Cutlass and Icarus (Photo by George Bekris)
That’s right sports fans it’s halftime. 2500 miles down and 2500 miles to go. If we actually knew how long the race was going to take would we have even left the dock? You bet, but it doesn’t mean we haven’t started to miss simple things like ice and a full night sleep on a bed thatdoes not crash and bang. This race is all about endurance. Keeping the pressure up 24 hours a day, day after day, takes its toll after a while. Both of us are looking forward to just being able to chill out and not worry about boat speed for 5 minutes.
After two days floundering around in the bottom of a high-pressure system, we broke free yesterday morning and have had an action packed run since. The breeze piped up good and proper and we spent the night surfing down big waves with sustained boat speeds in excess of 20 knots. When these boats get really juiced up they are a high adrenaline experience. It makes for some big grins.
Sprits onboard are high, even though it has been frustrating to watch some of our competition to the north hook into a different weatherpattern and put some crucial miles on us that we will spend the rest of therace trying to whittle down. We have been running 4-hour watches, which is on the long side, but enables the off watch person to have some proper down time. We have enough variety of freeze-dried food onboard that things are still interesting. I’m not sure how we are going to feel about that in another 10 days. There is only so much freeze-dried chili a man can eat. We also think some barking spiders snuck onboard in the freeze dried bags because we keep hearing them barking after meal-time. They must just like the freeze-dried.
The Hydro-Generator has been a really great addition to the boat and has generally supplied all the power we need and more. So much more, in fact, that it has opened up discussion about any number of 12 volt appliances that might be brought onboard. Ice cream machine? Bread machine? Why not?
All in all it’s been a good 2500 miles. There has been some good weather and some bad. Some really fun times and some times when all we want to do is pull our hair out (flopping around with no wind and lots of rain can do that). The ups and downs are part of ocean racing. Its all about the journey.
One of my biggest impressions so far has been with the shear amount of water out here. It sounds silly but even after spending so much of my life on the water, this trip has impressed upon me just how much water there really is on the planet. We have seen one or two boats in the last week, a whale, a couple birds, and a bunch of flying fish. But mostly it’s day after day of water and clouds, as far as the eye can see. It really is amazing.
Now our sights are firmly set on Costa Rica and that first rum drink. I can almost taste it now. First we have a few boats we need to try and beat to the finish line.
Signing Off,
Nick and Hugh
24 58.57 N
046 20.28W
More interviews, updates and photos on Halmos and Piggin’s campaign are available via Cutlass Racing’s website and TheAtlantic Cup’s facebook and twitter pages.
About Nick Halmos
Nick Halmos, 32 and a Palm Beach Florida native, currently residing in Santa Cruz, CA is one of two Americans entered in the Transat Jaques Vabre. Halmos was the captain of the Brown University sailing team and has been campaigning the Class 40 Cutlasssince he brought the boat to the United States in 2009. Since then he has won the 2009 Bermuda 1-2, the Halifax Race and the Ida Lewis Distance Race among others. Halmos, has always been keen to race in something longer. He states, “if you are an American and want to get better at short-handed ocean racing at somepoint you will have to race with the French. The Transat Jaques Vabre is one of the great ocean races and if you’re into short-handed sailing this is one of the top races in the world to do.”
About Hugh Piggin
Hugh Piggin, 36, is no stranger to the short-handed sailing scene. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, he is the only Kiwi competing in this year’s Transat Jacques Vabre. Piggin has logged over 100,000 miles, 7 Transatlantic crossings, 4 Newport-Bermuda races, a Transatlantic record attempt, a Cross Channel record and Two Northern OceanRacing Trophy titles. In 2008, he co-founded Manuka Sports Event Management and is now the race director for The Atlantic Cup, the only dedicated Class 40 race in the United States. He has twice prepared boats for the Transat Jaques Vabre, including class winner Gryphon Solo in 2007, however, this will be his first attempt as a competitor.
