Record J/Boats Fleet Ready for 2026 Newport Bermuda Race
(Newport, RI)- The Newport Bermuda Race is a 636.0 nm biennial offshore yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island, to the finish line off St. David’s Lighthouse, Bermuda. Established in 1906, it’s the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race and one of the few international distance races held almost entirely out of sight of land, alongside the Transpac Race.
Organized by the Bermuda Race Foundation—a collaboration between the Cruising Club of America (CCA) and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC)—the race emphasizes safety, seamanship, and the spirit of amateur sailing.
For 2026, the Newport Bermuda Race is once again living up to its reputation as a truly global offshore regatta. The fleet has eclipsed 150 boats, with yachts and sailors from around the world preparing to meet on the starting line at 1300 hours, Friday, June 19th, 2026, for the iconic “Thrash to the Onion Patch.”
J/Teams comprise 25.0% of the fleet in this year’s edition, a record participation rate by ANY sailboat brand since the beginning of the Newport Bermuda Race! Here is how they are distributed amongst the various racing divisions.
St. David’s Lighthouse Division
This division features versatile cruiser-racer monohulls, mostly sailed by amateur crews. With 86 boats registered so far, it limits professional crew and allows only amateurs to steer. Most of the J/Teams are entered in this division- 27 J/teams or 31.4% of the division!
Notable contenders from previous races include seven J/120s with top teams like Richard West’s CHARLOTTE, Rick Oricchio’s ROCKET SCIENCE, Richard Born’s WINDBORN, and John Sartorius’s ALIBI.
Amongst the seven J/122s registered are Dan Heun’s MOXIEE, Andrew Clark’s ZIG ZAG, Matthew Schaedler’s BLITZKRIEG, Constantine Baris’s DIRE WOLF, Andrew Child’s ORION, and Kevin Kelley’s SUMMER GRACE. The J/122 contingent is all strong offshore teams and, given even half a chance, a number of them may end up on the podium!
One of the J/125 offshore speedsters plans to compete- Macrae Sykes’s GOOD NEWS. IF there was ever an unpredictable “lethal weapon” offshore, the J/125 fits that bill. Given any kind of reaching conditions with jib tops, code zeros, or with big asymmetric spinnakers and massive staysails, the J/125s can peel off the miles faster than you can blink.
Past J/80 North American Champions have been successful offshore, in particular the Storck family’s J/130 BLITZEN. They’re just coming off a huge division win in the recent “warm-up” event a few weekends ago- the Storm Trysail Club’s famous Block Island Race.
A duo of proven offshore veterans with plenty of silverware to their names are the two J/133s- Ray Rhinelander’s BELLA J from Toronto, Canada and VAMOOSE from Barrington, RI. Both have offshore veterans aboard and have done events like the RORC’s Caribbean 600 Race “down island”.
A trio of classic J/44s are always a contender, including Jim Phyfe’s DIGGER, June Kendrick’s PALANTIR, and Martin van Bremen’s MONHEGAN.
Other contenders include Trevor Roach’s J/121 TOUCH OF GREY, Len Sitar’s J/160 COUGAR, Will Apold’s J/99 DRAGON FIRE, and Martin Zonnenberg’s J/111 QUICKDRAW.
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division
This division is for all-out racing, typically lightweight, high-performance boats often sailed by professional crews who may steer. The sole J/Team in this nineteen-boat division is Chris Taylor’s new J/45 MISCHIEF MANAGED from Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD.
Finisterre Division
This twenty-six boat division, formerly the “cruising division”, is for boats with mostly amateur crews and sail limits— but it’s just as competitive as the others. A trio of J/Teams is currently registered, including David Tabor’s J/42 DIANTHUS, Lynn McClaskey’s J/110 CIMARRON, and Brad & Tori Willauer’s J/46 BREEZING UP.
DoubleHanded Division
This division is two-crew only, and one crew can be a professional and may steer. At this time, six J/crews are participating, nearly half of the thirteen-boat fleet. Those teams include Hank Halsted’s J/160 PIPE DREAM, David Southwell’s J/121 ALCHEMY, Mike Kohler’s J/99 EVENTYR, Peter Becker & Adrien Blanc’s J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN, Drew Plominski & Bonnie Heiple’s J/40 ARTEMISIA, and Chris & Karen Lewis’s J/44 KENAI.
For more Newport Bermuda Race sailing information
https://bermudarace.com/