The 2026 Newport Bermuda Race fleet is shaping up to be a veritable who’s who of the sailing world! One of the most recent entries is the 1929 Sparkman & Stephens yawl, the 52-foot Dorade. From coast to coast the yacht is known as a stunning embodiment of classic design and a fierce competitor in ocean races.
“Dorade's first offshore race was the Bermuda Race in 1930. Eighty-two years later, the Bermuda Race was the first ocean race Dorade did after our refit to prepare her to sail in the ocean again,” said owner Matt Brooks. He and his late wife Pam Rorke Levy bought the boat and began restoring her in 2010. Since then, the Dorade team has run an ongoing campaign to keep alive her legacy of offshore racing.
Dorade has raced in several ocean races since 2011, including the Transatlantic Race and the Sydney Hobart Race. In 2013, she was the overall winner on corrected time in the Transpac Race. The upcoming Bermuda Race will be Dorade’s sixth, having returned to the Thrash to the Onion patch post-refit in 2012, 2014, and 2018. The original yacht sailed in the 1930 and 1932 races as well, winning her class in the latter.
This race has special meaning for Brooks and his family. “This will be the fourth time Dorade has sailed the race since we owned the boat, but the first ocean race of any kind sailed by my son, Bill,” he said. “Having the next generation aboard will be fun; Bill has sailed on many day races over the years, and it was his idea that we do the Bermuda race again. Like I said, it was our first offshore race on Dorade, and now it's the 120th anniversary of the race - Dorade has been competing most of those years!”
A memoir about the history of Dorade and the story of how Brooks and Rorke Levy brought her back to ocean racing—Return to Blue Water—was recently published. More information is available on the team’s website.
Entry fees for the 2026 race are set to increase on December 19, so if your crew is on the fence about signing up, now is the time! Resources for entrants are available on our website.
