Royal Bermuda Yacht Club marina is now maintaining a wait list for yachts in the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race.  The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, just across the harbor, is taking reservations. 

RBYC Berth Reservation Form (wait list only)
RHADC Berth Reservation Form (reservations available)

RBYC marina manager James Barnes reported Tuesday that one berth remained, but within minutes Bob and Farley Towse’s Blue Yankee took the last slot.  Now, it is ‘wait list only’ at the host club in Bermuda.

After only three weeks of online entry for the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race, 156 boats have applied for entry. So far, 55 of those are new boats for the Newport Bermuda Race (some repeat owners have new boats) and 72 of the owners did not enter the record breaking 264-boat 2006 centennial race.

Looking back to the 2004 race, 67 now on the 2008 list did not do that race either. Four did 2004, but not 2006.

“Of those 144 boats with reserved slips,” commented race Chairman Nick Nicholson, “31 boats have not yet applied for entry in the race, so we have a probable fleet of 186 boats to date.”

“A large number of our race veterans have yet to apply,” he continued, “so I am urging the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee to get on the phone with those owners they know who intend to race and get them in gear!”

Ralph Richardson, Commodore of the RBYC said, “Even though the RBYC marina is full, our friends at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club at the end of Hamilton Harbour have plenty of berths available.  We plan to have a water shuttle to connect the two clubs as we did in 2006.”