The waiting is nearly over: the 44th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the great ocean challenges is just 2 weeks away. With a staggering 350 entrants at the ready, 1979’s record-breaking tally of 303 participating yachts will almost certainly be surpassed. The sheer size of the fleet is impressive. Its quality and diversity quite breathtaking. Inspiring and exhilarating in equal measure, there is every reason to believe that the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race will maintain the event’s pioneering and prestigious tradition.

The numbers game
Due to the Rolex Fastnet’s unique allure, event organisers the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) never have any difficulty ensuring that there is a large and impressive fleet in attendance. This year is no exception. Entries came in thick and fast and were closed within ten days of opening in January. However, the requests kept arriving. After being inundated with additional enquiries from the Volvo Open 70s, the IMOCA 60s, Class 40s and Multihulls to join the 608-nautical mile marathon, the RORC adjusted the entry limit to allow these ‘professional’ classes to be counted above the initial cut-off mark.

The Rolex Fastnet Race commences from Cowes on Sunday 14 August (the first signal sounds at 10:50 BST). Whilst crews with the ambition of being the fastest to the finish will hope to spend only one or two nights at sea, spare a thought for those at the back of the pack, for whom a near week in often punishing conditions may be the order of the day.

Rambler 100 enjoying Leopard hunt
Short of a catastrophic breakdown, the fastest boat on the water at the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race will be the 100-foot trimaran, Banque Populaire (FRA), which just broke the round the Britain Isles record by almost a day and a half. However, the battle for monohull line honours is the most anticipated clash and is expected to be the privilege of two other 100-ft challengers: Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard (GBR), first elapsed-time finisher in the past two editions, and arch-rivals George David’s Rambler 100 (USA). The two crews know each other extremely well, given their series of tussles in recent months. A head-to-head battle in the Transatlantic Race, which saw Rambler 100 ease to line honours after ICAP Leopard lost her bowsprit, the freshest encounter.

“Having won the Rolex Fastnet Race twice, the big play is to win three in a row, which would be quite exceptional,” explains Slade, whose yacht also holds the course record of 1 day, 20 hours and 18 minutes [set in 2007]. “During the RORC Caribbean 600, Rambler 100 proved to be the faster boat in her ideal conditions. However, Rambler 100 may also need to protect herself in bad weather, more than ICAP Leopard. We feel we have a good chance in light and heavy airs, it is the bit in between that we might have a problem! I am really looking forward to the Fastnet, it should be a very exciting race but above all else, I don’t want to lose our record to Rambler 100, that would be heartbreaking and we will vigorously defend it.”

Rambler 100 is as keen to renew hostilities. “We’re anticipating sailing in Cowes Week from 9-11 August and hope ICAP Leopard and others will be competing as well,” explains David, “we’ve had three races together already, the Caribbean 600, the Annapolis to Newport and now the Transatlantic Race. Rambler 100 took line honours and corrected ahead of ICAP Leopard in all three.”

David is fervent about the upcoming Fastnet Race and describes his own personal highlights of the parcours: “Beating out through The Needles in a huge fleet, the beauty of the south coast of England, the approach to the [Fastnet] Rock, and the wind and weather conditions all over the place.”

Whilst these two ocean greyhounds are clear monohull line honours favourites, they may not have it all their own way. There is the significant presence of six Volvo 70s, including two of the latest breed: Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Groupama IV (FRA). Then there is the Mini Maxi class including defending Rolex Fastnet handicap winner, the 72-ft Rán (GBR), owned by Niklas Zennström, in addition to Andres Soriano’s Mills 68 Alegre (GBR), a fantastic campaigner in the Mediterranean in recent seasons. Throwing in the American challengers, the STP65 Vanquish, and the Reichel-Pugh 66 Zaraffa, who like ICAP Leopard and Rambler 100 competed in the Transatlantic Race, it promises to be a tight contest at the top of the fleet.

Tales from the foreign third
Of the record breaking 350 yachts competing at this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race, approximately a third are non-British crews. A scan of the 2011 entry list highlights the global pull of the event, with yachts competing from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE and the USA.

Karl Kwok, owner of the 80-ft Beau Geste (HKG), will be taking part in the event for the third time. “I am definitely here for the challenge as this is one of the most interesting and competitive offshore races in the world,” he explains. “My first time here was in 1995, followed by my second appearance in the last edition [in 2009]. We did well on that occasion, but it could be better still!” Kwok adores offshore racing: “For me the top three blue water offshore classics are the Fastnet, Sydney to Hobart and Newport to Bermuda – in that order. And Rolex has the top two!” Beau Geste will be another yacht snapping at the heels of the 100-footers and also arrive in Cowes fresh from competing in the Transatlantic Race.

One overseas crew in particular has reason to treasure its association with the Rolex Fastnet. Six years ago, Frenchman Jean Yves Chateau’s 33-ft Nicholson Iromiguy won the competition on corrected time, the first time in three decades that the overall prize had been won by a yacht under 40 feet. For the Saint Malo-based skipper, the victory was both a surprise and a fulfilment of an ambition: “To win the Rolex Fastnet Race was like a childhood dream, it is like an ‘Everest’ in my life and in the life of each member of my crew: absolutely fantastic, unbelievable, gorgeous, not to mention the incredible fact of having beaten all the big guys. It was also very important for me to be the third French sailor to win this race and to have my name engraved on this Cup close to Eric Tabarly [the legendary French skipper who won the race in 1967]!”

Regarding the ‘draw’ of the Rolex Fastnet, Chateau continues: “It is a mythical race. This year will be our seventh time and we are always very pleased and enthusiastic to participate with the crazy dream of winning it one more time.” Amongst the sizeable French contingent is the intriguing story of the IMOCA 60 DCNS 100 (FRA), sailed by skipper Marc Thiercelin and his famous apprentice, former downhill skier and endurance motorsport driver, Luc Alphand. DCNS 100 is one of seven IMOCA 60s, including Cheminées Poujoulat (SUI) launched in May this year.

John Towers is helming the J/122 Oojah (GBR) with a US-based crew joining British boat owner Peter Tanner, their navigator for the race. The English Channel is some distance from their usual racing haven of the east coast of the United States. “As a group of Americans, we consider the Rolex Fastnet Race to be a once in a lifetime adventure that is a natural compliment to our passion for distance racing,” explains Towers, “the Fastnet is a big deal for us and an adventure that we have been planning for the last two years.”

Tanner continues: “Our goal will be the same as any other race we enter. Priority one is a safe passage. Priority two is that the experience is very positive for all members of the crew. Our third priority is to be competitive.”           

Triple TP52 challenge
The three TP52s competing at the Rolex Fastnet Race will resume their engagement having been near inseparable at the recent Giraglia Rolex Cup. On that occasion, Franck Noël’s Near Miss (SUI) finished the 243-nautical mile race less than two minutes ahead of Johnny Vincent’s Pace (GBR). Bryon Ehrhart’s Lucky (USA) was only a further hour behind. On corrected time, only seven places separated the three crews, with Pace coming out on top. Over a considerably longer distance, this ‘race within a race’ will be one to follow come August.               

Back of the pack
The crew of the Contessa-32 Drumbeat (GBR) will likely have one opportunity to admire ICAP Leopard and Rambler 100 – during the passage out of the Solent. For co-skippers and brothers-in-law, Mark Himsworth and Pierre Walrafen, the race ahead will be one of endurance and, at times, solitude: “It feels amazing to be one of the smallest and slowest boats competing, tacking or gybing down the Solent against much larger and faster machines after the start. All the while competing on handicap directly against them,” explains Himsworth, who will be taking part in the Rolex Fastnet for a third time.