About 11th Hour Racing:
11th Hour Racing, a program of the 11th Hour Project, establishes a dynamic new platform for public education about the responsible use of energy and resources in the context of an exciting recreational and competitive sport.
Through our sponsorship of winning sailing teams and clean regattas, we work to advance sailing practices that improvethe energy profile and performance of racing boats, and increase the personal investment of sailors in the health of our waters.
About the boat – Cutlass/11th Hour Racing:
Cutlass/11th Hour Racing is 4 years old and is a first generation Class 40. She is an Owen-Clarke design and built by Jazz Marine – England. This will be her 5th transatlantic crossing.
11th Hour Skippers Nick Halmos and Hugh Piggin (Photo courtesy of 11th Hour Racing)
Nick Halmos and Atlantic Cup Founder Hugh Piggin to co-skipper
Focus on environmental sustainability throughout the race
Le Harve, France – With just five days until the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, 11thHour Racing teammates Nick Halmos and Hugh Piggin are making final preparations for the 4,730nm double-handed race from Le Havre, France to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Piggin and Halmos will co-skipper the Class 40 Cutlass/11th Hour Racing. Cutlass/11th Hour Racing won the inaugural Atlantic Cup held in May of 2011. Their campaign sponsored by 11th Hour Racing will demonstrate better ways to race for performance and the environment.
11th Hour Racing is committed to advancing sailing practices that improve the energy profile and performance of racing boats, and increase the personal investment of sailors in the health of our waters. Advancing winning sailing practices one degree at a time, Halmos and Piggin will not use any plastic water bottles, all cleaning products are biodegradable and carbon offsets were purchased to cover the crew’s transportation.
Furthermore, Cutlass/11th Hour Racing is outfitted with a hydro-generator, which will be utilized to provide all on-board energy needs during the race. Hugh Piggin stated, “the goal is to not burn a single ounce of fossil fuel from when the boat leaves the dock in LeHarve until it arrives in Puerto Limon. Up until recently it was unheard of to cross an ocean without burning any fossil fuel and with 11th Hour Racing’s partnership, this and other sustainable practices on the water are becoming a reality.”
11th Hour Racing Program Director Jeremy Pochman stated, “Our purpose is to promote the widespread usage of new technologies, both environmentally conscious and performance enhancing on the racecourse. In their TJV campaign, Cutlass/11th Hour Racing is acting as a role model to demonstrate that smart choices benefit the performance of the boat and the marine environment.”
The TJV will also offer a unique opportunity to test Cityblooms technology in the harsh environment of the mid-Atlantic. Cityblooms is an urban farming start-up founded by Nick Halmos. Halmos stated that, “Hugh and I will be putting to sea with what might be the world’s first carbon fiber hydroponic system”. By using the hydro-generator to produce fresh water, the duo will attempt to grow a fresh arugula and broccoli microgreen salad in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. In doing so they will demonstrate sustainable organic farming with techniques that are light enough to be used aboard a high-tec racing yacht without a sacrifice in performance.
Hugh Piggin, 36, is no stranger to the short-handed sailing scene. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, he is the only Kiwi competing in this year’s Transat Jacques Vabre. Piggin has logged over 100,000 miles, 7 Transatlantic crossings, 4 Newport-Bermuda races, a Transatlantic record attempt, a Cross Channel record and Two Northern Ocean Racing Trophy titles. In 2008, he co-founded Manuka Sports Event Management and is now the race director for The Atlantic Cup, the only dedicated Class 40 race in the United States. He has twice prepared boats for the TJV, including class winner Gryphon Solo in 2007, however, this will be his first attempt as a competitor.
Nick Halmos, 32, a Palm Beach Florida native, currently residing in Santa Cruz, CA, is one of two Americans entered in the TJV. Halmos was the captain of the Brown University sailing team and has been campaigning the Class 40 Cutlass since he brought the boat to the United States in 2009. Since then he has won the 2009 Bermuda 1-2, the Halifax Race and the Ida Lewis Distance Race among others. Halmos, has always been keen to race in something longer. He states, “if you are an American and want to get better at short-handed ocean racing at some point you will have to race with the French. The TJV is one of the great ocean races and if you’re into short-handed sailing this is one of the top races in the world to do.”
