There are distance races — and then there’s the Ida Lewis Distance Race.
The no-nonsense, 24-hour offshore grind returns for its 21st running on Friday, Aug. 14, launching crews into one of the most demanding sailing tests in New England. The start gun fires just off Fort Adams, sending boats charging into Narragansett Bay and beyond on courses selected by the race committee — routes that blend tight coastal tactics with true offshore punishment.
This is not a sunset cruise.
Crews can expect it all: drifting night watches, breeze-on reaches, shifting weather and fatigue-clouded decision-making — sometimes within the same race. It’s a full-throttle test of endurance, seamanship and mental toughness, run straight through the dark and into dawn.
The event is open to ORC, PHRF and Double-Handed classes, along with Youth and Collegiate Challenge divisions, drawing a deep field of offshore veterans and hungry up-and-comers. Different boats, different backgrounds — same goal: survive the night and still have something left at the finish.
And that finish? Few can match it.
After a full day at sea, crews are welcomed home with offshore sailing’s version of a victory parade — a champagne finish inside Newport Harbor, right in front of the historic Ida Lewis Yacht Club, which hosts the race. It’s celebratory, hard-earned — and unmistakably Newport.
For sailors chasing stamina, strategy and bragging rights in some of the most storied waters in the sport, the Ida Lewis Distance Race remains a must-do — and a badge of honor once it’s done.
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