The reality soon becomes quite different, as Himsworth reveals: “After 24 hours, most of the competition is long gone. Thereafter it’s occasionally difficult to keep your mind away from the thought of the faster boats turning towards (or arriving at) Plymouth while ours plugs steadily westwards round Land’s End. It’s a pretty solitary undertaking when you’re on watch and your co-skipper’s sleeping and none of your competitors are visible, but that’s all part of the attraction, and there’s still plenty going on in Plymouth when we arrive!”            

Trophy hunt
The main trophy for overall victory in the Rolex Fastnet is the Fastnet Challenge Cup. In addition, there are more than 30 additional trophies that will be awarded at the prize giving on Friday, 19 August at the historic Royal Citadel, home of the 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, overlooking Plymouth Sound and Sutton Harbour, where the majority of the fleet will berth.

 

Share on Facebook

Having cheered on the first six yachts when they departed on the Transatlantic Race 2011 two days ago, the 14-strong group of yachts that will take the second of the three staggered starts now have less than 24 hours until they begin the race across the North Atlantic for themselves.  The warning signal at 13:50 Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday, June 29, will cue the largest group of yachts to depart, including the show-stopping Maltese Falcon, and spectators are guaranteed to see a unique sailing spectacle when the cannon is fired at Castle Hill Light.

Without doubt, tomorrow’s start will feature the most diverse battle of the race.  The Open Class has just two yachts, but they are two of the showiest yachts in the race.  Maltese Falcon, at 289’, is the largest yacht competing and is up against the only multihull entered in the race, Phaedo, the Gunboat 66 owned by Lloyd Thornburg (St. Barthelemy).  The Lamborghini-orange catamaran and the futuristic Perini Navi will be a spectacular sight as they head off into the Atlantic.

In IRC Class Two, Jazz, a Cookson 50, has a star-studded crew including the highly experienced navigator, Mike Broughton (Hamble, U.K.), and skipper, Nigel King (Lymington, U.K.).  Unfortunately, due to family commitments, owner Chris Bull is unable to make the trip.  Two German teams on nearly identical yachts will also go head-to-head in the class:  Christoph Avenarius and Gorm Gondesen’s Shakti and Jens Kellinghusen’s Varuna should virtually match race across the North Atlantic.

IRC Class Three will feature six yachts, including Snow Lion, the Ker 50 owned by former NYYC Commodore Lawrence Huntington (New York, N.Y.).  Snow Lion is a proven winner, having won her class in the Newport Bermuda Race, and should be highly competitive on corrected time.  There are, however, some real fliers in this class, not the least of which is Zaraffa, the Reichel Pugh 65 owned by Huntington Sheldon (Shelburne, Vt.), whose crew includes several veterans of the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.  The Volvo 60 Ambersail, skippered by Simonas Steponavicius (Vilnius, Lithuania), is a much-travelled yacht having logged over 100,000 miles since being purchased in 2008 to celebrate a thousand years of Lithuanian history. After sailing around the world, Ambersail took part in the 2010 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, winning class honors and placing second overall.

The youth entry from Germany, Norddeutsche Vermoegen Hamburg, will be helmed by Eike Holst whose third Transatlantic Race will be his first as skipper.  And while the majority of the team aboard the Andrews 57 are university students in their 20s, two of the crew are just 18 years old.  Many of sailors in the race were introduced to the sport as a family activity, which means the parents of these sailors, in particular, have a degree of understanding and ease with the undertaking at hand.  That was not the case for Jerome Vigne, the Parisian-born mechanical engineering student who will have a very relieved mother welcoming him home to Germany.

Blending a comfortable interior with the performance of an Open 60 is Ourson Rapide, the Finot-Conq 60 owned by Paolo Roasenda (Vedano al Lambro, Italy).  This is a special boat that should have a dream-like ride downwind.  Scho-ka-kola, named for the German chocolate confection, is a Reichel Pugh 56 owned by Uwe Lebens (Hamburg) that has completed two previous Atlantic crossings.

Prodigy, a Simonis/Voog 54, is a proven winner.  Owner Chris Frost (Durban, South Africa) took line honors in the 2011 Heineken Cape to Rio Race and will compete in the Rolex Fastnet Race, as well as the Rolex Middle Sea Race, as part of a year-long campaign.  Of the 10 crew on Prodigy, two – including Aaron Gillespie (Butler, N.J.) and John Fryer (New York, N.Y.) – were recruited by Frost using the “Crew Finder” feature on the event’s website.  It will be Gillespie’s first Transatlantic crossing.

The two smallest yachts in start two are both Class 40s: Dragon and Concise 2, the latter skippered by Ned Collier-Wakefield (Oxford, U.K.).   Tony Lawson (Haslemere, Surrey, U.K.) assembled a crew of young aspiring sailors from Great Britain to make up Team Concise.  The team has become a force to be reckoned with having won the 2009 Class 40 World Championship, set a world record for the Round Britain and Ireland course and taken class honors at the RORC Caribbean 600 for the last three years.

Dragon is the only boat racing across the Atlantic double-handed. Owner Michael Hennessy (Mystic, Conn.) has been an avid sailor ever since introduced to the sport by his father at the age of four on San Francisco Bay.  Following college, Hennessy logged thousands of miles cruising along the New England coast before he started to focus on short-handed distance racing in 2002.  Since then he has competed in four Newport Bermuda Races, as well as dozens of other races across New England.  In 2008 he took notice of the fast growing Class 40 fleet and took delivery of his Owen Clarke-designed boat. In just two short years, Dragon has become a fixture on the ocean racing circuit.  Joining Hennessy will be co-skippered Rob Windsor (East Northport, N.Y.) who grew up sailing with his family on Long Island Sound.

Sponsors of the TR 2011 are Rolex, Thomson Reuters, Newport Shipyard, Perini Navi and Peters & May, with additional support by apparel sponsor Atlantis Weathergear.

For more information, visit http://www.transatlanticrace.org/.

Share on Facebook

The sunshine burnt off the morning fog almost on cue as the first start of the Transatlantic Race 2011 got underway with six of the smallest yachts in the fleet beginning their journey across the Atlantic.  A gentle breeze wafted in from the southeast to give the competitors some champagne sailing conditions, at least for the moment — all of the yachts competing in the TR2011 know there are bound to be difficult times ahead.
 
Skippered by Rives Potts, Jr. (Essex, Conn.), local favorite Carina, a 48’ sloop, got away to a great start, hugging the coast to escape a knot of foul current.  Onboard are four fathers and five sons, as well as the youngest crew member in the race, Dirk Johnson, Jr. (Middletown, R.I.).  At just 16 years of age Johnson has been sailing since he was a baby and has always wanted to sail across an ocean.  “I don’t like trimming so much as I find it hard to concentrate.  But I love my position as float.  I like to get involved everywhere on the boat.  I have been sailing short offshore races for a while and I really wanted to do this race,” he explained.  “I guess I will miss home comforts the most, especially my Mum’s lamb chops.  But all of my family are sailors and this is in my blood.”
The Army Sailing Association’s British Soldier currently leads the fleet on the water and her skipper, Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Bate(Falmouth, Cornwall, U.K.), was relishing the challenges that lay ahead, as he commented just before the start.
“The first goal for us is to get around Nantucket Shoals and then we’ll head into the Atlantic proper.  I love the open ocean and the big rolling waves.  After a day or so the crew will settle into a routine.  For me, the most marvelous thing about this race is enjoying the fun and banter with the crew, you just cannot get that anywhere else.  There will be difficult times ahead, but we will battle through.  We know that we will get some pretty foul weather, but we know that it will improve.  The crew of British Soldier are not all highly experienced offshore sailors, but they are all good characters who can keep each other entertained when the going gets tough and I think that is priceless.”