With the village open in Le Havre and the start fast approaching, Halmos and Piggin discussed their goals on the upcoming race.
Nick Halmos
“ The energy in the race village is infectious as the teams prepare for the coming adventure. I can look around and tell that we are surrounded by fierce competitors yet that common trait creates a great atmosphere of camaraderie. While our number one goal is to get to Costa Rica intact, we also must sail a very smart race in order to finish well. A little luck won’t hurt either.”
Hugh Piggin
“The scene in France thus far has been nothing short of spectacular. The public interest is phenomenal and it is great to be among some of the top short-handed sailors in the world.
But, my attention is focused on the race and performing as best as possible. There are three major challenges to doing a race like this: getting to the start line, getting to the finish and leaving as few miles on the course as possible. Our number one goal is to get to Costa Rica, but while we’re racing we need to sail well enough to beat our competitors. We’re going to sail the boat as hard as we can and try to keep it in one piece, but as this is our first Class 40 race of this scale we have no yardstick to determine how we’ll do against our competition, however we’re going out there and we’re going to give it hell!”
Cutlass and Icarus (Photo by George Bekris)
Maltese Falcon (Photo by Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi)
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/.
Carina passes Castle Hill Lighthouse At Transatlantic Race Start ( Photo by Amory Ross / Transatlantic Race 2011 )
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.”
British Soldier at Transatlantic Race Start ( Photo by Amory Ross / Transatlantic Race 2011 )
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
Transatlantic Race Fleet at Start ( Photo by Amory Ross / Transatlantic Race 2011 )
British Soldier (Photo courtesy of Transatlantic Race 2011)
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
The German Youth Team will be racing on the Andrews 56 Norddeutcshe Vermoegen Hamburg (shown here at the 2007 HSH Nordbank Blue Race) in the Transatlantic Race 2011. (Photo courtesy of Nico Krauss)
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
The Oakcliff All American Offshore Team will be sailing on the IRC 65 Vanquish (shown here at the Storm Trysail Club’s 2009 Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex) in the Transatlantic Race 2011. (Photo courtesy of Rolex/Dan Nerney).
Cutlass and Toothface (Photo by George Bekris)
After two full days of inshore racing The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing crowned Team Cutlass/11th Hour Racing as it’s first champion last night in a prize giving ceremony at the Newport Shipyard.
The inshore series took place both Saturday and Sunday in Newport under grey skies with the fleet racing three races daily. The breeze was approximately 8-10kts from the Southeast on Saturday and picked up to 15-18kts from the same direction on Sunday. Each team raced with a crew of six on 7-10 mile courses inside Narragansett Bay just off Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island.
Cutlass dominated throughout and never lost a race in what was very close quartered, tight racing. Places changed nearly every leg often with only seconds separating the boats at turning marks. Team Icarus placed second in the inshore series but because of their 4th place finish in the offshore leg they came up short in the overall competition. Toothface hung on to 3rd place by one point over Icarus overall. Capitalizing on the momentum they gained in their win in the offshore leg, Team Dragon started the inshore series strong with 2, 3, 2 finishes on Saturday. However, Sunday they struggled and placed fourth in all three races, but Team Dragon did enough to hang on to 2nd place overall.
Jeremy Pochman of 11th Hour Racing awarded the 2nd and 3rd place checks to Teams Dragon and Toothface and Jerry Cahill from the Boomer Esiason Foundation awarded the $7,000 first place check to Team Cutlass. $5,000 went to second place Team Dragon and $3,000 to third place finisher Team Toothface. Teams Dragon and Toothface announced that they would donate 10% of their prize money to the Boomer Esiason Foundation, whose mission is to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.
