Marblehead to Halifax Record Shattered

The American yacht Bella PITA cruised into Halifax Harbor in record fashion Monday afternoon, just 30 hours, 46 minutes and 52 seconds after her crew departed .

The Bella PITA, which sailed out of Oxford, Md., shattered the former record of 33:29:57, set in 1989 by the Starlight Express - a Santa Cruz 70 which rode the edge of a storm. The race spans 363 nautical miles.

The race's second place finisher, Valkyrie, a Swan Custom 78 based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, also broke Starlight Express’ record with an elapsed time of 31:50:18.

Joining the Bella PITA and Valkyrie in Halifax Harbor late Monday night were the Aurora, a Reichel/Pugh 66 out of New York and Marblehead's Denali, a KER 55'.

This is the 34th biennial edition of the race which is world renowned in yacht racing circles. It is conducted jointly by the in Marblehead and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron of Halifax.

Sailing yachts from all along the eastern seaboard from Annapolis, Md., to Halifax, Novia Scotia, signed up for the international competition.

More than 20 trophies will be awarded at a ceremony in Halifax at the end of the race. They will recognize the many special accomplishments and team challenges including the fastest double handed yacht and the fastest all woman yacht in addition to class winners.

The running of the 2011 Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race is preceded by a long history.

The race began in 1905 as an informal competition between sailors from the Boston, Eastern and New York yacht clubs. It was run sporadically until 1939 when the Boston Yacht Club and Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron formalized it as a biennial event. Since that time it has been run regularly on alternate years as one of the pre-eminent ocean races of the North Atlantic.

Marblehead Yachts as of 8:45 a.m. Tuesday:

1. "Denali", a KER 55', owned by Michael D'Amelio of the Boston Yacht Club. (FINISHED)

2. "Valiant", a 12 Metre, owned by Gary Gregory of Eastern Yacht Club and Boston Yacht Club. (FINISHED)

3. "Saga", a J130, owned by Kris Kristiansen of the Marblehead Yacht Club. (FINISHED)

4. "Tumbleweed", a J122, owned by George Shaw of the Boston Yacht Club. (8.7 Nautical Miles Remaining)

5. "Wester Till", an A&R Custom 48, owned by Fred Atkins of the Eastern Yacht Club. (26.3 Nautical Miles Remaining)

6. "Ares", a C&C 40, owned by Linda Hosking of the Boston Yacht Club. (45.3 Nautical Miles Remaining)

7. "Whisper", a Hinckley 48YL, owned by Thomas Vander Salm of the Corinthian Yacht Club. (47.7 Nautical Miles Remaining)

8. "Snowcat", a Freedom 40, owned by Bart Snow of the Boston Yacht Club. (63.6 Nautical Miles Remaining)

Marblehead Patch will be posting complete results as the become available.