With six months to go before the start of the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race on June 20, the official Notice of Race (NOR) has now been posted on www.bermudarace.com. This official Notice of Race replaces the Preliminary Notice of Race that was posted on www.bermudarace.com in October.
Since on-line registration opened on January 14, skippers have been signing up for the first Newport Bermuda Race of the second century of racing to Bermuda at near-record pace. Post-race dock space at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is going quickly, and you need to reserve dockage now to guarantee a front-row seat at the post-race festivities.
The NOR defines the rules, regulations, and conditions under which the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race will be run, and is the primary source document governing the race. It is important that competitors read the NOR carefully to fully understand both the race organization and the applicable rules.
Download the Notice of Race
Offshore Special Reglations (OSR)
Within the Notice of Race, numerous references are made to the Offshore Special Regulations (OSR). Officially, these are the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations Governing Offshore Racing for Monohulls & Multihulls, commonly referred to as the OSR, or the Special Regs. These regulations govern the design characteristics, construction parameters, and equipment required for offshore racing yachts, as well as the training and personal equipment required of offshore racing sailors.
The Offshore Special Regulations are updated and modified every two years, and it is critical that competitors utilize the current version of the OSR in preparing for the race, as substantive changes may have been made since the last edition was published. Only the 2008-2009 ISAF Offshore Special Regulations should be used in preparing for the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race.
While the Offshore Special Regulations are a publication of ISAF (International Sailing Federation), there are numerous prescriptions to the OSR which are issued by US SAILING, the National Authority for the Newport Bermuda Race. These prescriptions may alter or clarify the meaning of certain paragraphs of the OSR. Except as specifically modified within the NOR, including Appendix A and Appendix B of that document, the 2008 – 2009 US SAILING prescriptions to the OSR apply for the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race.
As of this date, the US SAILING prescriptions to the 2008-2009 ISAF Offshore Special Regulations have not been formally published. The international version of the OSR can be downloaded free of charge from the ISAF website, www.sailing.org. Competitors are advised to monitor the US SAILING website, www.ussailing.org, for publication of the US version of the 2008-2009 OSR.
We will post a notice on www.bermudarace.com when this publication is available. In the interim, we are preparing an unofficial summary of the OSR changes for posting on www.bermudarace.com.
Changes from the Preliminary Notice of Race
Changes from the Preliminary Notice of Race for 2008 include the modification of some speed (rating) limits and clarification of some rule details for various divisions within the race. Particularly, the speed limit for the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division has been altered to more accurately reflect the performance levels of state-of-the-art offshore racing designs at the cutting edge of performance.
This substantive change affects the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division only. The Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division consists largely of professionally helmed, professionally crewed boats. Minor adjustments to speed limits have been made to several other divisions as well.
Apply for Entry
If you haven’t yet completed an Application for Entry for the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race, now is the time.
Register to Race
We welcome you to the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race. The second century of racing to Bermuda begins on June 20, 2008. Join us, and be a part of offshore racing history.