sailboat race to bermuda

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Newport-to-Bermuda Race 2024 Starting Line Party

If you can be in Newport, Rhode Island, next Friday, June 21, you will be able to attend the first ever Newport-to-Bermuda Race Starting Line Party. If not, you can still stream th eparty live on YouTube.

Taking a page from the last start of The Ocean Race in Newport, the Cruising Club of America and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, who run the Bermuda race, have moved the starting line from Castle Hill at the mouth of Narraganset Bay to Newport’s Fort Adams inside the bay.

The general public are invited to come to the fort and take part in the festivities. The windmill giant Orsted has sponsored an audio-video jumbotron presentation that will live stream drone footage of the starts. Commentary on the race and the starts will be given by North Sail’s president Ken Reed, professional sailor Jesse Fielding and Cole Brauer who is the first American woman to race non-stop around the world.

The event will have food and drinks vendors, lawn games and music provided by The Ravers. There is plenty of parking at the fort, plus the fort is served by the Jamestown Ferry and Old Port launches.

The race starts at 1400 hours and classes will then go off every 10 minutes. From the large open area at the fort, where the Newport Folk and Jazz festivals are staged, you will have a close view of the boats as they fight their way into position for the start.

This is the 53 rd running of the Newport-to-Bermuda race, which was first run in 1908. The race covers 636 miles, first across the shallow waters of the continental shelf, then across the Gulf Stream and finally in the variable winds near Bermuda.

The latest course record, set in 2022, was by the MOD 70 trimaran Argo . Larger monohulls will make the trip in under 48 hours while most of the fleet will take three or four days.

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Published on June 22nd, 2022 | by Editor

Cal 40 conquers Newport Bermuda Race

Published on June 22nd, 2022 by Editor -->

Hamilton, Bermuda (June 22, 2022) – Overnight, the great majority of the 186-boat fleet arrived in Bermuda and yesterday’s provisional divisional leaders have all been confirmed as the winners in the 52nd running of the Newport Bermuda Race.

Winning the largest division in the race, the St. David’s Lighthouse Division with 108 boats, is Illusion, a Cal 40 owned by Sally and Stan Honey (Palo Alto, CA). Illusion’s victory is the fourth time a Cal 40 has won the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, following on from Vincent Learson’s Thunderbird in 1966 and Peter Rebovich, Sr.’s Sinn Fein in 2006 and ’08.

Racing with 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Carl Buchan (Seattle, WA), fellow Cal 40 owner Don Jesberg (Belvedere, CA), and multi-tasker Jonathan “Bird” Livingston (Richmond, CA) as bowman, Illusion completed the 635-nautical-mile course with an elapsed time of 87h:01m:33s.

Illusion’s finish was good for a corrected time of 51:02:13 and a decisive victory of more than two hours over Andrew Clark’s (Greenwich, CT) J/122 Zig Zag. Jim Murray’s (Lake Bluff, IL) Pac52 Callisto, the divisional line honors winner, finished third, just 15 seconds astern of Zig Zag on corrected time.

Sailing their “final hurrah” in Illusion (they’ve sold the boat to Stan’s nephew), Sally Honey said it was the perfect ending to an illustrious, 33-year run with the boat.

“The conditions were perfect for our boat, and we had a pretty good navigator onboard,” said Sally, referring to her record-setting husband, Stan. “Stan chose a really good course, and the conditions were just what the boat loves, heavy-air reaching. A lot.

“We got into a Gulf Stream eddy and stayed in it for about seven hours. That gave us a good boost. We managed to stay in the wind most of the way down. We had a couple of light spots, but nothing like the later boats.”

Sally Honey said that they hit a top speed of 22 knots with Buchan on the helm Saturday night (June 18). She woke up the sleeping crew with hoots and hollers of excitement, but otherwise spent most of the race with the wind on the beam. “We didn’t have that much water on the deck,” said Sally Honey. “When reaching, the boat heels right over and the more wind you get the faster she goes. Really, it was a dream trip, fabulous. I wouldn’t change anything.”

In the 38-boat Finisterre Division for cruisers, Dudley Johnson’s (New York, NY) Tripp 65 Prevail earned first place, beating Andrew Burton’s (Newport, RI) Baltic 47 Masquerade by just over 25 minutes. The division was divided into three classes, with Prevail winning Class 9, Masquerade Class 8, and Brian Bush’s (North Chatham, MA) Toujours, a Tartan 37-2, Class 7.

