FEATURED REGATTAS: June 26, 2008
Dateline Bermuda 26.6.08. Privateer, a Cookson 50 owned by Ronald O’Hanley of Boston Massachusetts, is now the provisional winner of the Open Division in the Newport Bermuda Race ahead of Puma’s Volvo 70 Il Mostro skippered by Ken Read.

Today, Chief Scorer, Jim Teeters, noticed a mistake in the scoring for Class 16 and the Open Division.  Privateer then posted a corrected time of 60:40:09.  That’s 22 minutes and 42 seconds less than the corrected time of Il Mostro.   The Volvo Ocean 70  crossed the finish line nearly 20 hours ahead of Privateer but now slips to second place on handicap  in the four-boat division and class for yachts with canting keels.

Ronald O’Hanley and his crew from New England are already northward bound.  They’ll have a nice surprise when they hear the news. They will be awarded the Royal Mail Trophy for first in corrected time in the Open Division.

Privateer’s captain, Ian Henderson, was taken aback when he was informed of the news.   Already at home in Newport, all that Henderson could say was, “I’m extremely thrilled.”  He is going to contact Ron O’Hanley, the winning yacht’s owner, who is already back at work in Boston, and relay the good news.  Recovered from the initial shock, Henderson said that the delivery crew left for Newport on Thursday afternoon and he was sure that O’Hanley would return to Bermuda for the Prize Giving on Saturday evening.  “You have to have a lot of good luck to win this race,” said Henderson.