5th Anniversary of the Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing Announces New Sponsors & First ...

Sea Bags Maine Announced as Official Partner and We Are Neutral to be Carbon Offset Supplier

#54 – Dragon, #39 - Pleiad, #118 - Oakcliff & #143 - Longbow Are First Four Teams Officially RegisteredOctober 17, 2015 – Newport, Rhode Island – Manuka Sports Event Management is pleased to announce Sea Bags Maine and We Are Neutral as official partners of the 2016 Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing. Both partners are committed to environmental stewardship, a message that aligns with the Atlantic Cup’s sustainability mission of being the most environmentally sustainable sailing race in the U.S. In addition, Race Organizers announced the first four confirmed teams: Dragon, Pleiad, Oakcliff and Longbow. The 5th edition of the race will start May 28, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. Teams of two will race 648nm from Charleston to New York City. After a brief stop-over in New York teams will race a second leg of 350nm to Portland, Maine where the race will culminate the weekend of June 11th in Portland with the third and final leg, an inshore series. Headquartered in Portland, Maine, Sea Bags is the largest retailer in the world of recycled bags and accessories made from used sails. With an emphasis on producing quality bags made in the USA, Sea Bags hand makes all of their products locally in Maine, using the last thread manufacturer in the U.S. and the only rope manufacturer in New England. During the Atlantic Cup, Sea Bags will hold a sail drive where anyone can drop off used sails at the Atlantic Cup stop-overs. Those sails will be given new life and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Atlantic Cup’s charitable partners. We Are Neutral is the Atlantic Cup’s official carbon offset supplier for the 2016 race. Founded in 2008, We Are Neutral created the first carbon neutral sports program at the University of Florida. In addition, they provide the carbon offsets for the annual music festival, Bonnaroo. We Are Neutral’s carbon offsets are created by planting indigenous trees on local conservation land, partnering with local landfills to capture methane emissions and by performing free of charge energy retrofits for low income families. In addition to calculating and offsetting the Atlantic Cup’s carbon footprint, Atlantic Cup fans will have the ability to calculate their carbon footprint and offset it through the Atlantic Cup website. Over the course of the next four months, Race Organizers will be announcing the teams racing in the Atlantic Cup. Today, they announced the first four teams who are all American entries. #54-Dragon will be the only boat to have competed in every edition of the Atlantic Cup. #39-Pleaid will be racing in its third Atlantic Cup. #118-Oakcliff is the former Bodacious Dream, which won the Atlantic Cup in 2013. The boat was donated to Oakcliff Sailing in 2014 with the purpose of putting American sailors back on top of the international leaderboard. #143-Longbow is the newest Class40 in the worldwide fleet and the Atlantic Cup will be the team’s first major test. Sea Bags President, Beth Shissler said, "We’re so proud to be a part of the Atlantic Cup. Its mission of being the most environmentally sustainable sailing race in the U.S. aligns perfectly with our own brand, which was founded on the principles of recycling and promoting a more sustainable way of life, in order to preserve our oceans for generations to come." We Are Neutral Founder, Jacob Cravey, stated, “The Atlantic Cup is a leader in sustainability for the entire sailing industry and we are proud to align our company with theirs to provide meaningful carbon offsets towards this unique and amazing race.”      Manuka Sports Event Management Founder and Atlantic Cup Race Director, Hugh Piggin, stated, “One of our goals for the 2016 race is to mobilize our fans to do their part for the environment and by having partners like Sea Bags and We Are Neutral who embody that ethos, we are extremely excited to share their message and inspire our fans. In addition, it’s terrific to be six months out from the start of the race and announcing our first four entries. We have eight teams already committed with another four expressing interest. The on water competition in 2016 is going to be fierce and I’m looking forward to it!”