“Our plan from the start was to crack off and get east of the rhumbline and sail as fast as we could to keep up with the front,” said navigator Adam Klyver (Fairfield, CT). “But the front was elusive and we kept running into the trough.

“In the Gulf Stream, we had Warrior Won pass us Saturday morning, so we felt like we were doing something right,” said the 55-year-old Klyver, who was sailing his second Bermuda Race and first as a navigator. “We tried to stay in the middle of the Stream and found a five-knot current pushing us southeast. We probably had favorable current for close to 90 percent of the race.”

The overall line honors winner, Jason Carroll’s (New York, NY) MOD70 Argo, finished late on day two , marking the first-ever Saturday finish in the 116-year history of the race. Argo set a new course record of 33 hours, at an average speed of 19.24 knots.

“It’s the most significant race close to home for us,” said the 44-year-old Carroll, who co-founded Hudson River Trading in 2002. “It’s amazing because only recently multihulls have been allowed in the race. It’s exciting. It’s the race people around New York City and Newport know the best; to be the record holder is cool.”

In the high-performance Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division, Warrior Won, Christopher Sheehan’s (Larchmont, NY) Pac52, captured first place not only on corrected time but also elapsed time, earning monohull line honors and the Corporation of Hamilton prize as the elapsed-time winner of the combined St. David’s Lighthouse and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse divisions.

Warrior Won’s elapsed time of 56h:43m:34s corrected out to a win of 48m:47s over NEKA Sailing’s custom J/120 Desperado, captained by Leonid Vasiliev (Port Jefferson, NY), and 58m:31s in front of Darren Walters’ (Boston, Massachusetts) Sunfast 3300 Alchemist. Originally listed as the Class winner and 2nd overall in Division, Alchemist was penalized 30 minutes on elapsed time for an OCS start per the notice of race, 2.2 l.

This penalty dropped them to second in Class and third overall, with NEKA Sailing’s custom J/120 Desperado, captained by Leonid Vasiliev (Port Jefferson, NY), moving up to first in Class and second overall.

In 2016, Sheehan won the St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy with his Xp44 of the same name. Now, after the prize-giving ceremony, he’ll become the first owner to take home a Lighthouse trophy as winner of both Gibbs Hill and St. David’s.

“It’s very humbling,” said Sheehan, who last year won the Transpac Race and last February the Caribbean 600. “I’d been thinking about it before the race. I had a ton of confidence in my team and my boat that we’d have a shot at the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. There are so many wonderful records and legendary sailors in this race.”

In the Spirit of Tradition Division, the Bermuda Sloop Foundation’s sail-training vessel Spirit of Bermuda, captained by Alexander Peacock (Newmarket, NH), completed the course in 92h:25m:09s. It was the fourth time the three-masted schooner, designed by Bill Langan, has sailed the race.

In the Open Division, Charlie Enright’s (Barrington, RI) Mālama of the 11th Hour Racing Foundation, finished in 41h:28m:43s, good for the fourth fastest elapsed time in the history of the race. In the Superyacht Division, Martin Sutter’s (Austin, TX) 141-foot steel-hulled Columbia finished in 87h:07m:34s.

In the Double-Handed Division, 20-year-old Zachary Doerr (Butler, PA), a Webb Institute undergraduate, and 53-year-old Vladimir Shablinsky (Glen Cove, NY), sailing the Figaro Custom 2 Groupe 5, won Class 6 and scored a nearly five-hour victory over James Hammitt’s (Wayland, MA) Sigma 41 Reveille, which won Class 5.

“It was a lot of fun as my first real offshore race,” said Doerr, who paired with Shablinsky, his North East Keelboat Alliance (NEKA) sailing coach. “A lot of it had to do with our comfort with the boat, especially on the second night when it was blowing 30 and we were going 20 knots with the A2 spinnaker up.

“I feel like most boats in the doublehanded class didn’t push as hard, and we just kept pushing and made a lot of miles that night. It was different than anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

Event information – Scratch Sheet – Results – Tracker

The 52nd running of the Newport Bermuda Race, co-organized by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC), began Friday, June 17, 2022 at the entrance to the East Passage of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.

First run in 1906, the Bermuda Race is the oldest of the five great 600-nautical mile races and is preceded only by the Transatlantic Race. The 2022 fleet has 187 entrants which will be split among eight divisions: Double-handed, Finisterre (for cruisers), Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Multihull, Open, Spirit of Tradition, St. David’s Lighthouse and Superyacht.

