Atlantic Cup (sailing) explained

The Atlantic Cup is the first and only dedicated Class40 professional sailing race in the United States.[1] It consists of both offshore and inshore legs and was created by Manuka Sports Event Management, which is headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island.

Hugh Piggin, a New Zealand native and sailor who lives in Newport, was intent on changing the face of sailing in the United States. After joining forces with Julianna Barbieri, a sports broadcasting professional, the two created a business plan that would eventually form the Atlantic Cup.[2] The first edition of the race was in 2011. Entrants started in New York City and finished in Newport, with an additional inshore series that was also held in Newport. The race expanded in 2012 to start from Charleston, South Carolina.[3]

The Atlantic Cup[4] competition has three stages: two offshore legs and an inshore series. From 2011-2014, the first stage was a 648 nautical mile double-handed leg from Charleston to New York City. The second stage was a 231 nautical mile leg from New York City to Newport. The third and final stage[5] was sailed with a maximum crew of six for a weekend-long inshore series. Beginning in 2016, the Atlantic Cup extended the Leg 2 course to 360 nautical miles with a finish in Portland, Maine. Points are awarded for each race, and the team with the fewest overall combined points from both the offshore and inshore series[6] is crowned Atlantic Cup Champion.

The 2012 race was the first carbon neutral[7] sailing race in the United States.[8] [9] To achieve carbon neutrality, race organizers adopted a 3-part approach: on-land, on-water, and education. On land, single-use plastic water bottles are prohibited. Only glassware or biodegradable cups are used, and recycle stations and water filtration systems for both crew members and guests alike are set up in all three race locations. Event management uses only "100% post-consumer recycled paper" that is used for the printing of collateral material such as event packets, tickets, and handouts. In 2016, the Atlantic Cup was the first sporting event in the United States to be ISO 20121 compliant.[10] [11]

2016 Race Results

PlaceTeamLeg 1Leg 2 Inshore RacesTotal Points
Race 1Race 2Race 3Race 4Race 5
1123 - Tales II18189987(6)69
2145 - Eärendil16166698(5)61
4118 - Oakcliff**1410(4)575950
3128 - Toothface**614886(4)850
554 - Dragon1087(4)59746
6127 - Amhas12657(4)6440
795 - Talanta88*(3)333328
839 - Pleiad4DNSRETRETRETRETRET4
9102 - PrivateerRETRETRETRETRETRETRET0
2014 Race Results
PLACETeamLeg 1Leg 2In Shore RacesInshoreTotal
12345PointsPoints
1106 - Gryphon Solo 2106344431531
2116 - JeffreyMacFarlane.com410453351731
339 - Pleiad64535541929
454 - Dragon8800000016
525 - Flatline0* - DNS222222810
2013 Race Results[12]
Inshore Racing & Overall Point Standings
Leg Leg Inshore #1 Inshore #2 Inshore #3 Inshore #4 Inshore #5 Inshore Points Total Points
Team 1 2 1 2 3 4 5
  1. 118 Bodciaous Dream
14 14 5 2 7 5 6 23 51
  1. 121 Lecoq Cuisine
12 12 7 5 5 4 3 21 45
8 6 6 7 6 7 7 27 41
  1. 106 Gryphon Solo 2
6 10 4 4 4 6 5 19 35
  1. 90 40 Degrees
10 4 1 3 2 3 4 12 26
  1. 54 Dragon
4 8 2 6 1 1 1 10 22
  1. 39 Pleiad
2 2 3 1 3 2 2 10 14

