Proctor regales club about back-to-back races to Bermuda

EDENTON — Stuart Proctor just completed what many would consider the adventure of a lifetime: He finished not one but two races between the northeastern United States and Bermuda.

Sailing with a crew of eight on the 42-foot racing yacht Allegiant, Proctor — one of the family members who own Byrum Hardware in Edenton — set off from Annapolis, Maryland, on June 7 for an 872-mile voyage to Bermuda scheduled to take between five and eight days.

Proctor and his crew, despite the odds, finished both first in class and first overall in the Annapolis-to-Bermuda race.

The second race, a much larger competition with 160 boats, presented stiffer competition. The crew, undeterred, faced the challenge head-on.

After a delivery crew returned the Allegiant to the United States, the boat’s crew started the Newport-to-Bermuda race on June 21. The race, which takes between three and six days to complete, saw more than half of the yachts drop out for mechanical or other reasons. One of the boats sank after its rudder assembly, along with part of its stern, tore off.

The Allegiant was one of only 90 boats to finish the race, coming in 30th.

The Allegiant is owned by Albert Bossari and his fiancée, Marilyn O’Shea, of Annapolis. Competition to get a berth on the Allegiant is stiff, with the captain looking for racing and considerable yacht sailing experience from his potential crew.

Proctor, who recently gave a presentation about the two races to sailing club members and others at the Herringbone Restaurant in Edenton, started sailing as a youth in Edenton’s recreation department sailing camp. After two or three weeks of summer sailing, he said he was hooked for the rest of his life.

He learned to sail on a Sunfish sailboat in Edenton Bay under the watchful eyes of Gil Burroughs, Jim Elliot and Kermit Layton. Working his way up from Sunfish regattas to yacht club races, Proctor said he slowly gained the experience and track record to qualify for a crew like the Allegiant’s.

For those interested in learning to sail, Proctor suggested calling the Chowan County Recreation Department at 252-482-8595 and signing up for lessons. The club meets on Thursday evenings during the summer, starting at 5:30 p.m.