With just four crew aboard, the German entry Sasha is going extremely well.  Owner Albrecht Peters and his wife Erika had a conservative start with their 42’ Olin Stephens design.  Eighty years ago another Stephens design, Dorade, won the Transatlantic Race that also started in Newport (finishing in Plymouth, England), and, if the right conditions prevail, Sasha could be extremely competitive after time correction.
Hans Albrecht’s beautiful 86’ yawl, Nordwind, is the oldest boat in the race. Built in 1939, Nordwind has been fully restored by her German owners and sailed 11,000 miles to take part in the Transatlantic Race 2011.
While the high performance yachts that are yet to depart will undoubtedly grab headlines, this group of yachts is worthy of equal praise and the starting area was full of spectator boats wishing them well.  The rocky outcrops and grassy hillsides along Fort Adams and Castle Hill were filled with people who cheered the boats on as they crossed the starting line at the Castle Hill Light.  Once they leave the shore, it will be several weeks before these yachts will see land again.
 
For more information, visit http://www.transatlanticrace.org/.
 
More about the Transatlantic Race 2011
The Transatlantic Race 2011 charts a 2,975 nautical mile course from Newport, R.I., to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, England.  Pre-start activities will take place at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, while awards will be presented at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Castle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight.  Three separate starts – June 26, June 29 and July 3 – will feature 30 boats ranging from 40 to 289 feet in length.  In addition to winners in seven classes (IRC Class 1 Racer, IRC Class 2 Racer, IRC Class 3 Racer/Cruiser, IRC Class 4 Racer/Cruiser, Classic, Class 40, and Open), whichever yacht finishes the course with the fastest elapsed time will set the benchmark for a new racing record from Newport to Lizard Point, to be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Council.  Rolex watches will be awarded to the record holder and the overall winner (on corrected time) under IRC.
The Transatlantic Race 2011 is also the centerpiece of the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series (AORS), which includes the Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race, RORC Caribbean 600, the Annapolis to Newport Race, Rolex Fastnet Race, Biscay Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race.  Of the seven races in the AORS, three races, including the TR 2011 must be completed to qualify for a series victory.  Each race is weighted equally in overall series scoring with the exception of TR 2011, which is weighted 1.5 times.  All entered yachts are scored using their two best finishes in addition to the TR 2011.  Awards for the AORS will be presented in November, 2011, at the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Awards Dinner in Manhattan

You Can Track The Transatlantic Fleet HERE

Share on Facebook

When it comes to serving one’s country, the crew competing in the Transatlantic Race 2011 aboard British Soldier (U.K.) could not be more dedicated. While most have returned from active duty only within the last year, all eight members have completed army tours in Afghanistan within the last 24 months, and two will be heading back there after undertaking a 2,975 nautical mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean. For British Soldier, the Transatlantic Race 2011, co-organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron, New York Yacht Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and Storm Trysail Club, starts June 26 from Newport, R.I., and delivers the team back to home soil in the U.K. sometime in mid-August. (Two subsequent “staggered” starts for the race are scheduled for June 29 and July 3 to adjust for the relative speeds of 30 entered boats – ranging in size from 40 to 289 feet – and allow for a tighter finish among them.)

“It’s all about putting a bunch of guys in a demanding situation, out of reach of immediate outside assistance, where they must work as a team in arduous conditions in order to succeed,” said 47-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Bate, who serves as skipper of British Soldier. “That is the ethos of adventurous training; it also provides some excitement and reward in between other demanding duties.”

Bate, who has completed operational tours in Iraq (two), Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo and is trained as a tank commander, explained that British Soldier, an Archambault 40 bought by the Army Sailing Association in 2008, is regularly sailed by a squad comprised of approximately 100 soldiers on return from operational tours, offering them a chance to race offshore when on leave or between assignments. A number of injured soldiers also sail British Soldier as part of their rehabilitation. The yacht is not publicly funded but is supported by generous sponsors (currently Fujitsu), soldiers’ own contributions through the Army Sports Lottery, and some charitable trusts. (www.sailarmy.co.uk)

“We have a core of gladiators, but otherwise it’s a bit of a mix,” said Bate, explaining that 48 soldiers have raced with him recently, and he had a largely different crew aboard for both the RORC Caribbean 600 and the Annapolis to Newport Race, both distance races that – along with the TR 2011 – are part of the inaugural Atlantic Ocean Racing Series that British Soldier has also entered.

“Most of them haven’t done a great deal [of ocean racing],” said Bate, who noted that nevertheless, in 2010, the Army Offshore Team was named Services Sports Team of the Year. “It’s a bit scary for a lot of people actually. You are putting a team of people out there in a demanding situation, so you learn to cope and work as a team and that’s why we are out there. Sailing is demanding, frightening and awesome great fun.”

As for Bate, he has raced a wide variety of yachts from his own International Dragons and Cornish Shrimper up to 153’ classic yachts. He started racing on an IOR ¾ tonner in the early 1980s, and after joining the Army in 1987, he competed in the 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Race on British Defender and has also sailed the Rolex Fastnet Race eight times. This will be his fourth Atlantic crossing.

“In 2008 British Soldier had a tremendous first season and was selected to represent Great Britain in the Rolex Commodore’s Cup,” said Bate. “On the offshore circuit, she achieved second overall among 250 yachts in the RORC Offshore Series, and we achieved the same overall result in the series again last year (2010), after races such as the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race.”

Other crew members are Captain David Holdsworth (age 36),originally an Army engineer completing a tour in Afghanistan in 2010 and now a cardiologist based in Oxford,who has completed two Rolex Fastnet Races and a total of 20,000 miles of cruising and offshore racing in the last four seasons; Second Lieutenant Martin Livingston, a former Royal Navy officer of seven years who qualified as a doctor in March, who haslimited ocean racing experience but has completed around 4,500 cruising and racing miles; Lieutenant Corporal Terence (Polly) Parsons (41), who joined the Royal Engineers in May 1990 as a Combat Engineer and was injuredin Bosnia, sails as a form of rehabilitation and has logged approximately 5,000 “mostly-offshore” miles; Captain Oli Donaghy (31), who is returning from Afghanistan (16 Air Assault Brigade) just in time to start the TR 2011 and has completed roughly 7,000 miles of racing, including three Rolex Fastnet campaigns; Second Lieutenant Phil Caswell (24), commissioned in 2010 into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, who has sailed 18,000 racing, cruising, military and youth sail training miles, and is making his first Atlantic crossing; Gunner Clarke Small (28), new to the Royal Artillery after completing basic training in April 2011, started sailing at age 16 in his native South Africa and has since completed a circumnavigation, several offshore passages and the Heineken Capeto Rio Race and Rolex Sydney Hobart Race; and Captain Richard Hall, who joined the British Soldier program at its start in 2008, is currently posted with the Army Training Regiment Bassingbourn to train new recruits and will shortly return to an engineer regiment for a second Afghan tour (his first was in 2010).

British Soldier, like several other entries in the TR 2011, is competing in the first-ever Atlantic Ocean Racing Series (AORS), which requires that entrants compete in the TR 2011 plus two other events selected from the now completed Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race and RORC Caribbean 600, the Annapolis to Newport Race (June 3); and the upcoming Rolex Fastnet Race (August 14); Biscay Race (September 11-12) and Rolex Middle Sea Race (October 22). Each race is weighted equally in overall series scoring with the exception of the TR 2011, which is weighted 1.5 times.

Having finished first in class in the RORC Caribbean 600, British Soldier was just over 100 miles from the finish of the Annapolis to Newport Race at press time, and after the TR 2011 will compete in the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Biscay Race if all goes as planned; however, being on “active duty” has its consequences. “I’m, in fact, active enough that my office wants to send me back to Afghanistan at the end of July for nine months!” said Bate.

