NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A New Jersey man died at sea after falling off a yacht during a race from Rhode Island to Bermuda on Sunday, the Newport Bermuda Race announced.
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Colin Golder of New Providence, N.J. was the captain of the crew of the yacht Morgan of Marietta, a 42-foot sloop. He went overboard early in the afternoon during strong winds, approximately 325 miles from Bermuda, a British island territory, and did not survive, according to officials.
Golder's body was recovered by the vessel’s crew and returned to the U.S. mainland on Sunday, two days after the official start of the race.
“The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee, the Cruising Club of America, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club wish to express sincere condolences to the family and crew of Mr. Golder,” the committee statement put out on Sunday said.
A person who answered the phone at Golder’s home on Monday said they did not wish to comment, according to NJ.com.
The Newport Bermuda Race is a bi-annual event that started back in 1906. The race usually has over 150 boarts with crews of about 10 each. The Lighthouse Trophy is given to the winner and is considered one of the most coveted prizes.
“The 635-mile biennial Newport Bermuda Race is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race, one of very few international distance races, and (with the Transpac Race) one of just two of the world’s regularly scheduled races held almost entirely out of sight of land,” according to its website.
A spokesperson for the race, John Burnham, said in an email to NJ.com that the race has had “an extraordinary safety record,” over more than a century of competition.
“The joint organizing committee of the two clubs — Bermuda Race Organizing Committee — only permits competitors with demonstrated experience to enter and sail in the race and require that their sailboats and their crews have passed a rigorous inspection and training process,” Burnham said.
“The joint organizing committee of the two clubs — Bermuda Race Organizing Committee — only permits competitors with demonstrated experience to enter and sail in the race and require that their sailboats and their crews have passed a rigorous inspection and training process,” Burnham said.
Golder is the second sailor to die in the race’s history, according to its website.
“In 45 races over a century, only two boats have been lost, one on Bermuda’s reef, and the other in a deadly fire in 1932 that also claimed the Bermuda Race’s only loss of life,” apart from Golder’s, the website states.
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