Legendary supermaxi Palm Beach XI will be among the racing fleet battling for honours in the 2026 Newport Bermuda Race.

New owner Mark Richards’s yacht is the 100th boat to register for the biennial 636-nautical mile race from Newport, Rhode Island, to St David’s, Bermuda.

Formerly known as Wild Oats XI, the 100-foot canting keel supermaxi has won nine line honours and two overall victories in the prestigious Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and will be among the favourites in the Bermuda race.

Richards is up for the challenge.

“My crew and I love racing, and Newport Bermuda is known as a challenging race,” he said in a press release. ‘Currents are tricky, it’s almost 650 miles long, and it sounds like a few other big boats like ours will make for a competitive fleet.

“When the gun goes, we’ll be pushing hard towards the finish line — the challenge is what excites us.”

Race chairman Andrew Kallfelz is thrilled to have Palm Beach XI in the field for the prestigious offshore race that marks 100 years of partnership between cohosts Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

“We could not be more excited for Palm Beach XI to take on this especially historic edition of the Newport Bermuda Race,” he said. “A century of successful partnership between the CCA and RBYC has helped the race attract one of the most competitive fleets in the 2026 offshore racing season.”

Palm Beach XI joins an impressive list of entries, including internationals such as Mallorca-based Swan 56 Azaha, local youth sailing teams like New Bedford Community Boating Centre’s Baltic 50 Crazy Horse and returning favourite Hound, a Nielsen 59.

The 2026 fleet will set sail on June 19. The deadline for registering is April 5.

• More details can be found onBermudaRace.com