There are 30 entries total in the TR 2011, with the U.S. fielding 14 teams, Germany six, the U.K. four, and China, Italy, Lithuania, Monaco, Saint Barthelemy and South Africa one each.

Sponsors of the TR 2011 are Rolex, Thomson Reuters, Newport Shipyard, Perini Navi, and Peters & May.

TR 2011 Roster of Entries
Yacht Name, Skipper, Hometown

Ambersail, Simonas Steponavicius, Vilnius, Lithuania
Beau Geste, Karl Kwok, Hong Kong, China
British Soldier, Lt. Col. Nick Bate, Falmouth, Cornwall, U.K.
Carina, Rives Potts, Essex, Conn., USA
Concise 2, Ned Collier-Wakefield, Oxford, U.K.
Cutlass, Nick Halmos, Palm Beach, Fla., USA
Dawn Star, William N. Hubbard III /William N. Hubbard IV, both New York, N.Y., USA
Dragon, Michael Hennessy, Mystic, Conn., USA
ICAP Leopard, Clarke Murphy, New York, N.Y., USA
Jaqueline IV, Robert Forman, Bay Shore, N.Y., USA
Jazz, Nigel King, East London, U.K.
Kamoa’e, Eric LeCoq, Bridgeport, Conn., USA
Maltese Falcon, Elena Ambrosiadou, Monaco
Norddeutcshe Vermoegen Hamburg, Eike Holst , Hamburg, Germany
Nordwind,Hans Albrecht, Munich, Germany
Ourson Rapide, Paolo Roasenda, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
Persevere, Bugs Baer/Colin Rath, Madison, Conn. / Darien, Conn., USA
Phaedo, Lloyd Thornburg, St. Barthelemy
Prodigy, Chris Frost, Durban, South Africa
PUMA Ocean Racing mar mostro, Ken Read, Newport, R.I., USA
Rambler 100, George David, Hartford, Conn., USA
Sasha, Albrecht Peters, Hamburg, Germany
Scho-ka-kola, Uwe Lebens, Hamburg, Germany
Shakti, Christoph Avenarius / Gorm Iver Gondesen, Hamburg, Germany / Flensburg, Germany
Snow Lion, Lawrence Huntington, New York, N.Y., USA
Sojana, Peter Harrison, U.K.
Sumurun, Bob Towbin, New York, N.Y., USA
Vanquish, USMMA Oakcliff All American Offshore Team, Kings Point, N.Y., USA
Varuna,Jens Kellinghausen, Hamburg, Germany
Zaraffa, Huntington Sheldon, M.D., Shelburne, Vt., USA

Share on Facebook

Among the 30-strong fleet preparing to compete in the Transatlantic Race 2011 in late June and early July, there are at least as many variations on the theme of traversing 2,975 nautical miles of ocean stretching from the start in Newport, R.I., to the finish at The Lizard on the coast of Cornwall in Southwestern England. For some, sailing across the Atlantic in this race, co-organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron, New York Yacht Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club and Storm Trysail Club, is about the chance to sail into the history books, while for a younger generation of sailors it is about building a foundation for future success in the sport.

A growing contingent of younger competitors is seeking sailing opportunities beyond the inshore dinghy programs typically offered at yacht clubs, high schools and colleges. The young sailors making up the Oakcliff All American Offshore Team (AAOT) on the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s (USMMA) IRC 65 Vanquish and the German team on the Andrews 56 Norddeutsche Vermögen Hamburg are two groups who are taking advantage of the Transatlantic Race 2011 to expand their skills and hopefully build reputations as the next wave of capable ocean racers.

The German team is organized by Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt e.V., an organization founded in 1903 in Hamburg with the express goal of maintaining seagoing vessels and training young people, both physically and temperamentally, to become skilled mariners. The German crew looks to be the youngest in the race, with an average age of 22.5, but has experience that belies their years as all have offshore experience from racing long and short distances as well as making passages on the Mediterranean, Baltic and North Seas.

“This specific team never sailed together before,” said Eike Holst whose third Transatlantic Race will be his first as skipper. “We all knew each other and almost everyone sailed together somehow but never in this constellation. This is caused by the structure of our club. For example, me and my navigator, Max Wilckens, sailed together exactly in these positions in the 2010 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, finishing second in our division, and we sailed together with one other crewmember, Katrin Hilbert, in the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race when Max was one of the watch officers and I sailed as bowman.”

Holst selected the team to undertake the Transatlantic Race 2011 “with good advice of Max,” and noted that while most of the crew participated together in an ISAF Survival at Sea Seminar in March as well as in “teambuilding meetings” during the winter, the first time they all sailed together was in April. When Norddeutsche Vermögen Hamburg, launched in 1999, departs with the 15 other boats during the second start (June 29), Holst and his crew will have spent close to three weeks in Newport making their final preparations for the race.

“Probably we’ll be the youngest crew in the race this year and we’re really curious what the race will bring,” said Holst. “In long distance racing everything is possible, so let’s see what a young crew will achieve with an ‘old’ boat.”

Learning of the German entry in the Transatlantic Race 2011 was all the motivation Ralf Steitz, President of the USMMA Sailing Foundation, needed to form the Oakcliff AAOT earlier this year. Steitz brought his long-held desire to establish a youth-driven ocean racing movement to fruition with the backing of other leaders on the U.S. sailing scene, and, once the program was announced, saw 250 applications pour in over four weeks from sailors anxious to seize the opportunity. The average age of the 14 Oakcliff AAOT members who will race aboard Vanquish is 23.75, and, like the young German team, with just a few short months to prepare they will get a crash-course in working as a cohesive unit during their participation in Storm Trysail Club’s Around Block Island Race and the Annapolis to Newport Race prior to making the third start (July 3) of the Transatlantic Race 2011.

“I really enjoy sailing offshore,” said Nate Fast (Noank, Conn.), who will celebrate his 20th birthday two days before starting the race and is the youngest member of Oakcliff AAOT. “I did the 2008 Bermuda Race, which was my introduction to the high level and complexity of offshore sailing. Being the youngest means I have to work that much harder, but that will probably help me because I’ll be trying to prove myself. Offshore sailing is a lot of fun and a great experience and I hope to continue with it after this race.”

Both the American and German teams qualify as youth entries in the Transatlantic Race 2011, meaning that at least 50% of the crew is age 25 or younger on the date of that yacht’s start in the race. In addition to respective class honors, the two teams will vie for the Venona Trophy, which will be awarded to the highest placing youth entry.

“Of course we want to win this trophy!,” said Holst. “But it’s going be really hard work for us. The Oakcliff AAOT has a really young but very professional crew (some of them are sailing in the RC44 circuit regularly) and for sure the faster and newer boat. Crossing the finishing line in front of them would be great but probably as hard as beating them by corrected time. Of course we also have quite a lot of experience in offshore sailing but in a different way. The focus in our club lies on good seamanship and education for becoming skilled mariners but this doesn’t imply that we’re becoming professional offshore sailors. But besides that we’re having regular contact with Oakcliff AAOT and are looking forward to meeting them and having fun together in Newport.”

More about the Transatlantic Race 2011
The Transatlantic Race 2011 charts a 2,975 nautical mile course from Newport, R.I., to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, England. Pre-start activities will take place at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, while awards will be presented at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Castle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight. Three separate starts – June 26, June 29 and July 3 – will feature 30 boats ranging from 40 to 289 feet in length. In addition to winners in seven classes (IRC Class 1 Racer, IRC Class 2 Racer, IRC Class 3 Racer/Cruiser, IRC Class 4 Racer/Cruiser, Classic, Class 40, and Open), whichever yacht finishes the course with the fastest elapsed time will set the benchmark for a new racing record from Newport to Lizard Point, to be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Council. Rolex watches will be awarded to the record holder and the overall winner (on corrected time) under IRC.