Said Skipper, Rob MacMillan on his first place victory, “I thought the racing was fantastic, the offshore leg was challenging and a very tactful race and the inshore racing was cool. The courses were not traditional windward leeward; they created courses that played to strengths of the Class40. While it made for more work on the boat, with more sail changes, it definitely made for an overall team effort, which made winning that much greater. I think the organizers have hit a home run with format and I look forward to seeing what they come up with for next year.”
Mike Hennessy of Dragon said of inshore racing, “I think it’s no wonder we like offshore sailing better than inshore racing, we were doing better at it, but it was great racing, we had a great time! It’s a very different style of sailing and it’s fun and exciting, but I think all things being equal I like offshore sailing better. I think the event was everything, in fact it was more than I expected, this is a fantastic event, fantastic showcase for the boat, the Class, great racing, lots of fun and I think it’s a good sign of things to come.”
More Images Of Atlantic Cup Racing Here
Ben Poucher of Team Icarus said, “I think the inshore series was a really good learning experience for our team and we got better every race and we see the potential for improvements. It was the most fun weekend of inshore racing that I’ve ever had. It was awesome and I look forward to the 2012 edition of the Atlantic Cup.”
More Images Of Atlantic Cup Racing Here
Highlights of the racing can be seen at www.atlanticcup.org/videos.
Dragon In Atlantic Cup (Photo by George Bekris)
Under the backdrop of the Manhattan Skyline, with over 100 spectators at the Thomson Reuters race start line, The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing took off in lightconditions on Saturday, May 7th. As part of Sailors for the Sea’s Clean Regattas certification for the race, the boats sailed the course using bio-diesel, hydro-generators, solar power, and reusable water bottles.
Team Dragon crossed the finish line at 9:23pm ET Sunday, May 8 with an elapsed time of 30:48:44 to capture first in the off-shore leg of the Atlantic Cup. The race was a back and forth with five lead changes and the top three finishers completing the race within 1 hour 17 minutes of each other.
The Atlantic Cup off-shore course took the fleet out of New York Harbor Saturday afternoon south to the only turning mark on the course at Barnegat Light and from the turn boats headed straight to Newport, RI. The start of the race was in light air and saw Team Cutlass cross the line first. Team Icarus took the False Hook Channel out of New York Harbor and was the only boat to do so and in taking that route they were able to get a jump on the competition and arrive at the turning mark off Barnegat Light first. However, after Team Icarus broke a halyard on their Code 0, they saw their lead dwindle and slowly the competition over took them. As daylight rose on Sunday morning, Team Cutlass/11th Hour Racing, Dragon and Toothface all followed a similar course and traded the lead throughout the morning. Team Icarus chose a more northern route and hugged the Long Island Coast, which ultimately proved to be costly and they fell further and further back from the fleet.
With a win in the off-shore leg of the Atlantic Cup, Mike Hennessy and Rob Windsor were thrilled to have arrived first after a questionable start to the race, “I think everyone suffered at different points during the race, we suffered before the gun, we were a little far north of the line, caught a no wind and headed in the wrong direction,” said Skipper Mike Hennessy. After the start, Team Dragon made up ground and going into Sunday morning they were in a close second with Team Cutlass/11th Hour Racing when they ran into a light air patch. They tactically decided to get some separation from their competition and go to the west of Block Island and that decision paid off, said Skipper Rob Windsor, “once we got to Point Judith and I had to use binoculars to see the next boat behind us, I knew we were pretty good.”
Team Cutlass/11th Hour Racing crossed second with an elapsed time of 31:38:07. For most of Sunday, Team Cutlass/11th Hour Racing was leading the fleet by close to 13 nautical miles. However, their good fortune turned when they got to Block Island and chose to go the eastern side of the Island. Skipper Rob MacMillan explained his decision, “Basically just based on wind I was a little terrified of the current to the western side and I didn’t think there was going to be as much wind based on the direction the wind was coming from, which was due east. As we approached Block we kept getting headed…and that made our easy decision kind of difficult and at that point we saw Dragon which was kind of was, uh, a Holy Cow moment.”