2012 Race Results[13]

Number, Name, Country of Boat Combined Final Point Standings After All Three Legs of Competition Total Points
No. 115 Mare - GER (Jörg Riechers, Ryan Breymaier, Charles Euvrete) 2, 1, 1, 1 11
No. 118 Bodacious Dream[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] - USA (Dave Rearick, Matt Scharl) 5, 5, 6, 3 27
No. 106 Gryphon Solo 2 - USA (Joe Harris, Tristian Mouligne) 4, 3, 2, 8 39
No. 101 Campagne De France - FRA (Halvard Mabire) 8, 9, 9, 3 39
No. 30 Initiatives - USA (Emma Creighton, Rob Windsor) 1, 2, 4, 5 42
No. 54 Dragon - USA (Michael Hennessy, Christopher Museler) 7, 3, 2, 1 47
No. 105 Eole Generation- GDF SUEZ - FRA (Sebastien Rogues) 6, 4, 5, 4 47
No. 109 Talan-Bureau Veritas - FRA (Stephane Le Diraison, Jesse Naimark-Rowse) 3, 6, 5, 6 52
  1. 116 Icarus Racing[19] - USA (Ben Poucher, Tim Fetsch)
10, 11, 7, 4 58
No. 73 Toothface - USA (Mike Dreese, Ken Luczynski)9, 8, 7, 9 69
No. 113 Partouche - FRA (Christophe Coatnoan, Ari Sebag) 13, 7, 10, 12 82
No. 17 Transport Cohérence - FRA (Benoít Jouandet, Jorge Madden) 11, 13, 13, 11 84
No. 20 Sevenstar Yacht Transport - FRA (Dan Valoppi, Anna-Maria Renken) 14, 14, 14, 14 88
No. 85 Groupe Picoty - FRA (Jacques Fournier, Jean-Christophe "JC" Caso) 12, 12, 12, 13 89
No. 90 40 Degrees * - GBR (Hannah Jenner, Peter Harding) DNF (Did Not Finish) N/A
  • Retired during Leg No. 1 due to a broken mast

2011 Race Results[20]

Inshore No. 1 Inshore No. 2 Inshore No. 3 Inshore No. 4 Inshore No. 5 Inshore No. 6 Off-ShoreTotal Points
Cutlass/ 11th Hour Racing 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 10
Dragon 2 3 2 4442 21
Toothface 3 4 4 2 2 36 24
Icarus 4 233 3 2 8 25

Notes and References

  1. News: $30,000 Prize Purse Up for Grabs in America's Class40 Grand Prix. Windcheck. May 2012.
  2. News: Long Odds. Sailing World. September 2012.
  3. News: The Rise of the Flying 40s. Sailing. September 2012.
  4. Oken, Becca. "Teams Gear Up for Atlantic Cup". Sail Magazine. Source Interlink Media. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  5. "Atlantic Cup Ends Final Leg This Weekend". Newport Daily News.
  6. Oken, Becca. "Inshore Series Closes 2013 Atlantic Cup". Sail Magazine. Source Interlink Media. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  7. "Coast to Coast: Teams Ready for Carbon Neutral Sailing". Sports Business Daily. Street and Smith's Sports Group.
  8. Web site: On The East Coast A Sailing Regatta With Carbon Neutrality. TreeHugger. 2013-01-30.
  9. Oki, Andrea. "Atlantic Cup Race Now Carbon Neutral". Environmental News Network. Environmental News Network. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  10. Web site: Atlantic Cup - Calendar. www.oceannavigator.com. 2018-04-27.
  11. News: Atlantic Cup Garners Environmental Achievements >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 2016-10-29. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 2018-04-27. en-US.
  12. http://atlanticcup.org/race/2013-results/ 2013 Race Results
  13. News: Pomeroy. Jeff. Atlantic Cup - Mare Emerges Victorious . February 5, 2013 . Sail-World.com. 2012-05-28.
  14. Shane, Ken. "Bodacious Dream Fends Off LeCoq Cuisine in Final Day of Racing". The Jamestown Press. Jamestown Press. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  15. Kapos, Shia. "Chicago Renaissance Man Wins Atlantic Cup Race". Crain's Chicago Business. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved June 06, 2013.
  16. Shane, Ken (May 23, 2013). "Boat Sponsored by Jamestown Fish Wins Atlantic Cup Race". The Jamestown Press.
  17. "Bodacious Dream Tops in Second Leg". Newport Daily News. May 20, 2013.
  18. Oken, Becca. Bodacious Dream Wins First Leg of The Atlantic Cup". Sailing Scuttlebutt.
  19. Hartsell, Jeff. "On ‘a 40-foot island,’ Charleston crew braves ocean in Charleston-to-New York Atlantic Cup race". The Post and Courier. Evening Post Industries.
  20. Web site: 2011 Race & Results.