The record within the major divisions—St. David’s Lighthouse (limits on pro crew) and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse (no limits)—is 39 hours and 39 minutes, set by George David’s maxi yacht Rambler 90 in 2012, an average speed of 16 knots.

Source: CCA

Tags: Newport Bermuda Race , Sally Honey , Stan Honey

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Newport Bermuda Race Goes the Way of the Classic

• By Kate Somers
• July 9, 2024

The 53rd Newport Bermuda Race officially concluded on June 29 as winners and award recipients were honored at the Race’s Prize Giving Ceremony at the Pier 6 Complex on Front Street. The ceremony caps off nearly two weeks of festivities in both Rhode Island and Bermuda surrounding the storied sailing race.

This year’s Bermuda Race was as exciting and challenging as ever—featuring a series of fronts causing tricky conditions near the start and a characteristically choppy crossing of the Gulf Stream. Of the 162 boats that started in Newport, 147 crossed the finish line and docked at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in Hamilton. Fifteen boats retired, including the two boats that abandoned ship on the course. All crew of each of the participating boats arrived safely on land.

For the first time in its 118-year history, the Bermuda Race started off the coast of Newport’s Fort Adams, extending the historic course by 1 mile. After leaving Newport, boats reported light winds and slow sailing speeds, thanks to weather patterns moving from the north off the coast of New England. Proteus , a JV72, reported a dismasting at approximately 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, June 22. All crew were safe and the boat motored back to Newport after retiring from the race. Later Saturday, the breeze filled in, and the boats began making quick progress along the rhumbline toward Bermuda.

At 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 23, the crew of Alliance , a J/122 reported a water ingress and ultimately made the decision to abandon ship. Fellow competitors came to the boat’s assistance, and by 4:00 a.m. all of Alliance ’s crew had been brought safely aboard James Coggeshall’s J/122 Ceilidh to sail onward.

Following Sunday morning’s rescue, other boats in the fleet reported choppy seas in and beyond the Gulf Stream. Throughout the day, anticipation built up for the arrival of the first boats in Bermuda. Roy Disney’s Pyewacket 70 was the first to cross the finish line at 1:37 a.m. Monday with a corrected time of two days 11 hours and 17 minutes. Also finishing Monday morning were Allegra (corrected time two days 13 hours and 31 minutes) and OC 86 (corrected time two days 12 hours and 19 minutes).

Several vessels completed the race on Monday, and the Live Results were able to project that Summer Storm 52 —owned and skippered by Andy Berdon—would become the overall winner of the Gibbs Hill Division with a corrected time of 2 days 10 hours and 32 minutes. Navigator Chris Lewis, who also won the 52nd Bermuda Race, attributed the win to getting off the coast of Rhode Island early and avoiding the weather that stalled other boats.

A unique aspect of this year’s race was the Gulf Stream, as well as boats’ strategies to get and stay in the advantageous current. This year, sailors said they sometimes experienced close to a 5-knot push toward Bermuda. The trick then became exiting at the right moment.

 “As much as we were all enjoying the ride, we needed to figure out when to get off the ride,” said Lewis at the Navigator’s Forum—held as a debrief after the race. There is an old adage to not go east of the rhumbline but Lewis says they hedged their bets to stay in the Gulf Stream’s meander longer at the risk of going more upwind as they got closer to Bermuda.

Two top competitors in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, Carina (corrected time 2 days 16 hours 12 minutes) and Hound (corrected time of 2 days 16 hours 25 minutes), arrived in Bermuda overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning. As ratings were calculated on Tuesday morning, it became clear that Carina would win the division overall, due to a 30-minute penalty being added to Hound ’s corrected time after having crossed the starting line early.

On Tuesday afternoon, the crew of Gunga Din , a Swedish Yachts 41 abandoned ship 80 miles off of Bermuda due to water ingress. The crew of seven was taken aboard Desna , a Tartan 37, unharmed and continued along the course.

Both boats with rescued crews aboard— Ceilidh and Desna —arrived to applause and admiration on the docks of the RBYC. At the awards ceremony Saturday evening, both crews were presented with special plaques recognizing their heroic efforts to rescue their fellow sailors. The crew of Banter , which stood by to assist in the rescue of Alliance , was also recognized.

