The 53rd Newport Bermuda Race officially came to a close this evening, 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 (RBYC) in Hamilton. 15 boats retired, including the two boats that abandoned ship on the course. All crew of each of the participating boats have arrived safely back on land.
“I'm incredibly grateful for the 1400 plus sailors who participated in this Race, the preparation that they put in, and the seamanship and safety skills that they demonstrated,” said Race Chair Andrew Kallfelz. “I'm really grateful for the over 100 volunteers both in Newport and Bermuda that made this happen. Particularly the Fleet Communications Office, that managed an extraordinary number of events and the support they got from the Coast Guard and the Rescue Coordination Center here in Bermuda. I'm very thankful for all our sponsors who made this happen for us and we really look forward to starting the preparations for 2026.”
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 one mile. On Friday, June 21 the race’s start was broadcast live online to over 8000 spectators, with close to 2000 more joining a starting line party on shore at Fort Adams.
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 rhumb line towards Bermuda.
At 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 23, the crew of Alliance, a J/121 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 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 two days 10 hours and 32 minutes. Navigator Chris “Lew” 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.
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