that proved challenging for the racers. Twelve yachts completed the race with Tioga Too winning with a nine-hour lead. Because of World War II, the race was not run from 1939 to 1947, when the MHOR was given international race ranking. Twenty-two yachts were registered with three of them being Canadian. Since that time, the MHOR has run regularly on alternate years from the Newport Bermuda Race, as one of the pre-eminent ocean races of the North Atlantic. The race The race begins in the early afternoon on the first Sunday after July 4th at "Tinkers Gong", just outside Marblehead Harbor. In many years over 400 spectator boats observe the 100 racing yachts at the starting line. The competing boats range in size from better than to over . The course runs slightly north of due east leaving Marblehead and sailing past Cape Ann. By the time they reach the open waters of the Gulf of Maine, the fleet has separated for the overnight journey. The tremendous tidal currents in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy system, as well as the ever-present changing weather conditions create a unique tactical challenge for the racing crews. Land is sighted near Cape Sable Island after crossing the Gulf of Maine. The fleet then races along the coast of Nova Scotia toward Halifax Harbour. The finish line is located offshore from the RNSYS marina at the entrance to the Northwest Arm. The 2019 Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race will get underway on July 7. Race record The current race record is 28 hours, 28 minutes and 50 seconds; set in 2017 by the yacht Prospector. They took more than two hours off the 2011 record set by Bella PITA (Bill Tripp design , skippered by Jim Grundy). MHOR, an ISAF Category 2 event, is a well-known event in North America's sailing community, usually attracting in excess of 100 boats sailing in 5 different divisions. The MHOR is a qualifier for the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy for IRC yachts, the New England Lighthouse Series for Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) yachts and the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) East Coast Championship. Awards In 2017 MHOR the following Trophies were awarded: The Halifax Herald and The Halifax Mail Trophy (1935), awarded to the monohull with the fastest elapsed time over the course. The Minot-MacAskill Trophy (1905), awarded to the team of 3 yachts chosen by