The Newport Bermuda Race brings together sailing enthusiasts from across the globe every two years for one of the most exciting events the sport has to offer. This year, two teams representing our neighbors to the north are highlighting what the future of offshore sailing will look like.

HoldFast Ocean Racing (HFOR) is a sailing team founded by eight members of the sailing team at Canada’s Queen’s University. Having dominated the Canadian collegiate sailing scene, the team is looking to take on their next frontier: offshore racing. HFOR has partnered with Oakcliff Sailing out of New York to train for the Bermuda Race in which the team will be racing aboard Oakcliff Farr 40 Black.

Skipper Liam Toward says the idea for HFOR developed from a desire to make sailing more accessible and increase Canada’s presence in the world of offshore racing. “It’s hard to see the sport lose a lot of good sailors because of inaccessibility. You need to own a boat, you need the right connections.” He and his teammates started to build HFOR in December 2023 and secured corporate sponsorships to “expand horizons for young people wanting to get into offshore sailing, especially in Canada."

Team member Sophie Carter is especially proud of the team’s inclusivity. “Promoting women’s participation in the sport and building a safe and welcoming sailing environment is incredibly important to all of the HoldFast members and we are extremely proud to be a team with a 50/50 female to male crew ratio,” she says. She also points out that HFOR’s scrappiness, team cohesion, and hard work make them a real contender in this year’s race.

Another Canadian boat—Hard Eight based in Halifax, Nova Scotia—is skippered by 21 year-old Savannah Taylor, who is excited to see increasing opportunities for women and youth in the sailing world. “I hope to play a role in empowering the next generation,” says Taylor. She is also encouraged by the sport’s pivot towards sustainability. “It's really great to see big events focusing on sustainability, such as NBR with initiatives [like] the onboard environmental stewards.”

Taylor says that those looking to start out in sailing should focus on spending time on the water and building connections within their communities. “Just like starting any new sport, starting sailing is challenging, so don't be discouraged by setbacks or mistakes, any time on the water is a learning experience!”

In total, 5 Canadian boats are competing in this year’s Bermuda Race—2 of which have women at the helm as skippers. As Canada continues to expand its reach in competitive sailing, fans should be on the lookout for young, diverse, and ambitious crews—like those of HFOR and Hard Eight—on boats flying the Maple Leaf Flag.

You can follow these teams, and all entries in the Bermuda Race, as they set off from Newport on Friday June 21. Tune into the Starting Line Live Show at BermudaRace.com starting at 2 p.m.