This year’s Newport Bermuda Race could potentially be the last featuring Brian Hillier .

The 69-year-old St George’s Dinghy and Sports Club sailor has competed in the 635-mile biennial event from Newport Rhode Island to Bermuda since 1990 but is contemplating passing on the baton to the next generation after this year’s race is complete.

“This is probably my last Bermuda Race,” Hillier told The Royal Gazette.

I will be 70 in August so just passing on the baton to the younger guys to give them their turn

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. I am going to be hitting 70 so I think it’s my turn to step aside and let the young blood take over.

“Our crew is quiet young and we have four guys who are under 25 and one aged 20, so it’s nice to have the younger troops on board.”

Hillier is competing in his 40ft J125, Crossfire, with crew Ruairi Brown, Michael Wollmann, Peter Dill, Chris Adderley, William Thompson and Jason Owen.

“The boat is all good to go and we are just basically putting the last preparations on for the sail home,” Hillier said.

“We are just finishing off a few of our jobs and the boat is pretty much all already to come back home.

“We haven’t got our start time so we don’t know exactly when we are starting, but I imagine the first gun is going to go around midday. so we will be starting somewhere between 12 and 3.30pm.

“The forecast is very light and I believe a bit of rain around, but that all changes from day to day.”

Hillier and his crew are heading into the race with confidence after picking up four wins and class honours at last weekend’s 170th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta.

“We sailed a remarkably good series, winning the Jamestown Race on Friday and then on Saturday we won two races with a race win and a fifth place on Sunday,” Hillier said.

“We had a fantastic three days of sailing and we didn’t break anything. The boat is all good to go, and we are just basically putting the last preparations on for the sail home.”

Also flying Bermuda’s flag in the race is Dr Stephen Sherwin on board his Corby 41, Nasty Medicine, with crew Alex Adelsberg, Meghan Shewin, Ian Feathers, Jeremy Asson, Paul Reilly, Tiarnan Brown and Gary Ince.

A total of 163 yachts are competing in the 53rd Newport Bermuda Race which will set sail from inside Narragansett Bay for the first time in the race’s 118-year history, offering spectators stunning views of the starting line.

The race starts at 3pm Bermuda time with the fleet anticipated to reach the island anytime between two and five days.