The Onion Patch Series, anchored by the Newport Bermuda Race, is a diverse series of international races that challenge the complete range of a yacht’s capabilities and a racing crew’s skills. 

Yachts compete in the Onion Patch for both individual and three-boat team prizes.

The Onion Patch starts out with the high-level competition of the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, with a focus on fast-paced round-the-buoys sailing.  The Series then moves on to the historic ocean racing of the Newport Bermuda Race, complete with the challenges of the Gulf Stream and the joys of “Happy Valley” on the approach to Bermuda.  Finally, the Onion Patch concludes with delightful and exuberant racing in sub-tropical conditions on Great Sound off Hamilton, Bermuda, with the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s Anniversary Regatta.

Ultimately, the Onion Patch rewards strong, capable all-round performance: a true demonstration of a yacht’s depth of performance, a crew’s seamanship, and of boat-handling superiority.  Entries range in size from the smallest to the largest yachts entered in the St David’s or Gibb’s Hill Division of the Bermuda Race.  Crews include family Corinthian crews competing against the professionals.  Interestingly, the more amateur crews in the smaller yachts have fared well in the past. This reflects the fact that the series is a combination of ocean racing, windward-leeward, and point-to-point around the buoys day racing, a structure that tends to level the playing field.

Entry is open to any yacht sailing in the NYYC Annual Regatta in Newport on June 14-15, the Newport Bermuda Race starting Friday, June 20, and the RBYC Anniversary Regatta on Friday, June 28.  Scoring will be under IRC, and requires an endorsed IRC rating certificate.  Yachts sail as individual entries for the DuPont Trophy, and may also enter as three-boat teams sailing for the Onion Patch Trophy.

New for 2008 will be posting of crew available to fill vacant positions on board Bermuda Race yachts who wish to compete on Friday on Great Sound, but who want additional crew for day racing.  The list of available crew will include names of sailors from Bermuda (with local knowledge useful in the around the buoys racing in Great Sound) and sailors from yachts that are not participating in the Friday racing.

Register for the Onion Patch series on www.bermudarace.com as part of the Bermuda Race registration process.  Register for the NYYC regatta and the RBYC Anniversary Regatta at www.nyyc.org.

Contact Onion Patch Series Chairman Richard Shulman at rshulman@heartri.com for further information.