Silver Bullet has fired the opening shot.
The former multi-hull record holder, skippered by Robert Povey, led home a field of 19 boats in yesterday’s Two Restaurants Race, the optional opening event of the Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race.
Competing in the open category Division 2, Silver Bullet was the first to return to the start/finish outside the Barbados Cruising Club, finishing the 18-mile handicap ahead of Idea (Open Division 1) and The Blue Peter (Open Division 1).
“I am very pleased with the condition that the boat is in because we’ve done quite a bit of work on the boat and we believe it is fully ready,” Povey said.
“Today [yesterday], the actual conditions were a little light and there were a lot of holes along the course where the wind kind of dropped in, so we did well with what we had.”
The Round Barbados Race has attracted more than 30 vessels, including boats from Britain and Sierra Leone, for tomorrow’s 77th edition.
And despite all the history that surrounds the event, the race will have even more significance for Povey’s crew, who will be looking to recapture the record for the fastest time they set just two years ago.
“The record was broken again last year and we will like to take it back again but we’re hoping the wind conditions pick up for us to do such,” explained Povey.
“We need more pressure in the wind to be able to keep the speed consistent because if it stays like this then the conditions will not be favourable.”
The race will start outside the Barbados Cruising Club where the fleet will sail through Carlisle Bay before heading north to North Point and returning to the start/finish via the west coast. (JM)
