Challenger II
The Sandys Boat Club Fitted Dinghy
The Sandys Boat Club is the home of the Challenger II, a Bermuda Fitted Dinghy.
Challenger II was christened in 1990 and adds to the long line of dinghies which have called Sandys
Boat Club home. The predecessor to this dinghy, Challenger I, is currently on loan to the Bermuda International Airport and is on display in the arrivals baggage area. Proud Winners of the Coronation
Cup - 2009 season & 2010 season.
The regular season typically starts around the May Holiday and runs until early September at different venues around the Island including the Sandys Boat Club (Mangrove Bay).
We welcome members and non-members who enjoy sailing, racing, and/or supporting activities at the club, to ride with us on the support boat and or the 24ft chase skiff. Afterward, it's always a great time, come to the Club for some camaraderie after each day of racing.
Provided is the Bermuda Fitted Dinghy Association race schedule - download, print, and come participate!
2019 BFDA Race Schedule
2018 Race Results BFDA
St. George's Harbor - May 27, 2018
The Bermuda Fitted Dinghy is a type of racing-dedicated sail boat used for competitions between the yacht clubs of Bermuda. Although the class has only existed for about 130 years, the boats are a continuance of a tradition of boat and ship design in Bermuda that stretches back to the earliest decades of the 17th century.
Introduction of dinghy racing
By 1880 there was great concern that the need for professional crews in sloop racing was making the sport too expensive, and that its development was stagnating, as a direct result. Dinghy racing was developed as a cheaper alternative. When the Bermuda Dinghy first appeared is uncertain, but the design is scaled down from the earlier sloops, rather than appearing to be an evolution of the dinghies and small boats previously used for more mundane purposes. The first race was held on 26 August 1880. A number of types of smaller boats were raced in different classes. The dinghies were restricted to amateur crews. In 1882, the Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Association was formed, holding its first races on 28 July. This association ultimately became the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. In 1883, HRH Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria, visited Bermuda, and she donated a trophy which was awarded to the winner of a dinghy race held on 8 March, which was restricted to boats both owned and steered by club members. A purse race was held after, which was open to all amateurs. Dinghies for this race were restricted to hulls of 12 feet (3.7 m) of keel, and 14 feet (4.3 m), 1 inch overall.
Racing
The dinghy racing, today, is an inter-club activity, fought between the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC), the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC), the St. George’s Dinghy and Sports Club and Sandys Boat Club.
The racing is carried out on set dates in a variety of locations including Hamilton or St. George’s Harbours, Granaway Deep, and Mangrove Bay. The dinghies sail windward leeward courses and the number of legs is decided based on the conditions at race time. Boats always finish to windward. The boats, despite their small sizes, are each normally crewed by six people, necessary to handle the large areas of sail, and also to continually bail the dinghies, which have very little freeboard, and which are often capsized by powerful gusts. A unique rule to racing states that the number of crew to finish a race can be less than the number that started. This can encourage boats to have crew dive off the transom during a race to push the boat forward, help lighten the boat and increase performance.
Thanks to the RHADC, the host for the BFDA and for the write-up. For more information please see the RHADC website.