The Transatlantic Race 2011 is also the centerpiece of the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series (AORS), which includes the Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race, RORC Caribbean 600, the Annapolis to Newport Race, Rolex Fastnet Race, Biscay Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Of the seven races in the AORS, three races, including the TR 2011 must be completed to qualify for a series victory. Each race is weighted equally in overall series scoring with the exception of TR 2011, which is weighted 1.5 times. All entered yachts are scored using their two best finishes in addition to the TR 2011. Awards for the AORS will be presented in November, 2011, at the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Awards Dinner in Manhattan.

For more information, visit www.transatlanticrace.org

TR 2011 Roster of Entries
Yacht Name, Skipper, Hometown

Ambersail, Simonas Steponavicius, Vilnius, Lithuania
Beau Geste, Karl Kwok, Hong Kong, China
British Soldier, Lt. Col. Nick Bate, Falmouth, Cornwall, U.K.
Carina, Rives Potts, Essex, Conn., USA
Concise 2, Ned Collier-Wakefield, Oxford, U.K.
Cutlass, Nick Halmos, Palm Beach, Fla., USA
Dawn Star, William N. Hubbard III /William N. Hubbard IV, both New York, N.Y., USA
Dragon, Michael Hennessy, Mystic, Conn., USA
ICAP Leopard, Clarke Murphy, New York, N.Y., USA
Jaqueline IV, Robert Forman, Bay Shore, N.Y., USA
Jazz, Nigel King, East London, U.K.
Kamoa’e, Eric LeCoq, Bridgeport, Conn., USA
Maltese Falcon, Elena Ambrosiadou, Monaco
Norddeutcshe Vermoegen Hamburg, Eike Holst , Hamburg, Germany
Nordwind, Hans Albrecht, Munich, Germany
Ourson Rapide, Paolo Roasenda, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
Persevere, Bugs Baer/Colin Rath, Madison, Conn. / Darien, Conn., USA
Phaedo, Lloyd Thornburg, St. Barthelemy
Prodigy, Chris Frost, Durban, South Africa
PUMA Ocean Racing mar mostro, Ken Read, Newport, R.I., USA
Rambler 100, George David, Hartford, Conn., USA
Sasha, Albrecht Peters, Hamburg, Germany
Scho-ka-kola, Uwe Lebens, Hamburg, Germany
Shakti, Christoph Avenarius / Gorm Iver Gondesen, Hamburg, Germany / Flensburg, Germany
Snow Lion, Lawrence Huntington, New York, N.Y., USA
Sojana, Peter Harrison, U.K.
Sumurun, Bob Towbin, New York, N.Y., USA
Vanquish, USMMA Oakcliff All American Offshore Team, Kings Point, N.Y., USA
Varuna, Jens Kellinghausen, Hamburg, Germany
Zaraffa, Huntington Sheldon, M.D., Shelburne, Vt., USA

Share on Facebook

 

While the water views from anywhere along Newport Harbor (R.I.) are already magnificent, they will be absolutely breathtaking in late June and early July when 32 ocean-going yachts set sail in the Transatlantic Race 2011, which charts a course that stretches 2,975 nautical miles from Newport to Lizard Point, at the end of a peninsula in South Cornwall (UK).  This history-making event is organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron, New York Yacht Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club and Storm Trysail Club, with pre-start activities taking place at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport and the awards taking place at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Castle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight.

 The fleet runs the gamut from sleek traditional designs, such as the 94’ William Fife-designed Sumurun, to sophisticated super yachts, such as the 289’ custom Perini Navi clipper sailing yacht Maltese Falcon, with three masts so tall (190’) they barely clear Newport’s towering Pell Bridge, which serves as a gateway to Rhode Island’s famous City by the Sea.  And as those who are veterans of ocean racing will attest, crossing the Atlantic Ocean is no small feat, especially when storms, testing seas and even icebergs (still a danger in the North Atlantic in June) are included in the mix of challenges encountered.

 “What I find so incredible with open-ocean racing is that there are very few things that you can do these days that are the same as what people did 400 years ago,” said Sumurun’s owner Robert Towbin . “You have such a sense of history when you’re out there and for a couple weeks you get to feel, in effect, the same way Columbus felt.”

 Towbin has sailed Sumurun in two previous transatlantic races, winning the Classic Division in the 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Challenge and taking overall victory in the 1997 Atlantic Challenge Cup presented by Rolex.  He is currently preparing his classic yacht, which was built in 1914, to endure what will be its first challenge of the 2011 sailing season.  “If you have an older boat, a race of this complexity takes a lot out of it, so we are putting a lot of work into it to get it up to date,” said Towbin.

Three separate starts – June 26, June 29, and July 3 – are planned (Sumurun will be in the first start) to “stagger” the yachts of different sizes and ability so that they will arrive in England in proximity to each other. Challenging their crews both mentally and physically, the larger boats hope to finish the race in 8 to 12 days, while the smaller boats may take up to 18 to 22 days to finish. 

 In addition to class winners, whichever yacht finishes the course with the fastest elapsed time will set the benchmark for a new  racing record from Newport to Lizard Point, to be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Council. Rolex watches will be awarded to the record holder and the overall winner (on corrected time) under IRC.

 It’s anyone’s guess which of the true racing thoroughbreds entered might prevail.  Among them, scheduled to depart in the final race group, are the VOR 70 crewed by PUMA Ocean Racing Team, the Newport-based second-place finisher in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race and entrant in the next edition as well; Rambler 100, George David’s  maxi rocket ship that has been tearing up race courses since the beginning of the year, including breaking the record for the RORC Caribbean 600 and taking line honors at the Pineapple Cup-Montego Bay Race; and ICAP Leopard, which holds the current record from Ambrose Light to Lizard Point for monohulls using powered sailing systems. 

 And if that’s not impressive enough, there will be two all-youth teams competing, one from Germany (aboard the Andrews 56 Norddeutsche Vermoegen in race start two) and one from the U.S.A. (the All American Offshore Team’s IRC 65 Vanquish in race start three).  In addition, four Class 40s, high-performance monohulls designed specifically for shorthanded sailing, will have their own class (starting in the second group).

Share on Facebook

 

IRC 1 (IRC – 4 Boats)

 1.  USA 8390 Genuine Risk, Canting Keel Super Maxi, Hugo Stenbeck USMMA,  Kings  Point, NY, USA

  2. HKG 1997 Beau Geste , Farr 80, Karl Kwok, Hong Kong, CHN    08Feb11- 09:27:41PM

 3.  USA 25555 Rambler 100, JK 100, George David, Hartford, CT, USA – 08Feb11- 02:53:52PM

 4.  USA 53560 Bella PITA, Tripp 75′, Jim / Meghan Grundy, Horsham, PA, USA - 09Feb11-05:53:27PM
 

 IRC 2 (IRC – 5 Boats)

 1. CAN 84248 Vela Veloce, Southern Cross 52, Richard Oland, Saint John, NB, CAN 09Feb11-04:42:20PM

 2. NED 46 Tonnerre de Breskens 3, Ker 46, Peter Vroon, Breskens, Zeeland, NED — 10Feb11-03:59:22AM

 3. USA 45045 Sjambok, RP 45, Michael Brennan, Potomac, MD, USA –      DNF

 

 PHRF 1 (PHRF – 4 Boats)

 1. USA 66 Donnybrook, SC 72 Mod., James Muldoon, Washington, DC, USA — 09Feb11-07:52:05PM
 

 Rambler 100 also takes Line Honors as first across the finish line. 

