The Antigua Bermuda Race Returns: 935 Miles of Bluewater Glory

The fifth edition of the Antigua Bermuda Race launches April 29, and for those of us who live for long offshore legs with the trades on the beam, this one deserves your attention.

The 935-nautical-mile course between English Harbour, Antigua and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is one of the Caribbean's great remaining bluewater challenges — a proper ocean passage that rewards solid seamanship over glossy sponsorship budgets. It sits in that sweet spot between a coastal race and a full transatlantic: long enough to demand serious offshore preparation, short enough that you're not provisioning for three weeks.

Why This Race Matters

The Antigua Bermuda Race occupies a unique position in the offshore calendar. It runs at the tail end of the Caribbean season, when most cruisers are either settled into their hurricane holes or beginning the long beat north. For racing crews, it offers a genuine ocean passage in warm water with largely favorable conditions — northeast trades pushing you along the rhumb line toward Bermuda's coral reefs.

But don't mistake warm water for easy sailing. The course takes you across the North Atlantic's convergence zone, where the Caribbean trades meet the Bermuda High's circulation. Conditions can shift from a comfortable beam reach in 15 knots to confused seas and squally weather as you approach the island. The last 200 miles into Bermuda have humbled more than a few well-prepared crews.

The Fleet and the Format

The race attracts a genuinely diverse fleet — everything from well-campaigned IRC racers to sturdy cruiser-racers making their first offshore start. That mix is part of what makes it special. You'll find a Swan 65 trading tacks with a JPK 1080, and nobody thinks that's strange. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club hosts the finish, with prize-giving on May 7, just ahead of the SailGP Bermuda event — making it worth lingering dockside for the spectacle.

Registration opened in November, but late entries are typically accommodated for boats that meet the safety requirements. The Notice of Race is available at antiguabermuda.com, and the safety equipment list follows World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations Category 1 — so plan accordingly if your vessel hasn't been recently audited.

What It Takes

If you're considering entering, the preparation checklist is straightforward but non-negotiable. Your boat needs a current stability assessment, and your crew needs to include at least two sailors with recognized offshore safety training. The race committee takes the safety inspection seriously — they'll check your jacklines, your life raft certification, your EPIRB registration, and your flare inventory. This isn't a Wednesday night beer can race.

Sail plan for the passage typically means running downwind or broad reaching for the first 500 miles, then hardening up as you approach Bermuda from the south-southeast. Pack a good asymmetric and make sure your pole work is dialed in. The boats that do well here are the ones that keep the kite flying cleanly through the night watches.

The Bigger Picture

Races like Antigua Bermuda are quietly important for the bluewater community. They remind us that ocean sailing isn't just about circumnavigations and record attempts — sometimes the best passages are the ones that take you across a manageable piece of open ocean with a clear destination and a cold Dark 'n' Stormy waiting at the other end.

The awards ceremony at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is one of those rare events where the stories from the passage matter more than the corrected time results. That's the spirit this race was built on, and five editions in, it hasn't lost it.

For more information and registration details, visit antiguabermuda.com. The fleet departs Antigua on April 29.