After a two-year hiatus, the 2026 Antigua Bermuda Race will once again send a fleet of offshore sailors northward across nearly 1,000 miles of open Atlantic. The fifth edition of the 935-nautical-mile race starts April 29 from Antigua, following Antigua Sailing Week and finishing in time for SailGP Bermuda on May 9-10.
Run by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in partnership with Antigua Sailing Week, the race has grown into one of the Caribbean’s signature bluewater events. It offers sailors a unique mix of spirited competition and seagoing adventure, departing from the turquoise waters of Falmouth Harbour and finishing off one of the Atlantic’s great island nations.
“The Antigua Bermuda Race is timed to coincide with the end of Antigua Sailing Week when many yachts are already preparing to head north out of the Caribbean,” said Race Chair and Past Commodore Les Crane. “With today’s high ocean freight rates, it’s a safe, economical, and highly enjoyable way to take your boat home while joining an organized event.”
The course takes the fleet past Barbuda before heading into open water, out of sight of land until the finish. Sailors can expect everything from brisk tradewind reaching to light-air strategy sessions, a true offshore experience without the extended commitment of a transatlantic passage.
Past competitors have praised the event for its balance of performance sailing and pure ocean magic. In the 2022 edition, Meg Reilley of the Canadian Pogo 12.50 Hermes II recalled, “The first few days can be a sleigh ride. Reaching in the tradewinds, Hermes effortlessly coasts between waves, holding double-digit speeds so gracefully that all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.”
The race is open to IRC and CSA Racing Yachts, Cruiser Racers, Multihulls, and Superyachts, with dedicated categories for classic and doublehanded entries. A secondary CSA motor-sailing division allows yachts using engines under time penalty to still compete.
Registration for the 2026 event opens November 15, and the official Notice of Race is now available at antiguabermuda.com. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club will host the awards ceremony on May 7, just ahead of SailGP Bermuda’s Great Sound action that weekend.
Whether as a competitive feeder race or a once-in-a-lifetime passage between two legendary sailing hubs, the Antigua Bermuda Race offers sailors a chance to stretch their sea legs, test their skills, and celebrate the enduring spirit of ocean racing.
