed overboard and drowned. Altogether, eight
boats withdrew. The Miami-Nassau winner that year was Harvey Conover's
45-foot centerboard yawl Revenoc II, designed by Sparkman and
Stephens, and numbering Rod Stephens and sailmaker Ed Raymond in her crew.
In 2008,
the Coral Reef
Yacht Club joined the other two clubs as a co-host. The prestigious Miami to
Nassau Ocean Cup is a highly sought after trophy. It is emblazoned with the
names of world famous skippers on some of the world's finest racing
sailboats, including Ted Turner of America's Cup fame on the yacht
Tenacious. Other noteworthy sailors that vied for the Cup are: Dennis
Conner, Dick Bertram, Ted Hood and Bobby Symonette.
