Local sailor and CMCS Vice Commodore Steve Romaine competed in the biennial Marble to Halifax Ocean Race last weekend. The race has been sailing the North American waters since 1905. Photo by VANDY MAJOR.

The only Florida boat competing in the international race, local captain and CMCS Vice Commodore Steve Romaine sailed in the MarbleHead to Halifax Ocean Race (360 miles) last weekend, competing on 53-foot Beneteau Relativity, from the St. Pete Yacht Club.

Steve said about 104 boats entered, 97 started and only 72 finished, Sunday, July 5.

“It was a light air race and it took us 90 hours non-stop with a crew of eight. It was freezing cold at night and warm during the day,” he said. “It was a chance of a lifetime to compete in a race like that.”

Within the fleet of sails, Steve said the U.S. Naval Academy had at least two boats in the race, as well at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy having one.

“The wind was 18 to 0 knots, there were lots of times we had no wind, where patience truly is a virtue,” Steve said. “And we had a really great start with an 15-knot wind. But it was shortlived, because there were many times we were just drifting with 0 to 5 knots of wind.”

Sailors of the Relativity worked on four-hour watch schedules during the day and three-hour schedules at night. Steve said those taking a break would prepare the meals for the others and catch some “Zzzzzs” before their next watch.

“We had everything from totally calm waters to six-foot seas but nothing too extreme. Lucky for us, there was no fog and no rain,” Steve said, laughing. “It rained in Nova Scotia for two weeks straight prior to the arrival of the fleet. The day we first arrived was when it started to clear. We told the Canadians we brought the Florida weather with us.”

“But one of the most exciting times was when we had to weave our way through a fishing fleet off of Nova Scotia’s Cape Sable, which is known as Canada’s ‘graveyard of the Atlantic.’ There are a lot of vessels that have been destroyed there.”

Another local sailor and chief operating officer of the Colgate Sailing School, headquartered here in Fort Myers, Doug Sparks, also sailed aboard Relativity.

“He did a great job on the foredeck,” Steve said.

All in all, Relativity, the boat Steve competed on, finished the race, coming in ninth within its division 90 hours later, early Thursday morning.

“Some of the largest racing boats in the world were enrolled in the race very high-quality sailors some of the best in the world. I feel honored to have competed in this race,” he concluded.