As the majority of the fleet continued to arrive on Wednesday and Thursday, overall winners were declared in the Double-Handed and Finisterre Divisions. Northeast Wind , a sloop, won Finisterre with a corrected time of 2 days 15 hours and 54 minutes. “We had the right boat, with the right conditions, and the right team,” said skipper Frank Sobchak.

Fearless , a Sunfast 3300, took the Double-Handed title with a corrected time of 3 days 4 hours and 23 minutes. Phil Hayden and Alexander Brock Kraebel co-skippered the boat, which had more than 500 virtual crew mates through Hayden’s non-profit Sail for Epilepsy. The organization works to inspire people with epilepsy and help them lead fuller lives, raise awareness about the disease, and support the search for a cure.

Along with trophies for division winners, special awards and recognitions were given to various members of this year’s fleet. Award winners include WaveWalker (William L. Glenn Family Participation Prize), OC 80 (Stephens Brothers Youth Prize), and Carina , Summer Storm , and In Theory as part of the Storm Trysail Red team (H. Irving Pratt Trophy).

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Dramatic Developments in the 53rd Newport Bermuda Race: Dismasting, An Abandoned Ship, and Close Contests

Alliance at the start on Friday before abandoning ship early Sunday morning. All crew are safely aboard Ceilidh. / Photo: Steve Clouter

Just 48 hours into the 53rd Newport Bermuda Race, the fleet has already faced significant challenges, including a dramatic dismasting, an abandoned ship, and several retirements. Despite these setbacks, sailors are experiencing a wide array of sailing conditions and sea states on their journey to Bermuda.

Peter Isler, navigator on the anticipated first-to-finish Pyewacket 70, commented on the dynamic weather: “We have had every headsail up in the inventory (except the storm jib).” His words capture the varied conditions that have tested the fleet’s mettle.

Challenges on the High Seas

The race started with very light winds off the coast of New England on Friday night. Passing thunderstorms on land left the fleet drifting at sea. At 0200 on Saturday, George Sakellaris’s JV 72, Proteus, suffered a dismasting while sailing in moderate conditions due to a mast failure at the base. Fortunately, all crew members were unharmed, and after cutting away the rig, they safely returned to Newport.

As Saturday progressed, the breeze filled in, and boats began making swift progress along the rhumb line towards Bermuda. Regular updates and photos have been shared on social media and the race website, keeping enthusiasts engaged with the unfolding drama.

Early Morning Drama and Heroic Efforts

At 0300 on Sunday, Alliance USA 52770 J/121, owned by Eric Irwin and Mary Martin, reported water ingress via a rudder post and subsequently decided to abandon ship. Multiple competitors halted their races to provide assistance. By 0400, all crew members had safely transferred to the J/121 Ceilidh, which will continue racing with the rescued Alliance crew aboard, aiming to arrive in Bermuda by Tuesday afternoon.

Race to the Finish

Roy Disney’s Pyewacket 70 is expected to be the first to finish, likely arriving off St. David’s Lighthouse tonight or early tomorrow morning. Pyewacket 70 currently leads the Live Leaderboard for the Gibbs Hill Division, closely followed by Andrew Berdon’s Summer Storm 52.

In the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, a fierce battle is brewing between Carina and Hound. These two teams, with a storied history spanning 50 years in the Bermuda Race, are competing for the top spot. Carina, with three wins since her launch over 50 years ago but none since 2012, is vying for a comeback. Hound, built for the Bermuda Race in 1970 by the father of Art Santry, the skipper currently in 5th place helming Temptation, boasts 88 Bermuda Races among her crew compared to Carina’s 67. With such experienced crews, the coming days promise an exciting showdown.

Stay tuned as the Newport Bermuda Race continues to deliver thrilling maritime action and showcases the resilience and skill of its competitors.

How to Follow The Race:

Obituary: Peter J. Lauzon (1933-2024)

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Bermuda Sailing Events & Races

Over the past four centuries, Bermuda has made plenty of sailing history. And the island’s high seas glory just keeps building, thanks to the wealth of sailing competitions that attract the world’s best sailors.

Bermuda has long been a top destination for sailing with ideal weather and water conditions, deep connections with the international sailing community, major sailing events and fun activities both on and off the water. The island’s legacy of sailing goes back centuries, when Bermuda was founded by the survivors of the shipwrecked Sea Venture in 1609. These sailors invented the Bermuda rig, which is still used in 95% of all sailing yachts today. 

