Safe Harbor Newport Regatta 2025 Preview

ByStuart Johnstone
Sailboats racing with black sails on water.


 Wired logo with a pixelated design.

(Newport, RI)- An increasingly popular regatta during the busy Newport sailing season has been the Safe Harbor Newport regatta. It’s a fun event both on and off the water. The sailing on Narragansett Bay is always fun and challenging, dealing with currents and shifty winds. But, where the Safe Harbor regatta has developed an enthusiastic following amongst sailors is their “apres sailing” events onshore at their world-class yacht harbor facility. With great food, a huge tent, and great bands on Friday and Saturday evenings, the parties are well attended by the eccentric mix of yachties off the magnificent super yachts and the enthusiasts on a range of offshore racing/ cruising yachts.

PHRF Nav B Division
Four J/crews are sailing in this division, all capable teams that have podiumed before. Sailing are Jim Phyfe’s J/44 DIGGER, Mark Nannini’s J/120 SALACIA, Brian Nelson’s J/112E HONEY BADGER, and Doug Curtiss’s J/111 WICKED 2.0.

PHRF D Division
This eight-boat fleet is nearly an all “J” class. Five J/109s are participating- John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT, Ted Herlihy’s GUT FEELING, Cam Nash’s MISTRAL, Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA, and Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE. Joining them are John Sartorius’s J/120 ALIBI and Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO.

PHRF E Division
This is another fleet dominated by J/Teams. Four of the five teams are Js, including two J/105s (Chris Tate’s BLITZ and Ned Joyce & Andy Reservitz’s DARK’N’STORMY 2), Kevin Dakan’s J/110 MEMORY, and EC Helme’s J/92S SPIRIT.

ORC B Division
A trio of J/122s will be doing battle in this ten-boat fleet, all of whom are silverware winners in multiple regattas over time. Those J/122s are Tom Sutton’s LEADING EDGE, David Rosow’s LOKI, and Jack Gregg’s TARAHUMARA. Joining them will be Ed Kaye’s J/111 PRAVDA 2 from Marblehead, MA.

For more Safe Harbor Newport Regatta sailing information
https://yachtscoring.com/emenu/17003