A luxury trip to the Newport Bermuda Race? For $65,000, it could all be yours.

A sailboat seen off Castle Hill Lighthouse, where previous iterations of the race began. This year’s Newport Bermuda Race will begin off Fort Adams State Park. (Getty Image by nikon401)

The biennial Newport Bermuda Race returns to Newport this Friday, June 21, when sailing afficionados from all over will descend on Narragansett Bay for the iconic “Thrash to the Onion Patch.”

But why watch the show bayside when you could be in the thick of the action on your very own yacht? With Hammetts Hotel’s five-figure Newport Bermuda Race package, you can.

The luxury package includes a two-night stay in a Marina King Suite for the duration of race weekend, along with exclusive seating on a thirty-foot Hinckley yacht or Hinckley picnic boat for the race sendoff Friday afternoon courtesy of Barton & Gray Mariners Club.

The package also includes a dining and beverage credit for Giusto, the waterfront Italian restaurant on Hammetts Wharf, and a $500 gift card to sustainable clothing brand Holebrook Sweden, also located on Hammetts Wharf. After the race sendoff, guests can test their skills on the water with a private sailing lesson from Sail Newport.

The Newport Bermuda Race package includes a two-night stay at Hammetts Hotel. (Photo courtesy of Hammetts Hotel)

The fun doesn’t end when the boats depart. The package includes a round-trip, business-class flight from Boston to Bermuda via Bermuda Air to welcome the race winners. As they while away the days until the finish line, guests can enjoy a one-week stay at Leamington Caves, an eight-bedroom, 12,000-square-foot residence featuring an infinity pool, yoga deck and private underground cave network. The stay offers amenities including a personal chef, organized yoga classes, massages and more.

All this for the cool price of $65,000.

It’s not the first time Hammetts Hotel has offered a luxury Newport Bermuda Race package. In 2022, the hotel made headlines with its $50,000 race package featuring a champagne lunch and a visit aboard the tall ship Spirit of Bermuda.

For those with lighter pockets, this weekend’s race festivities still offer plenty to enjoy. For the first time since the race’s founding in 1906, the starting line will be located off the shoreline of Fort Adams State Park, providing easy viewing for visitors. (Previous races started in the waters off Castle Hill Lighthouse.) The Bermuda Race Foundation is hosting a starting line party at the fort from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday featuring live music, drinks courtesy of the Gulf Stream Bar, lawn games, food trucks and a demonstration by the Artillery Company of Newport. Beginning at 1:45 p.m., Ken Read of North Sails and professional sailor and coach Jesse Fielding will offer live commentary. Cole Brauer, the first American woman to sail solo around the world unassisted, will offer commentary from the water.

The package includes a one-week stay at a private rental in Bermuda. (Getty Image by yujie chen)

The race starts at 2 p.m., when the first of 170 boats will cross the starting line. Subsequent waves of boats will leave Newport every ten minutes. The 636-mile race concludes off St. David’s Lighthouse in Bermuda, with the fastest boats expected to cross the finish line Sunday or Monday and other boats arriving throughout the week.

The Newport Bermuda Race is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race. Competitors must cross the Gulf Stream and navigate a dangerous reef around Bermuda. Rhode Island has had its share of bragging rights in the race over the years, including in 2022, when a group of local high school students and recent graduates became the first all-female youth team to complete the race.

Parking and admission to the starting line party are free at Fort Adams State Park on Friday, but guests are advised to RSVP online to reserve a spot.

Hammetts Wharf in Newport. (Photo courtesy of Hammetts Hotel)

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