Sailing Events & Yacht Races

Bermuda hosts a variety of major sailing events, including the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race: the Newport Bermuda Race. View a round-up of the island's major sailing races below.

Bermuda Sail Grand Prix

May 4-5, 2024.

Sail GP returns to the Great Sound for another 2-days of exhilarating wing-sailed foiling catamaran racing. Watch some of the world's best sailors battle the wind and the waters to take home first place in the Bermuda Grand Prix. Season Four of SailGP takes place in 14 locations around the world, with Bermuda being one of the original and most iconic destinations to host.

Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race

June 7-10, 2024.

If you’re going to attempt the  Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race , you’ve got to love the open sea. The race covers 753 miles, making it the longest ocean race on the East Coast of the U.S. The distance isn’t the only difficulty, however. Setting sail from Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay – known for its unpredictable winds and heavy shipping traffic – and traversing the swirling currents and wild weather of the Gulf Stream will test any crew’s mettle. Despite such challenges, the race is still open to first-timers, veterans and cruisers.

The Newport Bermuda Race

June 21 - 23*, 2024.

When the first Newport Bermuda Race took place in 1906, spectators were enthused and bewildered by the participants' desire to pull off such a brave feat. The 635 nautical miles between Newport, Rhode Island and Bermuda offer high winds and big waves – usually the kinds of things seamen do their best to avoid. But the challenge and thrills of the race have proven addictive to adventurous types. The race is nicknamed "the thrash to the Onion Patch" because of those aforementioned high winds and big waves (a potent mix sailors call "a hard thrash"), and because of Bermuda’s onetime primary export: onions. To this day, Bermudians still refer to themselves as “onions.”  Learn more about this race .

*Depending on the weather, the currents in the Gulf Stream, and the boat's size, the race takes 2 - 6 to six days finishing off St. David’s Lighthouse.

2025 Events

Antigua bermuda race.

In the Antigua Bermuda Race, a competing fleet of luxury yachts sets sail from Fort Charlotte, Antigua to Bermuda and its alluring crystal blue waters. 

Marion Bermuda Race

Boat racing can be a high-tech endeavour in the 21st century. But the biennial  Marion Bermuda Race  takes the sport back to its roots. Founded in 1977, the race challenges yachters to make the 645-mile journey from Buzzard Bay in Marion, Massachusetts to David’s Head in Bermuda using only the stars as their guide.

Though some sailors opt to use electronic tools these days, celestial navigation is what the race is best known for – it’s the only ocean race in North America that offers a celestial class. 

10 Reasons Sailors Love Bermuda

The Marion To Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race

How the Newport Bermuda Race Was Born

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Home  News  US Sailing Awards Medal to Sailors for Rescuing Crew of Sinking Boat During Offshore Race

US Sailing Awards Medal to Sailors for Rescuing Crew of Sinking Boat During Offshore Race

The Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal Goes to the Skippers and Crew of Two Sailing Vessels, Ceilidh and Banter

NEWPORT, RI (September 13, 2024) – The US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee has awarded the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to the skippers and crew of two sailing vessels, Ceilidh and Banter, who rescued competitors off a life raft from the sailboat Alliance that sank during an offshore race.

The medals were presented at a ceremony on Friday, September 13 th at the Newport Yacht Club in Newport, R.I., by Captains Jonathan Kabek and Sheila McCurdy, representing the US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee. Both are US Sailing certified Safety at Sea moderators, leading hands-on training that incorporates lessons learned from incidents such as these so that others may learn from them.

The incident happened in the early morning of Sunday, June 23, 2024, during the Newport to Bermuda Race, sponsored by the Cruising Club of America.  At 0248, the racing yacht S/V Alliance, a 40-foot J122, hit an unidentified submerged object causing flooding from the vicinity of the rudder and catastrophic steering system damage.

“There was fiberglass everywhere. There was no way to repair it,” says S/V Alliance co-skipper Mary Martin.

At approximately 2:50 a.m., two 40-foot racing yachts responded to a Mayday call from S/V Alliance. These were S/V Ceilidh, skippered by Jim Coggesshal of Dartmouth, MA, and S/V Banter, skippered by Matt Gimple of Pawcatuck, CT.

