The Antigua Bermuda Race Returns: 935 Miles of Open Atlantic Await

The fifth edition of the Antigua Bermuda Race launches April 29th, and it might be the best reason yet to point your bow north out of the Caribbean this spring. After a hiatus, the 935-nautical-mile ocean race from Fort Charlotte, Antigua to Bermuda is back — and the timing couldn't be better.

A Race Reborn at the Right Moment

The organizers have threaded the needle on scheduling this year. The start falls just after Antigua Sailing Week wraps up, giving crews already in English Harbour a natural next chapter. Better still, the finish in Bermuda lands days before SailGP hits the Great Sound on May 9-10. For anyone who's ever wanted to race offshore and then watch the world's fastest foiling cats tear around a stadium course, this is your window.

Registration opened back in November, but late entries may still find a spot. The fleet is open to IRC and CSA racing yachts, cruiser-racers, multihulls, and superyachts, with a minimum LOA of 35 feet. New this edition: dedicated classes for classic yachts and doublehanded entries, plus a CSA motor-sailing division that allows yachts using engines under a time penalty to still compete. That last category is a smart nod to the growing number of cruiser-racers who want the offshore experience without pretending their heavy-displacement bluewater boat is a stripped-out racer.

The Passage Itself

Once the fleet clears Antigua and passes Barbuda, it's open ocean — no land until Bermuda rises from the Atlantic. The route takes you through the transition zone where Caribbean trade winds give way to the variable conditions of the western Atlantic. Crews can expect anything from reaching in steady trades to navigating around high-pressure ridges with maddeningly light air. The Gulf Stream's northern edge adds a layer of tactical complexity, with current eddies that can make or break an elapsed time.

For cruisers contemplating the jump north to Bermuda or the US East Coast, this race offers something invaluable: a structured offshore passage with safety infrastructure, weather routing support, and the camaraderie of a fleet around you. It's a far cry from making the passage alone and wondering if you've picked the right weather window.

What It Means for the Cruising Calendar

The Antigua Bermuda Race fills a gap that's existed in the Atlantic sailing calendar. April is traditionally when the northbound migration begins — cruisers hauling anchor from the Leeward Islands and starting the journey toward Bermuda, the Azores, or the US coast. Having a formal race on this route validates what thousands of cruisers do every spring and adds a competitive framework for those who want it.

The awards ceremony is set for May 7th at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, and Bermuda itself is shaping up as a sailing hub that week with SailGP following immediately after.

If You're Not Racing

Even if you're not entering, the race is worth following. The fleet tracker will be live on antiguabermuda.com, and it's a useful exercise to compare the racing fleet's routing decisions against what you'd choose for a cruising passage on the same route. Watch how the leaders handle the Gulf Stream crossing and the approach to Bermuda — there are passage-planning lessons in every mile of it.

The longest ocean race in the western Atlantic deserves attention. Whether you're on the start line or planning your own northbound passage, the Antigua Bermuda Race is a reminder that April in the Atlantic is anything but quiet.