Interest in this year’s Newport Bermuda Race is so great that the organising committee’s e-mail collapsed under the weight of applications after entries opened.

More than 100 yachts have already registered to take part in a race that will be limited to 200 boats this year.

To put the interest into context, it took more than a month for 100 entries to be registered in 2014, this time it has take just seven days.

“Activity this year has been so heavy that our Bermuda Race e-mail server was swamped and we had to upgrade capacity,” AJ Evans, the chairman of the Bermuda Race organising committee, said. “It was a good problem to have, although we regret the delays a few users experienced. Our new SailGate entry system, which ably handles the Fastnet Race entries, did not have any problem.”

Race officials have already contacted those that tried to enter while the email was down, and expect interest to remain high over the coming weeks.

Notable yachts on the first week’s application list include Actaea, the 2014 St David’s Lighthouse winner, a Hinckley Bermuda 40 from Annapolis coming back for her eleventh Newport Bermuda Race under skipper Michael M Cone.

Also entered are Hap Fauth’s standout Bella Mente, a Maxi 72, which is always in the running for Gibbs Hill Division line honours, but in the next race may trail the big Open Division cant-keel Sydney Hobart Race veteran Comanche, owned by Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze Clark.

“Bermuda and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club look forward to hosting a big fleet this year to celebrate the 50th ocean race to Bermuda,” Leatrice Oatley, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club commodore, said. “We will have a weeklong celebration of offshore racing in Bermuda, with the Newport Bermuda Race finish and prize giving, and the RBYC Anniversary Regatta, which is the final stage of the three-event Onion Patch Series.”

Widely known as “The Thrash to the Onion Patch” in recognition of the frequent rough weather in the 635-mile sprint across the Gulf Stream, this Bermuda Race is the 50th since it was introduced in 1906. Sailed in even-numbered years, the race had its largest fleet of 265 boats in the centennial race in 2006. Since then, the fleet has averaged 177 entries.

Applications for entry in the race will remain open until April 1 through the race website, BermudaRace.com.