Welcome to SpinSheet's Newport Bermuda Race information page. The first gun is at 2:50 p.m. Friday, June 17. Stay tuned for updates.
Drone footage of the start:
Monday, June 20 Weather Update: This looks like fun: video footage from onboard Comanche.
Things are looking much brighter for the fleet, but we're not entirely out of the woods yet. The low pressure system has stabilized, and wind on Bermuda today is at its peak with about 30 knot gusts. We'll see those conditions on Bermuda diminish dramatically over the next few days (15 knot gusts on average). The bad news for the fleet is that the guys at the back of the fleet may see the breeze diminish, but then clock around to the south. There is a pack of six-seven boats in the front of the fleet who may come into Bermuda on a reach, but the guys toward the back (roughly 40 nm behind the lead pack) may unfortunately be beating into town in light breeze. Things could be worse, though. Overall, this is a positive forecast, considering Friday's concerns
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Sunday, June 19 Update: Comanche set a new Bermuda Race record at 4:22:53 EDT this morning when they crossed the finish line. Skipper Ken Read and crew broke the previous record set in 2012 by George David's 88-foot Rambler by more than four hours and 36 seconds. The new record stands at 34 hours, 52 minutes, and 53 seconds. Congratulations, Team Comanche!
Photo by Block Island Steve. Click for source and more great images.
As far as the rest of the fleet goes, you can see a distinct line where the low pressure system sits, as some boats are hardly pulling off a knot of boat speed and others are averaging roughly 10. The fleet is still heavily condensed, with roughly a third of them looking to push further south while others toe the rhumb.
Sunday's conditions in Bermuda:
It's a rough and windy day in Bermuda, stay safe out there #newporttobermuda racers! @bermuda A video posted by Priscilla Pilon (@priscillapilon) on
Saturday, June 18 Update: Although the race got off as planned, a total of 47 boats elected to withdraw from the race. That left over 130 boats in 16 classes to start out. Not a single boat in the Gibbs Hill Class started Call to skipper Ken Read on Comanche to Andy Green at N2B HQ. He's looking at 29 knots of windspeed and the boat is doing 28 knots. "You can tell that things are about to get busy... we think we made it through in the knick of time." They're on a broad reach through the heaviest of conditions.
Onboard Alan Krulish's Crackerjack, navigator James Gray sent the following: "Looking at the weather, the call was no go. The weather picture just wasn't conducive to a safe race. The strength and track of the low pressure system wasn't in favor of sailing to Bermuda. So the boat and crew are safe, and she will leave for Maine in the morning."
Alan Krulish and crew onboard Crackerjack. Photo courtesy of James Gray.
Currently, Comanche, the 100-foot maxi owned by Jim and Kristy Clark, is currently in the lead with the bulk of the fleet grouped together off the coast of Long Island in an area of low wind (most boats are averaging less than four knots at present). Comanche is attempting to break the record of 39 hours, 39 minutes, and 18 seconds, set in 2012 by George David's Rambler. At present, the boat has hooked into that system and is blasting toward Bermuda, doing 24.7 knots with 380 nautical miles to the finish line. It doesn't look like they'll break the record, but it's not over yet. Follow the tracker here.
Comanche at the start of the race, dwarfing the local lighthouses. Photo by John Lincourt Photography (click for source and more great photos)
UPDATE: Racing is scheduled to proceed as planned. Watch the announcement here:
UPDATE: Weather concerns have some thinking that a postponement may shortly be announced. Bella Mente, the 72-foot Maxi with an all-pro crew, has already withdrawn with concerns for safety. Read the latest weather analysis of the Gulf Stream here. "To quote the race’s Gulf Stream expert (and multi-time navigator), oceanographer Dr. Frank Bohlen, “Wind blowing against the current results in a significantly larger wave amplitude and shorter wavelength than what appears when wind blows with current or when there is no current.”
