Newport Bermuda Race

The Newport Bermuda Race, commonly known as the Bermuda Race, is a biennial, 635 nautical miles (1175 km) sailing yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the island of Bermuda. According to its website, the Race is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race, and one of two regularly scheduled races "held almost entirely out of sight if land."[1] Indian Harbor Yacht Club has recorded more entries in the Newport Bermuda Race than any other yacht club in the world.[2]

The 90-foot maxi yacht Rambler, first to finish in the 2012 Newport Bermuda Race

In a typical race, the fleet enters the Atlantic and the Gulf Stream, with rough water, giving the race its nickname, "The Thrash to the Onion Patch."[3] Once through the rough Gulf Stream, the sailors press on to the finish off St. David's Lighthouse, then winding channel to Hamilton, Bermuda to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

To quote Gary Jobson, “It’s a feather in every sailor’s cap to have done the race, and many consider the Lighthouse Trophy the most coveted trophy in distance racing.”

Early history

The very first Bermuda Race was an act of rebellion. In 1906, the Establishment believed that it would be impossible for amateur sailors to race offshore in boats under 80 feet. Thomas Fleming Day, editor of The Rudder magazine, disagreed, insisting, "The danger of the sea for generations has been preached by the ignorant." Certain that an ocean race would be enjoyable and safe – and also develop better sailors and better boats – Day founded one on his own.[4] The Brooklyn Yacht Club started the race in New York Bay, in Bermuda, the RBYC finished it off at St. David’s Head.

The smallest entry then (and in Bermuda Race history) was the 28-foot sloop Gauntlet. She was notorious for her size, and also for her crew because it included a woman, 20-year-old Thora Lund Robinson. Having outpaced Gauntlet and another boat which dropped out, and the winner was the 38-foot yawl Tamerlane, with Thomas Fleming Day himself as sailing master. The yacht club provided a special anchorage off White’s Island for the race boats, set aside rooms for the skippers and navigators in the clubhouse, and laid on many parties culminating with a traditional turtle dinner at the prize banquet.

There were four more races before the sailors decided it was too much to ask that the race be held annually.

After World War I, RBYC Vice-Commodore Eldon Trimingham went up to New York to stir up a revival of the race, to much agreement. After 22 boats started in 1923 at New London, Connecticut, and every boat finished. Three years later, the RBYC and the Cruising Club of America teamed up to host the race.

Since 1923 to this day, the task of inspecting boats, arranging for trophies, the starting and finishing lines, and maintaining the race’s emphasis on safe seamanship falls on volunteer members of both clubs.[5] 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.[4]

Recent history

165 boats started the 48th Newport Bermuda Race in 2012. A new elapsed time record of 39 hours, 39 minutes, 18 seconds was set in 2012 by George David's 90-foot Rambler,[4] which averaged over 16 knots under perfect sailing conditions. The corrected time winner for the second straight race was Rives Potts' 48-foot Carina, which also won the race in 1970.

Again 165 boats the 49th Newport Bermuda Race in 2014. Shockwave took line honors and first overall corrected time winner in one of the slowest races in recent history in far from perfect sailing conditions.

All race results are posted at the Bermuda Race website.[6]

2016 Race

At 4:22:53EDT on June 19, 2016, James H. Clark's 100-Foot Comanche, with skipper Ken Read and navigator Stan Honey, crossed the finish line in Bermuda with an elapsed time of 34h 52m 53s, breaking George David's Rambler record by more than 4h 36s.

The 2016 Bermuda Race was the 50th running of the race. More than 195 boats were sanctioned by the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee as qualified entries in the 50th Newport Bermuda Race. An International fleet competed in the biennial race that began on June 17. There was also the Onion Patch Series, a parallel inter-club and international team-race event.

The 2016 Newport Bermuda Race had seven divisions, each with its divisional and class prizes. The race has no single winner. Except Super Yachts, each division is rated under the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR).

  • St. David’s Lighthouse Division: cruiser-racers with amateur helmsmen.
  • Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division: racers with professional helmsmen permitted.
  • Cruiser Division: cruisers/passagemakers with amateur helmsmen.
  • Double-Handed Division: one crew may be a professional.
  • Open Division: cant-keel racers with professional helmsmen permitted.
  • Super Yacht Division: 90-plus feet long, International Super Yacht Rule.
  • Spirit of Tradition Division: replicas and other traditional boats.

Winners

St. David's Lighthouse Trophy
YearYachtMakeOwnerClub Affiliation
2006 Sinn FeinCal 40Peter S. Rebovich Sr.Raritan Yacht Club
2008 Sinn FeinCal 40Peter S. Rebovich Sr.Raritan YC
2010 CarinaCustom 40Rives PottsCruising Club of America
2012 KodiakCustom 65E. Llwyd EcclestoneCruising Club of America
2014 ActaeaHinkley Bermuda 40Michael ConeCruising Club of America
2016 Warrior WonXp 44Christopher SheehanLarchmont Yacht Club
2018 GrundoonColumbia 50James GrundyNew York Yacht Club
2020CancelledCOVID-19 pandemic

Line Honors
YearYachtOwnerDesignerElapsed Time
2002 PyewacketRoy E. DisneyReichel/Pugh 7567h 54m 22s
2004 Morning GloryHasso PlattnerMaxi Z8662h 48m 31s
2006 Bella MenteHap FouthJudel/Vrolijk 66111h 12m 18s
2008 SpeedboatAlex JacksonJuan Kouyoumdjian 10064h 42m 56s
2010 SpeedboatAlex JacksonJuan Kouyoumdjian 10059h 17m 56s
2012 Med SpiritMichael DAmelioWelbourn 9245h 26m 28s
2014 ShockwaveGeorge SakellarisReichel/Pugh63h 04m 11s
2016 ComancheJames H. Clark and Kristy HinzeVPLP design34h 42m 53s
2018 Rambler 88George DavidJuan Kouyoumdjian50h 31m 51s
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Environmental commitment

In 2012, it was announced that the Race had committed to seeking certification as a "clean regatta", encouraging participants "to adopt a number of best practices for the health of the oceans, including reducing plastic bottle use, following a leave-no-trace approach to dealing with trash, promoting the use of non-toxic cleaning products and bottom paint, and preventing oil spills."[7]

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References
  1. "About". Newport Bermuda Race. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  2. Fawcett, Dennis (June 18, 1989). ""THE VIEW FROM: THE INDIAN HARBOR YACHT CLUB IN GREENWICH; In Sail of a Second Century of Seamanship and Camaraderie"". New York times. New york, ny.
  3. "Newport Bermuda - The thrash to the Onion Patch". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  4. "All you need to know about the Newport Bermuda Race - MySailing.com.au". www.mysailing.com.au. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  5. "The Newport Bermuda Race". Go To Bermuda. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  6. "Newport Bermuda Race website".
  7. "Newport Bermuda Race Commits to Sailors for the Sea Clean Regattas Program". Sailors for the Sea. 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
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