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Newport Bermuda Race
June 17, 2022
The 52nd Newport Bermuda Race will start on Friday, June 17, 2022 off Castle Hill in Newport, Rhode Island and ends off St. David’s Light, Bermuda after 635 miles of ocean sailing, including the fabled Gulf Stream.
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. Founded in 1906, the 52nd running of the Bermuda Race is scheduled for June, 2022.
Its purpose was stated in 1923 by Cruising Club of America Commodore Herbert L. Stone: “In order to encourage the designing, building, and sailing of small seaworthy yachts, to make popular cruising upon deep water, and to develop in the amateur sailor a love of true seamanship, and to give opportunity to become proficient in the art of navigation. . . .”
The race is nicknamed “the thrash to the Onion Patch” because most Bermuda Races include high winds and big waves, and Bermuda is an agricultural island.
FRIDAY
NEWPORT START
Just off Castle Hill Lighthouse, 150-200 boats take two hours to start the race with thousands of onlookers from the shore and water.
SATURDAY-THURSDAY
RACE TO BERMUDA
Depending on the weather, the currents in the Gulf Stream, and the boat’s size, the race takes 2 – 6 to six days finishing off St. David’s Lighthouse.
SATURDAY
BERMUDA CELEBRATIONS
The Prize-Giving will be held at Government House on Saturday. Invitations MUST be presented at Government House to be admitted.
A Typical Newport Bermuda Race
Although it is identified with the New England coast, the race attracts sailors from across North America and the globe, with recent entries from Russia, Britain, Germany, and other countries. The average crew has 10 men or women, often including many from the same family. Typically, 25 to 30 percent of captains are sailing their first Newport Bermuda Race in command. The race starts off Newport, R.I., in front of many spectators, on the third Friday in June. It takes more than two hours to get the fleet started. Boats are rated and handicapped under the Offshore Racing Rule.
Depending on the weather and the currents in the Gulf Stream, and the boat’s size and speed, the race takes two to six days. The first boat arrives at the finish line off St. David’s Lighthouse on Sunday or Monday, and the smaller boats arrive between then and Wednesday or Thursday.
The race is demanding. The rules say, “The Newport Bermuda Race is not a race for novices.” The course crosses the rough Gulf Stream and is mostly out of the range of rescue helicopters, and Bermuda is guarded by a dangerous reef. The race is nicknamed “the Thrash to the Onion Patch” because most Bermuda Races include high winds and big waves (a combination sailors call “a hard thrash”), and because Bermuda is an agricultural island.
The race demands good seamanship, great care, and a boat that is both well-built and properly equipped. The boats must meet stringent equipment requirements and undergo inspection, and the sailors must also pass a review and undergo training in safety. The bonds formed by these sailors are strong. Numerous sailors have sailed more than 10 races, often with family and friends, and the Gulf Stream Society recognizes long-time participants.
Typically, 25 to 30 percent of captains are sailing their first Newport Bermuda Race in command.
The average crew has 10 men or women, often including many from the same family.
50% Half the fleet is New England based and rest of are from the US, Bermuda, and globally.
26 Countries represented by sailors in the 2018 race with 55 boats having multiple nationalities
The 2022 race has a cap of 220 boats, and additional entries will be put on a waiting list. Historically, some attrition takes place between entries closing on April 3rd and the start on June 17th, so race organizers expect to be able to accommodate a large number of boats initially placed on the waiting list.
