10 days to go

Talbot Wilson looks ahead to the Newport Bermuda race

Who will take overall line honors and which will be the fastest boats on corrected time in this year’s Newport Bermuda Race? Will Roger Sturgeon repeat his Rolex Sydney Hobart race performance and recent Block Island Race victories and sweep the silver in Rosebud, the first STP 65? Will it be George David’s Rambler, a R/P 90 that won her share of record-breaking ocean races over the past year, or will the corrected time winner be Peter Rebovich’s little Cal 40 Sinn Fein? Rebovich has won his class three races running in the Newport Bermuda Race and took home the silver lighthouse for the St. David’s Lighthouse Division in 2006.

The 2008 Newport Bermuda Race starting June 20, is not just a 635-nautical mile ocean voyage in which sailboats of all sizes head south from a starting line in full view of Newport’s Castle Hill to a finish line off of St. David’s Lighthouse in Bermuda. It is also a rite of passage for many who will complete their first Bermuda ocean race and join the thousands of sailors who have sailed the prestigious event over the past century.

Those of the 200 or so boats who finish under the cover of darkness often wait to first light, or until after the tired crew has had a nice rest and maybe a refreshing swim before they bring their boat around to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) in Hamilton. No sooner do they hit the dock, clear customs and offload their garbage and smelly gear, then they start sharing their stories of the race with fellow sailors, loved ones and anyone who will listen.

The RBYC, Bermuda islanders, the Cruising Club of America and the event supporters in Bermuda roll out the red carpet for their visitors. Not only does the RBYC host a continuous party open to all the locals and visitors, but it also hosts the RBYC Anniversary Regatta as the finale of the Onion Patch Series. The Onion Patch Series regattas that start with the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta in Newport, RI, straddle international waters during the Newport Bermuda Race and resume in Bermuda’s Great Sound with the RBYC Anniversary Regatta.

The Newport Bermuda Race prizegiving at the Bermuda’s Government House is spectacular. With over a century of tradition, the lode of polished silver that is awarded, more than 90 prizes in all, trumps the booty of nearly every other regatta on the planet.

The New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta kicks off the Onion Patch Series competition on June 14-15 and the start of the true test of offshore skill and patience, the Newport Bermuda Race, starts June 20. Days and nights of fun, ‘Dark‘n Stormies’, scooter and ferry riding and Bermuda hospitality will be highlighted with the RBYC Anniversary Regatta on June 27. It's an exciting time for east coast sailors and guests from around the world, all starting in a matter of days.