Bay Boats Racing from Newport to Bermuda: Actaea, Michael and Connie Cone Aura, William Kardash Bella PITA, Jim Grundy Brigand, Sean Saslo Carina, Will Pasano Chaotic Flux, James Chen Crackerjack, Alan Krulisch Defiance, Joshua Hinshaw Dirigo, Eric Johnson Flyer, Doug Abbott Grey Ghost, Phil Parrish Haerlem, Hendrikus Wisker Heron, Greg Leonard Isola, Howard Eisenberg Nicole, Tad duPont Odette, Jasen Adams Razor's Edge, Frank Kendall Reindeer, Tony Parker Shinnecock, James Praley Stormy Weather, Mike Maholchic Swift, Ethan Doherty Windborn, Richard Born Wizard, David Askew
The 50th edition of the fabled Newport Bermuda race is on track to be one of the largest fleets in the race’s 110-year history. With 197 entries, including more than two dozen from the Chesapeake region, the fleet is nearly as large as that of 2008 (198 boats), which was second only to 100th anniversary race in 2006.
Racing begins Friday, June 17, with the first gun scheduled for 2:50 p.m. and the final start planned for 5:30 p.m. Whether you’re planning to watch in person or monitor the competition online, we’ve got tips for following your favorite boats, skippers, and crew. If you’re fortunate enough to be in Newport for the start and other pre-race hoopla, you’ll have several options for spectating.
From land the best view can be found at Castle Hill, on the western-most tip of Newport overlooking the start line and the entrance to Narragansett Bay. There sits the beautiful Castle Inn resort hotel on 40 acres of land, which includes a large sloping lawn that’s ideal for viewing the start. The hotel, which was built in the 1870s as a summer home, boasts a flagpole that’s a replica of the mast and rigging found on the Herreshoff NY-30 class yachts of the early 1900s. Arrive early and expect to pay a fee for parking and be subject to restrictions on food and drinks.
Other viewing destinations include Brenton Point State Park in Newport and Beavertail State Park in Jamestown. Brenton Point Park is located midway along the renowned Ocean Drive, on the point of land that overlooks Narragansett Bay as it meets the Atlantic. Beavertail is at the southern end of Conanicut Island, which separates the east and west passages of Narragansett Bay. Both parks offer hiking, picnicking, and fishing.
If you prefer watching the start from the water, find local charter companies at portbook.com and discovernewport.org. In the event that you’re captaining your own vessel or a charter, respect the limit buoys surrounding the start line, and be prepared for choppy water, heavy boat traffic, and race committee and U.S. Coast Guard boats patrolling the area. For those of us who’ll be following the race from home (or the office, ahem), YB Tracking, formerly Yellow Brick, has you covered.
Watch from your computer, tablet, or use their app for mobile coverage. Position reports will begin on a pre-set delay and gradually increase to be nearly real time as the fleet comes within 50 miles of St. David’s lighthouse and the finish line.
Trophies
After the race, there’ll be plenty of silver awarded, as well as bragging rights for the next two years and beyond. More than 100 prizes will be awarded. Prize Giving will be at Government House Saturday, June 25. Attendance is by invitation only, with a jacket and tie dress code.
Prizes will be awarded for corrected time by class and also for corrected time in the St. David’s Lighthouse, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Cruiser, Double-Handed, and Open Divisions. Elapsed time prizes will be awarded for the combined St. David’s Lighthouse and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Divisions, the Cruiser Division, and the Open Division.
Regional Prizes will be awarded to recognize the efforts of skippers, vessels, and crew that have traveled a significant distance to participate. Five regions will be so recognized.
A single prize will be awarded for the best performance by a vessel from each of the five regions: Canada, Chesapeake, Great Lakes, Deep South, and Pacific.
Foreign yachts may vie for the City of Newport Trophy for best performing “Foreign Yacht.” This award recognizes the truly international significance of the race. Entry is open to vessels in the St. David’s, Gibbs Hill, Cruiser, and Double-Handed Divisions.
The Glenn Family Prize is awarded to the family sailing with the best performance. Four family members must crew on the boat, one of whom must be skipper, navigator, or watch captain. Entry is open to family vessels in the St. David’s Lighthouse, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, and Cruiser Divisions.
The Pratt Three-Boat Team Prize is awarded in memory of H. Irving Pratt for his serious and sustained interest in handicapping offshore yachts for racing. Teams self select, and the winning team is that with the best combined performance. Vessels must be participating in the St. David’s Lighthouse, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Double-Handed, or Cruiser Divisions.
The Stephens Brothers Youth Prize, named for Rod and Olin Stephens, who won several prominent events by age 23, seeks to encourage further development of young men and women in the sport of offshore yacht racing. Among other criteria, at least 50 percent of the yacht’s crew plus one person must be between the ages of 14 and 23 years. Vessels must be sailing in either St. David’s Lighthouse or Cruiser Divisions.