Both yachts were on scene about 3:30 a.m., about 40 minutes after S/V Alliance hit the submerged object. Despite having two electric dewatering pumps each capable of pumping over 4,000 gallons per hour, the water level on board S/V Alliance continued to rise. With S/V Ceilidh and S/V Banter in close proximity, S/V Alliance made the decision to abandon ship and conduct a life raft transfer.

While transfer to S/V Ceilidh was conducted first, the life raft’s upper ring punctured during the transfer, preventing additional crew transfer to S/V Banter. The transfer was completed at 4:06 a.m. The last tracker position report of Alliance was at 5:30 a.m. when she completed sinking.

With 16 aboard S/V Ceilidh, which carried only a 10-person life raft, S/V Banter acted as “buddy boat” for the remainder of the race. This was reassuring to both the crews of S/V Alliance and S/V Ceilidh, since the additional 2K pounds of weight aboard stressed Ceilidh. Both S/V Ceilidh and S/V Banter were well organized in their response, understood the situation, and responded without hesitation resulting in a successful life raft transfer in the middle of the Gulf Stream in challenging conditions and most importantly, no injury or loss of life.

The co-skippers of S/V Alliance, Eric Irwin of Mystic, CT, and Mary Martin of Newport, RI nominated their rescuers for these prestigious medals.

“For their situational awareness, watch keeping, superior seamanship and outstanding support of fellow racers in need resulted in the rescue of nine sailors on a sinking vessel. US Sailing is pleased to award the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to the skippers and crew of both S/V Ceiledh and S/V Banter,” said presenter Jonathan Kabek.

The Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal is awarded to any person who rescues or endeavors to rescue any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other perils at sea within the territorial waters of the United States, or as part of a sailboat race or voyage that originated or stopped in the U.S. The medal was established in 1990 by friends of the late Mr. Hanson, an ocean-racing sailor from the Chesapeake Bay, with the purpose of recognizing significant accomplishments in seamanship and collecting case studies of rescues for analysis by the Safety at Sea Committee of US Sailing for use in educational and training programs. Any individual or organization may submit a nomination for a Hanson Rescue Medal.

Visit the  US Sailing Hanson Rescue Medal website  for more information about these awards, including nomination form instructions and guidelines.

About US Sailing 

The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), certified by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of sailing in the United States, is dedicated to leading, advancing, supporting, and ensuring integrity in sailing at every level.  Founded in 1897, US Sailing, now serving over 40,000 members as well as over 1,500 yacht clubs and sailing centers, offers training and certifications for sailors, instructors, and race officials, oversees national championships, manages offshore ratings, conducts regional and national events, and spearheads initiatives to increase accessibility.  US Sailing also leads the training and development of the US Sailing Team for the Olympic Games and high-performance international competitions, providing comprehensive financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing, and communications support, as well as managing the Team USA athlete selection procedures for the Olympic Games.  More at  www.ussailing.org .

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Everything you need to know about the Youth America’s Cup 2024

• Toby Heppell
• September 17, 2024

The Youth America's Cup will see 12 teams competing in Barcelona in AC40 foiling monohulls to claim the Youth America's Cup Trophy

The 2024 Youth America’s Cup is set to get underway today Tuesday 17 September 2024 in Barcelona. Sponsored by UniCredit, the event will bring together the best young sailors from around the globe to compete in a knock out series to crown the Youth America’s Cup champion.

The inaugural Red Bull Youth America’s Cup was introduced in San Francisco and the winners of that regatta are now leading names in sailing.

Peter Burling , today the skipper of the Defender of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup , skippered the ‘NZL Sailing Team with Emirates Team New Zealand’ that featured stellar names like Blair Tuke, Andy Maloney and Sam Meech who are all involved with Emirates Team New Zealand in 2024.

Other names in that regatta, which was then held in non-foiling AC45 catamarans, include Jason Saunders (now with Orient Express Racing Team ), Lucien Cujean and Jason Waterhouse (both now with Alinghi Red Bull Racing ).

The Land Rover BAR team were crowned 2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Champions last time the event took place

Following the success of that inaugural regatta, the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup returned in 2017 in the crystal waters of Bermuda with the upgraded AC45F foiling catamaran and this time it was the British ‘GBR Land Rover BAR Academy’ team that lifted the trophy. Onboard was Neil Hunter, the powerhouse cyclor who was quickly snapped up by the senior team and is now a key member of the INEOS Britannia squad.

