In less than 12 hours, the fast-paced action of the Atlantic Cup continues, with the start of Leg 2 in New York Harbor at 14h00 eastern time! Competitors enjoyed a wonderful time at the New York City stopover, where teams mingled and invited friends, sponsors and families to race in the Pro-Am event and hosted over 200 students for 11th Hour Racing's Kids day. Now the teams turn their attention back to the racecourse where the action heats back up, the teams competing for the 2018 Atlantic Cup will cross the Angola Cables Start Line bound for Portland, Maine at 2pm tomorrow (Saturday).
Will fleet leaders, Eärendil, Amhas and Talanta be able to hold their position? Or will we see Espirit Scout, Dragon or Privateer climb the fleet? With 8-12 knots of wind forecasted, then due to increase to 12-18 knots gusting 20-24 from the North/North East the start should be a quick haul upwind, and any mix-up of the leader board is possible. Join us in Portland, ME starting on June 4th, for an an exciting arrival and then inshore racing on June 9th and 10th with a dock-out ceremony and commentary each day! What will the teams face in Leg 2?
If you wanted two completely opposite legs, then here you go. It looks like the Class 40s are about to experience this in the Atlantic Cup during leg two, to Portland, Maine. What was kind of a semi-docile downwind and warm experience from Charleston to New York, is going to quickly turn into upwind, thrashing, lots of weather systems that come up out of nowhere, and potentially cold weather. I repeat, really cold.
Gone is the Gulf Stream, but the local currents around headlands and islands are going to make it a really different type of sailing. One of the cool things that make the Atlantic Cup exciting to race and follow, is very often these two legs have completely different profiles and it’s looking quite evident that the profile of this leg is going to be totally different from leg one. It looks like we could see lots of upwind sailing, certainly some breezier sailing, especially with the approaching weather systems. There’s a fair chance that the boats that may not have thrived in the light air- downwind sailing, and could now have their day in the windier, upwind sailing. With the easterly waypoint involved in the race, it could separate into two very distinct racecourses. The first being upwind work and second being some power-reaching work. There will be lots of weather passages, lots of gusty, windy conditions and at times up to 30 knots. Certainly, as you go around Nantucket Shoals and Cape Cod, you’ll see an array of currents, which will give competitors different types of sailing. It’s a very interesting racecourse and what looks so simple, will actually be quite complex. The first decision for the sailors is whether they should go down the rum line and stay near Long Island, or get offshore to the south of Long Island. It looks like the breeze is going to be much stronger offshore, so don’t be surprised to see the fleet dive south, especially if it’s upwind. And they will spend a lot of time on port tack to get away from Long Island and get out into the stronger breeze. The current of the Gulf Stream clearly won’t be any part of this leg, but at the same time, it’s going to be quite tricky and quite cold as they move north into Sunday, and the temperatures will drop dramatically. Of course, when you’re going across the bay of Maine, there’s always a distinct chance of fog this time of year. Fishing boats, fog, weather, tough competition, what’s there not to get excited about? Atlantic Cup NYC Pro-AmWe were delighted to host a number of our sponsors and supporters today for a fun race in NY Harbor. Teams and guests headed out for a perfect afternoon of sailing capped off with a specatcular cocktail party overlooking the Manhattan skyline and the boats!
On Thursday, May 31st, the Atlantic Cup welcomed over 150 school students from the Hudson County Schools of Technology to Liberty Landin Marina for the second Kids Day of the 2018 Atlantic Cup. Presented by 11th Hour Racing the Atlantic Cup has already helped educated over 1500 school children about marine life, sustainability, the mechanics of sailing and of course providing the opportunity for students to hear stories from those competing within the race.
Ashley Perrin who raced on board Dragon Ocean Racing for Leg 1 makes the swap to #37 First Light
Ashley Perrin who raced on board Dragon Ocean Racing for Leg 1 makes the swap to #37 First Light
Atlantic Cup veteran Merf Owen joins the boat he designed #54 Dragon replacing Ashely Perrin.
Atlantic Cup veteran Merf Owen joins the boat he designed #54 Dragon replacing Ashely Perrin.
Philippe Paturel and Sylvian Barrielle take over the helm of #118 Oakcliff Ocean Racing from Sean O'Halloran and Ethan Johnson.In Portland? Visit Us At Maine Wharf!More Great Billy Black Photos from the Angola Cables Finish Line in NYC
Philippe Paturel and Sylvian Barrielle take over the helm of #118 Oakcliff Ocean Racing from Sean O'Halloran and Ethan Johnson.In Portland? Visit Us At Maine Wharf!More Great Billy Black Photos from the Angola Cables Finish Line in NYC
Philippe Paturel and Sylvian Barrielle take over the helm of #118 Oakcliff Ocean Racing from Sean O'Halloran and Ethan Johnson.In Portland? Visit Us At Maine Wharf!More Great Billy Black Photos from the Angola Cables Finish Line in NYC
Our thanks go to Billy Black, the Atlantic Cup's Official Photographer for these amazing images! Head over to our Facebook page to see more images from today's finish.
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