  More results to follow as boats complete the race

Great Video of the PHRF and IRC start

 

Pineapple Cup IRC Start

Share on Facebook

 

Owned and sailed by Rives Potts (Westbrook, CT) with a crew blending four families, Carina is the 46th winner of the race’s top trophy in the 104-year history of the race, which runs 635 miles from Newport, RI to St. David’s Light, Bermuda.
The 48-foot McCurdy & Rhodes designed sloop won on corrected time under the Offshore Racing Rule by the very large margin of 3 hours, 35 minutes over Gregory B. Manning’s Sarah  (Warwick, RI). Belle Aurore, a Cal 40 owned by R. Douglas Jurrius (Easton, MD) was third, seven minutes behind Sarah.

Carina’s chances for winning looked good but hardly certain when she finished the race at dawn Tuesday. Her chief challenge came from Belle Aurore and three other boats in Class 1, the small-boat class. Any of them could save their time and elbow Carina off the victory podium should she finish by about 7 PM. Many sailors at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and elsewhere spent much of Tuesday following the quartet’s progress on the online iBoattrack tracker. In the end, nobody was able to save their time on Carina.

Those four smaller boats still did well. Belle Aurore won Class 1 and took third place in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division. Two other Cal 40s, Peter Rebovich’s two-time defending champion Sinn Fein (Metuchen, NJ) and Bill Leroy’s Gone with the Wind (Tiburon, CA), took second in the class and seventh in the division, and third in class and eighth in the division, respectively.  The fourth boat, David G. Dickerson’s Peterson 38 Lindy, was fourth in class and 20th in the division.

Carina also won the North Rock Beacon Trophy as the top boat under the IRC Rule, with a margin of nearly four hours over Gracie, a custom 69-footer owned by Stephen and Simon Frank (Darien and Rowayton, CT). Gracie was also designed by McCurdy & Rhodes. Third under IRC was Arbella, a First 44.7 owned by James Shaughnessy (Greenwich, CT).

As of Noon ADT Wednesday, 9 boats in the 183-boat fleet were still on the race course. This is the third largest Newport Bermuda Race since it was founded in 1906. The St. David’s Lighthouse Division, for amateur crews, is the largest of the race’s five divisions, with 103 boats this year. 

  Invictus At Start (Photo by George Bekris)

FOR NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE START PHOTOS CLICK HERE

2010 Newport Bermuda Race

PROVISIONAL RESULTS

Place, Yacht, Owner, Origin, Results (ORR(Cls, Div) / IRC(Cls, Div))

