Bay Shore man sets sail from Rhode Island to England

ROBERT FORMAN

Position: Owner of Hinckley 42-foot sailboat Jacqueline IV

Community: Bay Shore

What he’s up to: Competing in Transatlantic Race 2011 from Newport, R.I., to England, starting June 26 with a crew of seven. The retired computer company executive, 71, is one of five Long Islanders competing on the 26 boats.

How did you get into sailing?

“I started sailing about 54 years ago when I was in the Navy in Panama City, Fla. The officers’ club had a sailboat and I basically taught myself how to sail.”

When did you begin racing?

“I started racing on the Great South Bay with the South Bay Cruising Club in 1969. Then I started doing the Around Long Island races. We won our class eight times and won the whole thing — the Newsday Cup — in 1984. We decided we should do something else and started doing the [Newport-]Bermuda races. I’ve done those 11 times.”

What prompted the step-up to crossing the Atlantic?

“I’ve done over 50,000 miles of bluewater [ocean] sail racing but I’ve never done a Transatlantic race so I thought this would be a nice thing to do.”

What challenges will you face that you haven’t before?

“The logistics are a big part of it. The Bermuda races are four or five days; here we have to provision the boat for 20 days. The routing is another challenge — to get favorable wind angles. The weather shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve hit pretty big storms going to Bermuda with winds sustained at 60 knots. I’d be pretty surprised if we get that on this trip.”