Team Toothface finished just 27 minutes after Team Cutlass/11th Hour Racing with an elapsed time of 32:05:22. Skipper Mike Dreese on the off-shore leg said, “I just thought it was amazing, the venue was unbelievable…and you’re racing past the Statue of Liberty, it doesn’t get any better than that, then for us to come home to Newport where we race out of all the time was reallyfun. I think that the organization, to see the ambition, to have a high quality, credible, exciting format be birthed and to be part of that first race, to me, I think I’m going to look back, [and say] I’m really glad we did this race.”
The final team to cross the line was Team Icarus coming in early Monday morningwith an overall elapsed time of 38:42:20. Team Icarus faced a number of hurdles just making it to the start line as up until one week ago they did not have a boat. In addition to having a dated set of sails, their boat was in poor condition with many electrical malfunctions. However, Skippers Ben Poucher and Tim Fetsch took a number of tactical risks throughout the race to make up for their less than speedy boat. Said Skipper Ben Poucher, “We knew from the beginning we were going to have to take some risks to compete. We’re not going to have enough speed with the sails we have and we don’t know the boat that well so the only way to make any gains is to take risks and the first risk we took really paid off.” Their second risk, hugging the coast of Long Island did not pay off as well and they watch what was once a 6nm lead disappear to a gaping 40 mile deficit.
Attention now turns to the in-shore series, which will be held Saturday and Sunday May 14-15 in Newport, RI. Teams will use a crew of six for the three races heldeach day. Inshore races are weighted less in points, however any of the teams could see their current position change dramatically. The overall lowest point scorer will win The Atlantic Cup.
Presented by 11th Hour Racing
11th Hour Racing’s establishes a dynamic new platform for public education about the responsible use of energy and resources in the context of an exciting recreational and competitive sport. The use of hydro-generators and bio-diesel in the boats competing in the Atlantic Cup is a direct result of 11th Hour’s commitment to the environment.
New York City events are hosted by Thomson Reuters
Atlantis Weather Gear is the official apparel provider
The Newport Shipyard is the official Newport home of the Atlantic Cup
Boomer Esiason Foundation is the Atlantic Cup’s Official Charitable Partner
Run under Sailors for the Sea ‘Clean Regattas guidelines
Using canteen water bottles on the boats while racing and set up and maintain water filling stations during the event
Using environmentally friendly cleaning products on all boats
Recycling at all sites during the race
Recycling by all boats when completing the off-shore and in-shore portion of the race
Using biodegradable plastic throughout the race including at pre and post-race parties and dinners
Using 100% post-consumer recycled paper for all event packets
Organizing a green team to maintain a trash-free site at both hospitality events
Preventing discharge of untreated sewage or black water in harbor areas and on race courses throughout the event
Asking all race participants to use water only when washing down their boats during the course of the regatta
Open to Class40 boats
$15,000 prize purse
One day of Pro-Am racing held May 6, 2011 in New York Harbor
Depart New York Harbor May 7, 2011
Race double-handed from New York to Newport
Off-shore course is approximately 260 nautical miles
Two days inshore fully crewed buoy racing held over the weekend of May 14 in Newport, RI
Finish Party and prize giving in Newport at Newport Shipyard on May 15
History of The Atlantic Cup
· Having sailed professionally and worked on some of the biggest sporting events in the world, the creators of The Atlantic Cup have watched professional sailing grow in popularity around the world, however interest has not been as strong in the United States. They realized that professional sailing in the United States has remained a secondary sport largely because there is a lack of races that are sponsor driven, have mass media attention, professional competitors and award prize money.
· The organizers of The Atlantic Cup, therefore, came together to fill the void and create a top-level premier sailing race in the United States. The goal is to produce hard fought, intense sailing competitions featuring the top U.S. and international short-handed sailors. The races will be surrounded by entertaining, engaging events that will engage the casual fan’s interest.
