A fleet of 214 boats got off to a picture-perfect start yesterday in the 102nd year of the blue water classic –- the Newport to Bermuda Race.

The epic 635-nautical mile event got underway with an ebb tide and 10-12 knot winds which forced many boats over early at the start, including Babe, sailed by Bermuda skipper Colin Couper in Class Three.

With a total of seven Bermudian boats racing in their respective fleets, the race is one of the world's most challenging as skippers have to cross the notorious Gulf Stream.

And the competition is fierce as sailors are racing for the most coveted trophies in the sport.

"Our objective is to win the IRC trophy in our division this year," said Steve Sherwin of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, whose boat Nasty Medicine is in Class Eight, going up against Morgan's Ghost, owned by Bermuda's Preston Hutchings in the same fleet.

"We have made a lot of incremental changes this year and we feel like this is the year we are going to do well," said Sherwin.

Just after the start, Nasty Medicine was sailing far to the right and ahead of the fleet but Morgan's Ghost also got off to a strong start.

With a large number of professional teams racing this year for the coveted Gibbs Hill Lighthouse trophy, the Bermudian sailors are aiming for line honours and the St. David's Lighthouse Trophy in the amateur division.

"There are three or four premier ocean racing events people look forward to and this is one of them," said Hutchings.

"In a long ocean race like this one, the key consideration is the direction of the wind. This year it may be a mess crossing the Gulf Stream but for most of us from Bermuda, it's after we cross the stream and the water changes colour from the dark green-blue to a lighter colour that there is tremendous excitement.

"At the start, it is mainly nervous excitement but towards the finish it is that feeling of sailing home."

While there is a prize for the first Bermuda boat to reach the Island "it is interesting what is meant by the first Bermuda boat," Hutchings added.

"There is a certain amount of debate and competition about what constitutes the first boat (as the fleets are staggered from the start) so it is usually decided on corrected time.

"We would all like to win the coveted St. David's Lighthouse trophy but for many of us this race really provides us with a good excuse to go sailing. I look forward to it for that reason."

What is also important for competitors is winning the Onion Patch Series, anchored by the Newport Bermuda Race, which is a series of international races that started with the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta in Newport and concludes with racing on the Great Sound at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club's Anniversary Regatta on June 27.

For Bermudian Paul Hubbard, who is racing aboard his 45-foot Bermuda Oyster, much of the reason he keeps coming back is for the friendships.

"The race has changed over the years when I started in 1984 when we used a sextant, charts and a radio. Now we can see the weather systems coming days in advance," he said.

"What I see this year makes me think it is going to be a rough crossing . . . but hopefully that may change."

At press time, Hubbard was leading the fleet in Class 12 Cruiser Division after port tacking the entire fleet at the start and pushing into the lead.

"With 198 boats starting today, and seven Bermuda boats, it means we will be having a lot of visitors reaching the Island this week," said Adam Barboza, manager of sports marketing for the Bermuda Department of Tourism, sponsors of the race.

"This is one of the best returns on investment that we sponsor. The arrival of thousands of sailors gives a real buzz to the Island and folks can go out and watch the racing on June 27 to see some of these state-of-the-art boats that are heading our way now."