Getting Restive ready for Bermuda
Last year, Rob McAlpine and his Restive were winning the Bermuda Race when he was forced to make a call and turn around. His sail track was coming off the mast, so he decided to call it. He wasn’t deterred, though. He just resolved to come back in 2024.
Restive has a romantic history. McAlpine became the owner of Restive, an Alden 50, after the previous owner, George Denny, sold McAlpine the boat. It wasn’t out of the blue; McAlpine met Denny after responding to an emergency call during a Bermuda Race. McAlpine rescued Denny who was taking on water while on Restive. In a gesture of gratitude, Denny sold the boat to McAlpine (he didn’t want it to go to just to any owner), then McAlpine brought her back to BBY for a major refit.
This year, McAlpine is determined to win the Bermuda Race, both in memory of Denny (who has since passed away) and to finish what he started in 2023.
Nick, who has sailed in the Bermuda Race more than once, assessed the boat from the perspective of someone who has experienced the curveballs the Bermuda Race can throw at an experienced crew. “We go bow to stern and consider everything the boat might need or encounter during the race. I’ve been halfway to Bermuda, and this situation happened, so what isn’t up to snuff?” Nick says.
He says, “We wanted to do the best we could do for Rob and in memory of George,” and, “I felt tiny little shakes in the bearings of the rudder, so I called Rob. He said to do whatever I needed to do.”
Since Restive was custom-built, there are no parts ready to order, so BBY had to manufacture new bearings as well as rebuild the rudder system. She will race in the Bermuda Race with a new rudder system and other upgrades.
In addition to the rudder, Nick assessed all of the owner and crew’s concerns along with other team members- North Sails reps and Will Sturdy- then tackled the punchlist one-by-one gradually. “It’s our objective to get everything done with enough time to do sail trials and practice racing with the crew. We like to have a month before the race to pass along knowledge to everyone involved- North Sails to us, us to the crew, etc.” says Nick.
An added benefit of getting race ready with BBY is the handing off of the Safety Checklist. Every race requires that safety measures are met with an inspection before a boat can participate. As part of race preparation, BBY addresses every item on the Safety Checklist so that the client and crew can sit back and enjoy a drink while boats are being inspected at the race. Now, that’s great service!
