The 2016 Ida Lewis Distance Race has been announced for Friday, August 19th here in Newport, RI.
Designed as the perfect overnight race for IRC, PHRF, One Design, Multihull and Double-Handed boats of 28 feet or longer, the twelfth edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race has a start and finish off Newport’s historic Ida Lewis Yacht Club and includes turning marks at Castle Hill, Brenton Reef, Block Island, Montauk Point, Martha’s Vineyard and Buzzards Tower. A further element of intrigue: which of the four coastal courses – between 104 nm and 177 nm – will the Race Committee choose based on weather, wind and sea condition predictions?
Grand prix racers and cruising sailors alike have embraced this race as a late-summer tradition, and with the inclusion of special trophies for Youth and Collegiate Challenges, the mix of ages on the water allows experienced racers to share their knowledge with sailors new to distance racing. The Ida Lewis Distance Race is a qualifier for the New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF); the Northern and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophies (IRC); and the Rhode Island Offshore Challenge.
Ida Lewis Yacht Club, famously situated on a rock in Newport Harbor, hosts a skipper’s meeting and social on Thursday, August 18, and a Sunset Awards Party will celebrate the conclusion of racing on Saturday, August 20.
For more information, visit http://www.ildistancerace.org or contact Skip Helme,racechairman@ildistancerace.
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