Class 1 (11 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Belle Aurore, Cal 40, R Douglas Jurrius, Oxford, MD, 1, 3 / 1, 8 2. Sinn Fein, Cal 40, Peter S. Rebovich, Sr., Metuchen, NJ, 2, 7 / 2, 10 3. Gone With The Wind, Cal 40, William M. LeRoy, San Francisco, CA, 3, 8 / NA, NA 4. Lindy, Peterson 38, David G. Dickerson, Niantic Bay, 4, 20 / NA, NA 5. Aurora, Tartan 41, Andrew F. Kallfelz, Jamestown, RI, 5, 22 / 3, 26 6. Frolic, Sabre 362, Peter G. Brown, Greenwich, CT, 6, 26 / 4, 37 7. Hiro Maru, Swan 43 Classic, Hiroshi Nakajima, Stamford, CT, 7, 34 / 5, 40 8. Spirit, Baltic 38DP, A. John Gregg, Philadelphia, 8, 90 / 6, 98 Class 2 (15 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Cygnette, Swan 441, William J. Mayer, Jamestown RI, 1, 5 / 1, 19 2. Swift, Navy 44 MK1, US Naval Academy, US Naval Academy, 2, 13 / 2, 24 3. Avenir, C&C 41, Joseph T. Murray, Bristol, RI, 3, 16 / NA, NA 4. Jacqueline IV, Hinckley SW42, Robert S. Forman, Jr, West Islip, NY, 4, 28 / 3, 47 5. Akela III, Swan 43, Djoerd Hoekstra, Oxford, MD, 5, 36 / NA, NA 6. Flirt, Navy 44 MK1, US NAVAL ACADEMY, US Naval Academy, 6, 44 / 4, 60 7. Mojoe, Peterson 43, Joseph M. Naroski, Marblehead, MA, 7, 45 / 5, 65 8. Rainmaker, Swan 40, Kenneth P. Hylwa Mr., Jamestown, RI, 8, 58 / NA, NA 9. Misty, J-40 WK, Fred A. Allardyce, Watch Hill, RI, 9, 62 / 6, 69 10. Beausoleil, Beneteau 456SD, Richard A Parent, New Harbor, ME, 10, 64 / 7, 79 11. Zwerver, S&S 57′ Berm Cut, Frans van Schaik, Rotterdam (NLD), 11, 65 / 8, 83 12. Morgan Of Marietta, Centurion 42, Colin G Golder, Newport RI, 12, 85 / 10, 93 13. Greyghost, Zaal 38, Philip W. Parish, Georgetown, MD, 13, 89 / 9, 87 14. Zest, Hinckley SW42, Brian E. Swiggett, Jamestown, RI, 14, 93 / 12, 97 15. Regatta, Carter 41, Constantine G. Koste, Oxford, MD, 15, 97 / 11, 95 Class 3 (14 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Carina, Ctm 48, Rives Potts, Westbrook, CT, 1, 1 / 1, 1 2. Dolphin, J-42, Henry S. Morgan, Annapolis, MD, 2, 10 / 2, 13 3. Xenophon, Swan 44 MKII, Jeffrey V. Rabuffo, MD, Newport, RI, 3, 12 / 5, 27 4. Triple Lindy, Swan 44 MK II, Joseph Mele, New York, NY, 4, 15 / 6, 32 5. Finesse, J-42, Newton P.S. Merrill, St. George, ME, 5, 17 / 3, 21 6. Babe, Swan 46, Colin E. Couper MD, Newport, RI, 6, 18 / 4, 25 7. Amigo VI, J-42, Bernie P. Coyne, Marblehead, MA, 7, 33 / 7, 45 8. True, J-42 (mod), Howard B. Hodgson, Jr., Newport, RI, 8, 37 / NA, NA 9. Whisper, Canning 48, Sheldon Brotman, Martha’s Vineyard, 9, 43 / 9, 56 10. Kalevala II, Grand Soleil 37, Tapio O. Saavalainen, Annapolis, MD, 10, 49 / 8, 55 11. Apsara, J-109, Mike Sleightholme, New Rochelle, NY, 11, 76 / 10, 76 12. Jade, J-42, Robert W. Thuss, Jr., Atlantic Highlands, 12, 81 / 11, 90 13. Tiger, Swan 46, Thomas & Nancy Grieb, Newport, RI, 13, 82 / NA, NA 14. Sailor Bandido, Quest 33, Christopher A. Palabrica, Chicago, IL, 14, 96 / NA, NA Class 4 (13 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Windborn, J-120, Richard W. Born, Annapolis, MD, 1, 31 / NA, NA 2. Lapin, Benn Frst 40.7, Christopher Clark, Greenwich, CT, 2, 32 / 2, 41 3. Thejackal, Beneteau 40.7, John DeFilippo, Annapolis, MD, 3, 35 / 3, 43 4. Slide Rule, First 44.7, Scott Bearse, Barnstable, MA, 4, 46 / 1, 5 5. Hound, Ctm 60, Eberhart Frank, Vinalhaven, ME, 5, 50 / 9, 74 6. Shinnecock, J-120, James C. Praley, Annapolis, MD, 6, 51 / 4, 48 7. Valkyrie, First 44.7, David Andril, West River, MD, 7, 55 / 8, 72 8. Ricochet, J-120, USCGA, New London, CT, 8, 57 / 5, 61 9. Terrapin, Beneteau 40.7, Jonathan Litt, Riverside, CT, 9, 59 / 6, 62 10. Dogsled, Kaufman 47, Todd F. Barnard, Halifax, NS, 10, 60 / NA, NA 11. Ragana, Cape Fear 38R, Darius Peleda, Stmford, CT, 11, 71 / 10, 75 12. Star Chaser, Swan 51, Wijnand (Boogie) van den Boogaard, London, UK, 12, 74 / 7, 66 13. Rocket Science, J-120, Rick F. Oricchio, Black Rock, CT, 13, 84 / 11, 85 Class 5 (9 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Glory, J-44, Jack Neades/ USCGA, New London, CT, 1, 29 / 2, 36 2. Runaway, J-44, Lawrence R. Glenn, Oyster Bay, NY, 2, 40 / 3, 38 3. Vamp, J-44, Leonard J. Sitar, Atlantic Highlands, 3, 41 / 1, 34 4. Resolute, J-44 WK, Fred Madeira, Cumberland, ME, 4, 42 / 5, 53 5. Beagle, J-44, Philip H. Gutin, New York, NY, 5, 53 / 4, 46 6. Gold Digger, J-44, James D. Bishop, Jamestown, RI, 6, 73 / 6, 70 7. Charlie V, J-44, Norman H. Schulman MD, Glen Cove, NY, 7, 83 / 7, 80 8. Sirena Bella, J-44, Joe Murli, Mystic, CT, 8, 91 / 9, 94 9. Akubra, J-44, Reginald H. Goodday Dr., Halifax, NS, 9, 99 / 8, 91 Class 6 (13 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Sarah, X-41, Gregory B. Manning, Warwick, RI, 1, 2 / 2, 4 2. Arbella, First 44.7, James P. Shaughnesy, Greenwich, CT, 2, 9 / 1, 3 3. Relativity, Beneteau 53F5, Hall Palmer, St. Thomas, USVI, 3, 48 / 3, 42 4. Buzz, Sydney 38, Richard E. Stevenson, Jr, Falmouth, ME, 4, 54 / NA, NA 5. Sirensong, J-133, Thomas J Carroll, Larchmont, NY, 5, 61 / 4, 63 6. Cilista, J-130, Jeffrey L. Eberle, Manchester, MA, 6, 63 / 5, 64 7. Merlin, Swan 57, John H Duerden, Stonington, CT, 7, 68 / NA, NA 8. Avra, J-120 Mod, George Petrides, New York, NY, 8, 70 / 7, 77 9. Fearless, Farr 395 OD, Shaun J. Ensor, Branford, CT, 9, 75 / 6, 68 10. American Girl, King 40, Daniel Galyon, Stamford, CT, 10, 87 / 10, 92 11. Amadeus, IMX-40, Jack R. Yaissle, Royal Oak, MD, 11, 88 / NA, NA 12. Upgrade, Farr 395, Peter Gibbons-Neff, Annapolis, MD, 12, 94 / 8, 84 13. Bacci, Swan 53, Lorenzo Vascotto, Oyster Bay, NY, 13, 95 / 9, 88 Class 7 (16 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Temptation, Taylor 45, Arthur & Peter Santry, Newport, RI, 1, 4 / 2, 9 2. Barleycorn, NYYC Swan 42, Brendan J. Brownyard, Newport, RI, 2, 11 / 1, 6 3. Vortices, J-145, Christopher L Saxton, Plymouth, MI, 3, 21 / NA, NA 4. White Rhino, Swan 56, Todd Stuart, Wilmington, DE, 4, 23 / 3, 12 5. Bombardino, Santa Cruz 52, James W. Sykes, Rye,NY, 5, 25 / 4, 17 6. High Noon, Tripp 41, Colin Rath, Norwalk, CT, 6, 27 / 5, 33 7. Xcelsior, IMX-45, Alice O. Martin, Chicago, IL, 7, 38 / 7, 51 8. Reindeer, Morris 47, Peter/Tony Driscoll/Parker, Annapolis, MD, 8, 47 / 6, 50 9. Cybele, IMX-45, Richard M. Burnes, Jr, Boston, MA, 9, 52 / 9, 71 10. Jacknife, J-133, Andrew Hall, Caernarfon, 10, 56 / 8, 54 11. Nasty Medicine, Corby 41.5, Stephen J. Sherwin MD, Hamilton, BDA, 11, 66 / 12, 82 12. Threebeans, Santa Cruz 37, Christopher Rosow, Southport, CT, 12, 79 / 11, 81 13. Magic, Santa Cruz 52, Kenneth Laudon, Rye, NY, 13, 86 / 13, 86 14. Convictus Maximus, Farr IRC 42, Donald W. Nicholson, Perth Amboy, NJ, 14, 92 / 10, 78 15. Wazimo, Aerodyne 38, W. Barrett Holby, Jr., Barrington, RI, 15, 98 / NA, NA 16. Flying Goose, Ctm 56, Daniel C. van Starrenburg, New