Ida Lewis Yacht Club, host of the Ida Lewis Distance Race
635-mile passage south to Bermuda. “Fort Adams State Park also provides close-up views of many of the boats as they depart from Newport Harbor. The fleet then sails past Brenton State Park as it clears Brenton Reef and turns to the southeast. Charter boats and private yachts assemble to watch the start from the water as well,” says John Burnham. It’s one of the oldest regularly scheduled ocean races, happening biennially since 1906. This year, three high-speed multihulls – two MOD 70s, Argo and Snowflake , and the 78’ trimaran Ultim’Emotion 2 – are entered, and each has a good chance of breaking the elapsed time race record of 34h:42m:53s set in 2016 by the 100’ maxi yacht, Comanche. bermudarace.com Ida Lewis Distance Race August 18-20 The fleet goes where the wind blows. “The Ida Lewis Distance Race is like no other in that the Race Committee chooses from among four different courses, based on the weather. Each course incorporates some of the most
storied cruising grounds in New England and is just long enough for the fleet to be offshore overnight, yet not so long to prohibit inviting family and friends to join for a first-time adven- ture,” says Anselm Richards, event chair. The goal: get about 60-some teams to compete on race boats 28-foot and longer in double-handed, youth, collegiate and different handi- cap classes back to the dock in under 24 hours. The start happens off Fort Adams and ends inside Newport Harbor, where each team is handed a congratulatory bottle of Prosecco. ilyc.org/distancerace CONNECTICUT Block Island Race May 27 Stamford is the start of this Memorial Day weekend regatta that for many sailors kicks New England’s offshore racing season. “The 186-nautical mile course down Long Island Sound and around Block Island and back also acts as a ‘warm up’ for many teams that are racing some two weeks later in the Newport to Bermuda Race,” says Kate Wilson Somers, who handles media
for the event. The race marks its 75th anniversary this year and is organized by the Storm Trysail Club, based in Larchmont, NY. stormtrysail.org/ regattas/block-island-race Cedar Point One Design Regatta June 4-5 A 20-year+ tradition on the first weekend in June, this one-design keelboat event hosted out of the Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT, can draw as many as 800 competitors on over 100 boats. The key is that all the boats in a class are the same; no handicap scoring is needed. This makes it easy to watch, as first over the finish line is the winner. “Currently, the event is open to J70, J88, J105 and J109, and Beneteau 36.7 fleets, but other fleets are welcome if they meet the requirements,” says Joyce Oberdorf, who handles the club’s communications. cedarpointyc.org/odr
To view this article online, visit marinalife.com/NewEnglandRegattas
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