Queen’s Sailing Tackles Newport Bermuda Race

May 15, 2024

Eight sailors from the Queen’s Sailing Team are embarking on the Newport Bermuda Race, a four-day, 1,200 km event from Newport, RI, to St George, Bermuda, featuring 200 yachts in what is one of North America’s biggest sailing races. Skipper Julian Hill says the group will be racing under the name HoldFast Ocean Racing, hoping to “inspire a younger generation to hold fast in their skill, passion, and competitive ability.”

The Farr 40,  Black,  is the boat the Queens Team will be racing in to Bermuda. The boat belongs to Oakcliff Sailing, a non-profit sailing organization in Oyster Bay, NY. Oakcliff is facilitating much of the team’s training in lead up to the race.

The Queen’s students will be the youngest participating team – the median age of sailors in the Newport Bermuda Race is 56, and HoldFast Ocean Racing members are all younger than 24. To prepare, the team will participate in five regattas and two months of training in New York and Rhode Island.

Partnering with Oakcliff Sailing, HoldFast will compete in the 635 nautical mile (1200 km) Newport-Bermuda Race, going head to head with the world’s best. Oakcliff sailing — an official training partner of America’s Cup team: New York Yacht Club American Magic — will oversee our training program in Oyster Bay and in Newport, Rhode Island.

HoldFast will be competing in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division, where we will be up against some of the world’s best offshore racers and professional sailors.  Leading up to that race, the team will spend the two months preparing at Oakcliff’s training centre in Oyster Bay, NY.  

The Race gun goes on June 21. Follow their adventures at holdfast-oceanracing.ca, and @holdfastoceanracing on Instagram.

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