Perpetuating the past can be good

The America’s Cup is just another regatta without its rich history, and the biennial Newport Bermuda Race also thrives because of it. Perpetuating the past can be a good thing.

This year’s start on June 19 celebrates not only 120 years since the inaugural race in 1906 but also century of collaboration between the Cruising Club of America (CCA) and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) — one of the longest-running partnerships organizing an international race in the world.

For 100 years, these two storied sailing organizations have collaborated to ensure that the “Thrash to the Onion Patch” continues in perpetuity.

The 1906 Bermuda Race started in New York Bay and finishing off St. David’s Head. It was organized as a protest to the prevailing sentiment that amateur sailors could not race offshore. Thomas Fleming Day, editor of The Rudder magazine, famously argued otherwise, insisting, “The danger of the sea for generations has been preached by the ignorant.” That spirit became the foundation of today’s Bermuda Race.

In the years following the first race, the event evolved—moving its start, becoming a biennial competition, and reviving itself after the First World War.

In 1922, the CCA was founded to foster the responsibilities, expertise, and skills needed for “the adventurous use of the sea.” Soon after, its partnership with RBYC to organize the race was born.

The race officially became the Newport Bermuda Race in 1936 when the start was moved to the mouth of Narragansett Bay, and the fleet steadily grew from 16 starters in 1926 to 44 boats in that first Newport start.

Three editions were canceled during the Second World War, but the race returned in 1946 and continued to expand with larger fleets and new classes. By 1958, more than 100 boats were on the starting line for the first time.

This post-war era also produced some of the race’s most iconic competitors, including Carina, Finisterre, and Gesture, while helping establish traditions that brought generations of sailors and families back to the race year after year.

The 100th anniversary of the Bermuda Race was celebrated in 2006 with a record fleet of 265 starters. After the global pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 race, competitors returned once again in 2022, underscoring the resilience and enduring appeal of the event.

In 2024, the race introduced a new start further inside Narragansett Bay at Fort Adams, expanding the course to 636 miles and allowing more than 4,000 spectators to watch the start in person, with thousands more following online.

The race also debuted a new Forecast Time Corrected scoring system, becoming the first offshore race in the world to use forecast modeling technology to create fairer competition across different yacht designs.

While the partnership between the two clubs has driven innovation in race management and logistics, it has also evolved to ensure the race’s future. In 2022, the CCA and RBYC formed the Bermuda Race Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity that now serves as the race’s official Organizing Authority through its all-volunteer Bermuda Race Organizing Committee.

Today, the race remains one of the world’s premier offshore competitions. Its history is filled with stories of adventure, resilience, and camaraderie, and as it enters its next century, the race continues to inspire new generations of sailors while strengthening ties between the sailing communities on both sides of the rhumb line.

Details: https://bermudarace.com/

Source: Kate Somers, BROC