The Youth America’s Cup did not take place during the 2021 America’s Cup in Auckland, but has been reintroduced for this latest edition of the event.

Article continues below…

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The UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, is scheduled from September 17 to 26, 2024 and is open to sailors aged 18 to 25, it promises to showcase the talents of young athletes from 12 countries, all vying for top honours in foiling yacht racing.

The event will feature both fleet racing and match-racing formats, allowing teams to test their mettle in the different racing tyles. Fleet races will be the order of the day initially  while match-races will see two boats go head-to-head in a knockout format.

The Youth America’s Cup Venue

The races will be held at the Port Olímpic in Barcelona, a prime waterfront location that has undergone significant renovation in recent years. Built for the 1992 Olympic Games, the port is now a hub of Barcelona’s maritime culture and is the area in which the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup are taking place. Fans will have an incredible opportunity to view the races close up from the waterfront and beaches, adding a unique level of engagement to the event.

An AC40 in action. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

The Boats: AC40

The Youth America’s Cup will take place in the AC40 a one-design foiling monohull that has been used by America’s Cup teams for training, development and America’s Cup preliminary regattas.

The purchase of one AC40 was a prerequisite to entry into the 37th America’s Cup with the boats being used for an America’s Cup preliminary series (consisting of two events in the run up to the Cup itself), and also the reintroduced Youth America’s Cup.

Both the Youth AC and Preliminary Events (previously called the America’s Cup World Series) concept have been a feature of past America’s Cups, but both were dropped in the run-up to the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland.

The AC40 is designed to behave in a similar way to the America’s Cup boats , the AC75 . They have two large, weighted foils on either side of the boat but no traditional keel.

The boats are designed to foil on one foil only with the windward foil raised out of the water to reduce drag and provide increased righting moment.

With only four crew members onboard the AC40 there is a reliance on a variety of automated systems, including a battery powered system replacing the need for grinders, and automated controls to adjust foiling height and self-tacking headsails.

In terms of the rig, the AC40 again mimics the AC75s and features the same D-shaped mast on which two sail skins will be hoisted to create a soft wingsail, offering plenty of control in a sail plan that can be easily raised and lowered from onboard.

Youth America’s Cup Format

The competition kicked off with five days of training from September 10 to 16, giving the teams a chance to familiarise themselves with the AC40s. The race series begins with the Qualification Series from September 17 to 21, where the teams are split into two groups. The top three teams from each group will progress to the Final Series on September 22, followed by the Match-Race Final on September 26.

The format challenges the sailors in both fleet and match-racing, testing their versatility and adaptability across multiple racing styles.

Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Youth America’s Cup teams

Twelve teams from around the world, will compete for the trophy. These teams represent both traditional America’s Cup contenders and yacht clubs from across the globe, reflecting the growing international appeal of youth sailing. Teams will consist of four sailors each, with a mix of helmsmen and trimmers. The Teams in the Youth America’s Cup are:

• New Zealand – Emirates Team New Zealand – representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS)
• Great Britain – Athena Pathway – representing the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd (RYS)
• Switzerland – Alinghi Red Bull Racing – representing Société Nautique de Genève (SNG)
• Italy – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – representing Circolo della Vela Sicilia (CVS)
• USA – NYYC American Magic – representing New York Yacht Club (NYYC)
• France – Orient Express – L’Oréal Racing Team – representing Société Nautique Saint-Tropez (SNST)
• Spain – Sail Team BCN Real – representing Club Náutico de Barcelona (RCNB)
• The Netherlands – JAJO Team DutchSail – representing Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeil- & Roeivereeniging (KNZ&RV) Royal Maas Yacht Club (KR&ZV ‘De Maas’)
• Canada – Concord Pacific Racing – representing Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (RVYC)
• Germany – Youth America’s Cup Team Germany – representing Kieler Yacht Club, Verein Seglerhaus am Norddeutscher Regattaverein, Bayrischer Yacht-Club
• Sweden – Swedish Challenge Powered by Artemis Technologies – representing Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS), Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKSS)
• Australia – Andoo Team Australia – representing Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

Youth America’s Cup, Youth Presentation. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

How to watch the Youth America’s Cup

The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup has partnered with broadcasters in some territories but most sailors will be able to catch it live on the America’s Cup Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as www.americascup.com . If you missed the races or want to relive the action, full replays are available immediately after the racing finishes.

Follow all of our 2024 America’s Cup coverage

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