News

June 13, 2008

Sailing instructions for the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race have been posted in the Official Materials section of the web site. The PDF document sets out all of the starting and finishing details for the 635-mile ocean race. The first class starts Friday June 20th at 1300hrs (1:00PM) EDT. Under ideal conditions some of the bigger boats could finish in Bermuda as early as Sunday morning.

Spectators ashore can view the start from Castle Hill and then follow the progress to Bermuda on iBoattrack. The computer tracking system shows the actual track of each yacht superimposed over the Gulf Stream current and wind arrows indicating wind direction. The link to the iBoattrack system can be accessed through the Newport Bermuda Race web site www.bermudarace.com

The New York Yacht Starting Line Committee, led by John L. Myles, will set the line and send the yachts on their way. The starting line may be set in either of two locations. Location Alpha, the primary, preferred area, will be approximately 0.5 miles off Castle Hill Lighthouse at the mouth of the East Passage of Narragansett Bay. Location Bravo is in the vicinity of R “2”QR Whistle Buoy marking Brenton Reef. In case of bad weather and/or reduced visibility, the fleet will be signaled by 9:30 AM on the day of the start, should the starting line be set at buoy R”2”.

The race will be started in accordance with Racing Rules of Sailing 26, with classes starting at 10-minute intervals. The starts will be grouped by division with the St David’s Lighthouse Division first, followed by the Gibbs Hill, Cruiser, Double-Handed, and Open Divisions. In each of the five divisions, the slowest yachts will start first. With approximately 200 entries there should be about 15 classes. The entire starting sequence will take about 2.5 hours.