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Newport is synonymous with sailing, so it's only fitting that we kick start summer with the return of a renowned ocean race.

The Newport Bermuda Race, the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race dating back to 1906, and one of just two of the world’s regularly scheduled races held almost entirely out of sight of land, returns to our Classic Coast on Friday, June 19, 2026. 

ABOUT THE RACE

The Newport to Bermuda race is nicknamed “The Thrash to the Onion Patch” because most Bermuda races include high winds and large waves (a combination sailors call “a hard thrash”), and because Bermuda is an agricultural island. This year marks the 54th running of the Bermuda Race since the founding in 1906. 

A race not designed for novices, the course kicks off at Fort Adams and crosses the rough Gulf Stream, concluding 636 Atlantic Ocean miles later off Bermuda's St. David's Lighthouse. Since the course is mostly out of the reach from rescue helicopters and Bermuda is guarded by a dangerous reef, the race demands intense prowess and a well-built boat that meets stringent equipment requirements. 

FAST FACTS:

• Free Parking
• Food Trucks 
• Beer Garden featuring Goslings Rum and Whalers Beer 
• Live Broadcast with Commentary on the big screen
• Shopping with Team One Newport
• Kids Zone
• Live Music with RikiRocksteady All Stars
• Artillery Cannon Signal
• Race Partners and Local Non-Profits Tents

For more information on the race, please click here. 

WHERE TO WATCH

Starting Line Live Show & Party at Fort Adams

Date: Friday, June 19
Time: 12:00 - 4:00 PM
Location: Fort Adams State Park
Admission: Free Entry & Parking

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM: Gates are open
  • Free Entry and Parking: Other options for travel including Providence Ferry, Newport Water Taxi, and Biking
• 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM: Music by RikiRocksteady All Stars
• 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM: Food Trucks
• 11:30 AM - 4:30 PM: Beer Garden open
  • Whalers Beer and Goslings Rum. Must be 21 and served in the designated Beer Garden
• 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM: Exhibits
  • Race Partners and Local Non-Profits Tents
    • Cruising Club of America
    • Ørsted
    • Sailors for the Sea
    • Panexplore
    • Tasca Cars
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
    • Sail Beyond Cancer
• 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM: Kid Zone
  • Conanicut Island Sailing Foundation (CISF) Games and Activities
  • Ørsted Wind Turbine Toy Building
• 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM: TeamOneNewport Pop-Up Shop from
• 2:45 PM: Starting Line Live Show presented by Ørsted begins
• 1:00 PM: First Warning Signal
  • Cannon Signal: Newport Artillery will fire the cannon will signal the countdown to the first start.
• 1:10 PM: First start
  • First class crosses the starting line. Each subsequent class is every 10 minutes
• 3:00 PM: Last Class starts 
  • Sailors are off! By 3:10 the last boat will cross the line and the teams will be headed out to the Atlantic but the fun doesn't need to stop. A replay and food trucks and bars will be open until 4:30 pm.

To register for this FREE event, please click here. 

ABOUT THE TEAMS

The average crew is comprised of ten sailors, all congregating from across the world.

In 2016 sailors represented 23 different countries, and 55 of the boats had at least one sailor from outside of the United States, and in 2018 a total of 170 boats entered, and after a cancelled 2020 event, 2022 hosted 192 total boats, and 2024 had 170. 

This year’s event is expected to have 158 boats competing.

HOW LONG IS THE RACE?

Depending on the weather, the infamous strong currents of the Gulf Stream and the boat’s size and speed, the race takes anywhere from two to six days, with the first boat arriving at the finish line off St. David’s Lighthouse between Sunday and Monday, and the smaller boats arriving between Monday and Wednesday or Thursday.

Prefer to view the action from the water? Sit back and relax on your choice of charter cruise.

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