Exciting Ida Lewis Distance Race a chance for veterans and new skippers to perform over 24 hours of distance

Over the weekend, over forty racing teams took part in the 2024 Ida Lewis Distance Race presented by Bluenose Yacht Sales. Over the course of a straight 24 hours, race participants started out south of Pell Bridge in Narragansett Bay’s East Passage on Saturday, Aug. 16, along picturesque vantage points of Jamestown and Newport shorelines, Fort Adams and Castle Hill. Their route took them through Rhode Island Sound, Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound, Long Island Sound and the waters south of western Long Island before they returned back to the home point of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club (ILYC) in Newport, R.I late Sunday morning, Aug. 17. It was a course determined by the Ida Lewis Race Course Development Team, with routes ranging from 115-135 nautical miles, depending on the class. A good wind insured a successful race.

Spending 24 hours at sea certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. It was an exciting experience for the mix of veterans and newcomers who took to sea for the club’s 18^th edition. I spoke with one set of parents who had proudly cheered on their young son who had raced over the weekend. It was fun chatting with them on how he took to sailing, having developed a passion for the sport after being signed up for a couple of sailing camps in the area. He didn’t come from a sailing family who had been doing this for generations, and that was one of the points that Event Chair Anselm Richards made during the celebration dinner at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club on Saturday evening.

“It’s really important to expand the sailing community,” said Bluenose Yacht’s Glenn Walters during the trophy presentation ceremony. He pointed out the significant number of sailors 25 years old and younger as well as women sailors who took part this year. “They are the future of the sport. They’re the future of what we love and the passion that we have [for the sport].”

It was fun watching the separate class races from the media boat, Patrick Kennedy’s yacht that reminded me of Quint’s shark chaser from Jaws. When I came on board, I couldn’t help blurting out, “we’re gonna need a bigger boat” (I had just seen the screening of the movie at the Jane Pickens Theater a few weeks prior so pardon me for being corny). Unlike Quint’s Orca II boat, Kennedy’s had a super cute disco ball inside the quarters and a much more expansive upper deck, which was my go-to perch for photographing. I was also proud that I didn’t get seasick, the last time I was that high in a boat, this was not the case. But thanks to some very smooth driving and favorable weather, it was a much improved experience this time around.

The race itself—with each race demarcated by starting cannons—was exciting and complimented by a favorable wind that ushered each of the class yachts out to open sea. Participating teams included ORC (classes1, 2, and 3) or PHRF (classes Aloha, Coronet, Bagheera, and Double handed). Winners included:

ORC 1 (A/P Single ToT)