York, NY, 16, 100 / 14, 96 Class 8 (12 Boats) – St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Gracie, Ctm 69, Stephan A. & Simon W Frank, Newport, RI, 1, 6 / 1, 2 2. Aurora, Reichel/Pugh 66, Gus Carlson, New York, NY, 2, 14 / 5, 22 3. Brand New Day, J-65, James C. Madden, Newport Beach, CA, 3, 19 / 2, 11 4. Denali, Nelson Marek 70, Michael A. D’Amelio, Buzzards Bay, MA, 4, 24 / 3, 16 5. Sforzando, Ker 55, Clayton G. Deutsch, Newport, RI, 5, 30 / 4, 18 6. Kodiak, Swan 601, E. Llwyd Ecclestone, Newport, RI, 6, 39 / 6, 29 7. Vanquish, STP 65, Rego / Riker Lucas / USMMA, Kings Point, NY, 7, 67 / 7, 39 8. Mischievous, Ctm 65, Albert J. Fitzgibbons,III, Stonington, CT, 8, 69 / 12, 89 9. Donnybrook, Ctm Sloop, James P. Muldoon, Annapolis, MD, 9, 72 / 9, 57 10. Invictus, TP52, US Naval Academy, US Naval Academy, 10, 77 / 8, 52 11. Starlight, Simonis Voogd 56, Michael Dybvik, Kings Point, NY, 11, 78 / 11, 73 12. Big Booty, Lutra 42, Patrick Eudy, Charleston, SC, 12, 80 / 10, 67 Class 9 (8 Boats) – Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division 1. Noonmark VI, Swan 56, Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy, Hamble, UK, 1, 1 / 1, 7 2. Snow Lion, Ker 50, Lawrence S. Huntington, New York, NY, 2, 2 / 2, 14 3. Hoi An, Ctm 50, Heilner Marc, London, UK, 3, 3 / 6, 44 4. Natalie J, TP52, Philip D. O’Niel III, D.D.S., Newport, RI, 4, 4 / 3, 15 5. Catapult Racing, SouthernCross 52, Marc Glimcher, Essex CT, 5, 5 / 5, 30 6. Vela Veloce, Southern Cross, Richard H Oland, RKYC, Saint John, NB, 6, 6 / 4, 23 7. Captivity, Farr 60, Samuel T. Byrne, Newport, RI, 7, 7 / 8, 59 8. Rima2, R/P 55, John Brim, Newport, RI, 8, 9 / 7, 49 Class 10 (5 Boats) – Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division 1. Ran, JV 72, Niklas Zennstrom, Ramsey, Isle of Man, 1, 8 / 1, 20 2. Bella Mente, Mini Maxi, Hap Fauth, Newport, RI, 2, 10 / 2, 28 3. Beau Geste, Farr 80, Karl Kwok, BVI, 3, 11 / 4, 35 4. Titan Xv, Ctm 75, Tom Hill, Mr., Newport, RI., 4, 12 / 3, 31 5. Rambler, Ctm 90, George David, New York, NY, 5, 13 / 5, 58 Class 11 (7 Boats) – Cruiser Division 1. Shearwater, Morris 40, Conrad Hall, Norfolk, VA, 1, 2 / NA, NA 2. Bluebird, Migrant 45 Ketch, Harry Bird, Essex, CT, 2, 3 / NA, NA 3. Temptress, IMX-45, Arent H Kits van Heyningen, Newport, RI, 3, 8 / NA, NA 4. Eclipse, Hinckley 59, Barbara & Robert Cavanagh, Sakonnet Point, RI, 4, 17 / NA, NA 5. Restive, Alden 48 Ctm, George P Denny III, Saunderstown, RI, 5, 31 / NA, NA Class 12 (16 Boats) – Cruiser Division 1. Laura B, Isl. Packet 45, Joseph R. Triggs, Jr., Avalon, NJ, 1, 4 / NA, NA 2. Cadence, Apogee 50, R. David Warters, Houston, TX, 2, 5 / NA, NA 3. Poeske, First 42, Richard Donn, Thornwood, NY, 3, 6 / NA, NA 4. Bonspiel, Nordic 44, James J. Richter, East Boothbay, ME, 4, 9 / NA, NA 5. Nostos, Alden 44, Lorenzo D. Weisman, Sag Harbor, NY, 5, 11 / NA, NA 6. Bermuda Oyster, Oyster 435, Paul B. Hubbard, Hamilton, BDA, 6, 14 / NA, NA 7. Pilgrim, Alden 44, Mark Rice, Old Lyme, CT, 7, 20 / NA, NA 8. Shindig, Pearson 39-2, Kevin G. Flannery, Newport, RI, 8, 21 / NA, NA 9. Convergence, Jeanneau 43 DS, James Linsley, New York, NY, 9, 24 / NA, NA 10. Freedom, Sabre 452, Cary W. Thomson, Georgetown MD, 10, 25 / NA, NA 11. Liberty Call, HR 43, Matthew G. Pilon, Newport, RI, 11, 27 / NA, NA 12. Eagle, J-40, Dana Oviatt, Mystic, CT, 12, 29 / NA, NA 13. Misty, Little Harbor 54, Eric G. Thorkilsen, Pt. Judith, RI, 13, 32 / NA, NA 14. Haerlem, Swan 55, Hendrikus (Henk) P L Wisker, Newport, RI, 14, 33 / NA, NA Class 13 (15 Boats) – Cruiser Division 1. Clover III, Swan 56, Neal F. Finnegan, Newport, RI, 1, 1 / NA, NA 2. I’Ll Think About It, Beneteau 523, Marc Tandourjian, Baltimore, MD, 2, 7 / NA, NA 3. Cetacea, Hinckley 59, Christopher J. Culver, Newport, RI, 3, 10 / NA, NA 4. Nova, Swan 56, Mark DiStefano, Newport, RI., 4, 12 / NA, NA 5. Lilla, CNB 76, Simon M. De Pietro, Kingstown, SVG, 5, 13 / NA, NA 6. Whiskey Girl, Hinckley 70, Michael McAllister, Providence, RI, 6, 15 / NA, NA 7. Windwalker II, Lyman Morse 60, Daniel Levangie, Newport, RI, 7, 16 / NA, NA 8. Nirvana, Maxi 80, Charles F Kiefer III, Marblehead, MA, 8, 18 / NA, NA 9. Isola, Baltic 52, Howard M. Eisenberg, Newport, RI, 9, 19 / NA, NA 10. Fox, Swan 53, Ruth M. Pecherek, Chicago, IL, 10, 22 / NA, NA 11. Manana, Swan 48, Michhael V. Johnson, Nantucket, MA, 11, 23 / NA, NA 12. Angel, Ctm 84, Edward T. Anderson, George Town CI, 12, 26 / NA, NA 13. Sceptre’D Isle, Ctm 63, Rex G. Herbert, Newport RI, 13, 28 / NA, NA 14. Blue, C&C 51xl, Dan Epstein, Newport, RI, 14, 30 / NA, NA 15. Rutaine, C&C 37/40+, David P. McLoughlin, Wickford, RI, 15, 34 / NA, NA Class 14 (12 Boats) – Double-Handed Division 1. Paladin, J-35, Jason A Richter, Port Jefferson, NY, 1, 1 / NA, NA 2. Great Scot, J-35, Darren T Garnier, Marblehead, MA, 2, 2 / NA, NA 3. Lora Ann, Express 37, Richard T. du Moulin, Larchmont,NY, 3, 3 / NA, NA 4. Kiva, Hinkley SW51CB, Mark Stevens, New Castle, NH, 4, 4 / NA, NA 5. Dirigo, C&C 41, Eric M. Johnson, Annapolis, MD, 5, 8 / NA, NA 6. Esmeralde, Sabre 386, Bruce R. Beard, Jr., Newport, RI, 6, 9 / NA, NA 7. Choucas, Jeanneau SF36, Frederic Cosandey, City Island, NY, 7, 11 / NA, NA 8. Ocean Wanderer1, Montivideo 43, Erwin Wanderer, Halifax, NS, 8, 12 / NA, NA 9. Plum Crazy, Sabre MK II, Michael R. Berg, Stage Harbor, MA, 9, 14 / NA, NA 10. Whisper, Hinckley 48, Thomas J. Vander Salm, Salem, MA, 10, 16 / NA, NA Class 15 (14 Boats) – Double-Handed Division 1. Seabiscuit, J-46, Nathan C. Owen, Mount Desert, ME, 1, 5 / NA, NA 2. Alibi, J-120, Gardner L. Grant, Jr., Westport, CT, 2, 6 / NA, NA 3. Delawana, Swan 51, Hans F. Himmelman, Lunenburg, NS, 3, 7 / NA, NA 4. Heron, J-120, Greg R. Leonard, Annapolis, MD, 4, 10 / NA, NA 5. Mireille, J-120, Edwin Gaynor, Southport, CT, 5, 13 / NA, NA 6. Resolute, J-122, D. Scott Miller, Blue Hill, ME, 6, 15 / NA, NA 7. Dawn Treader, Swan 48 MK II, Lawrence G. Cohen, Gloucester, VA, 7, 17 / NA, NA 8. Next Boat, Morris 45, Mark Ellman, Mamaroneck, NY, 8, 18 / NA, NA 9. Sir Edmund, Ctm 49, Vince E. Todd, San Francisco, CA, 9, 19 / NA, NA 10. Bolands Mill, Class 40, John Ryan, Dublin, 10, 20 / NA, NA 11. Kamoa’E, Class 40, Eric Lecoq, Portsmouth, RI, 11, 21 / NA, NA 12. Dragon, Class 40, Michael S. Hennessy, Mystic, CT, 12, 22 / NA, NA 13. Cutlass, Class 40, Alex / Nick Mehran / Halmos, Newport, RI, 13, 23 / NA, NA 14. Toothface, Akilaria Class40, Michael W. Dreese, Boston, MA, 14, 24 / NA, NA Class 16 (3 Boats) – Open Division 1. Genuine Risk, Dubois 90, Mark E. Watson III – USMMA, Kings Point, NY, 1, 1 / NA, NA 2. Ilmostro, VOR70, Ken Read, Malta, 2, 2 / NA, NA 3. Speedboat, Maxi, Alex Jackson, Georgetown,GC, 3, 3 / NA, NA

Share on Facebook