Newport Bermuda Race opens for online registration on Monday!

Chris Culver’s Hinkley SW 59 ’Cetacia’ charges off the line in Cruiser Class 12 while thousands watch from Castle Hill, Newport RI. Don’t be a Newport Bermuda Race spectator this year. The entry portal opens Monday for the 49th edition. All qualified yachts may apply for an invitation at www.BermudaRace.com. Divisions include every type yacht from the hottest 100 foot maxis to cruiser racers, to family cruisers and double handers. - Newport Bermuda Race Talbot Wilson

Bermuda Race Organizing Committee Chairman Fred Deichmann has raced to Bermuda five times, but is taking this year off to run the race. “The 2012 race was spectacularly successful, with 165 boats and record-breaking times, Deichmann noted. "Since then the volunteer committee has been working to improve the race and simplify the entry process for 2014 sailors.” The Entry portal to apply for a race invitation and then complete the entry process opens Monday, January 13 - Newport Bermuda Race 2014 © Newport Bermuda Race Media http://www.bermudarace.com

'This is an exciting time for us at the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee,' said BROC Chairman Fred Deichmann, who has raced to Bermuda five times, but is taking this year off to run the race. 'The 2012 race was spectacularly successful, with 165 boats and record-breaking times. Since then the volunteer committee has been working to improve the race and simplify the entry process for 2014 sailors.'

Among several innovations this year, the race has replaced the complicated International Sailing Federation Offshore Special Regulations with simpler, effective equipment requirements. 'We have also introduced a performance screen to ensure that similar boats race against each other in appropriate divisions for the type of boat, its speed, and the type of crew on the boat,' Deichmann said. 'And we are introducing several new prizes to attract entries from across the country and among cruising sailors.'

'We encourage owners new to the race entry process to utilize our Race Ambassador program. It will help and make your entry a better experience.' Newcomers can meet an Ambassador here.

A landmark this year is the 50th Anniversary of the three-event Onion Patch Series. Boats compete for both team and individual prizes in the Newport Bermuda Race, the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta. Onion Patch Series news is posted here and each event’s web site.

Important dates on the 2014 Newport Bermuda Race calendar include the following:
• Application for entry deadline, April 1
• Boat inspection begins, March 10
• Cruising Club of America-Newport Bermuda Race Safety Weekend, Newport RI, March 15-16
• Forms submitted and fees paid, May 16
• Boat measurement data submitted, May 22
• Crew information submitted, June 1
• Boat inspection deadline, June 6
• Onion Patch Series NYYC Annual Regatta day races, Newport RI, June 14-15
• Check-in at race headquarters (New York Yacht Club Sailing Center, Harbour Court), June 15-18
• Gosling's Rum Newport Shipyard Crew Party, Newport RI, June 18 at Newport Shipyard
• Captains Meeting, June 19
• Newport Bermuda Race start, June 20
• Onion Patch Series RBYC Anniversary Regatta and Welcome Party, Bermuda, June 27
• Newport Bermuda Prize Ceremony, June 28.

Dr. Stephen Sherwin’s Corby 41.5 Nasty Medicine comes home to a spectacular finish off St. David’s Lighthouse. Bermuda’s Sherwin and all Bermudians host thousands of Newport Bermuda Race’s international sailors enjoying Bermuda’s famous pink sand beaches, fabulous golf courses, the final races of the Onion Patch series in the RBYC Anniversary Regtta and the Dark ’n Stormy® hospitality of the famous RBYC Terrace Bar. Be there for the best. The Entry portal to apply for a race invitation and then © Charles Anderson/RBYC