Now in its fifth year, the Atlantic Cup, a one-design Class40 regatta featuring inshore racing, a pair of offshore legs and a hefty cash purse for the winners, is expecting to attract up to 10 boats by the time the starting gun sounds this May.
First to sign up this time around was skipper Mike Hennessy of the Owen Clarke-designed Dragon, a veteran of all four Atlantic Cups. Although his team suffered an “unfortunate introduction,” as Hennessy put it, to a rock in Narragansett Bay in 2014 that knocked him off the leaderboard, Hennessy says he is more enthusiastic than ever.
“We know we are going to have to bring our A game to win in in the 2016 edition,” Hennessy said. “The 6,000 ocean miles that we raced in 2015 have all been practice for the Atlantic Cup.”
As in past years, the 2016 Atlantic Cup will kick off with a 650-mile doublehanded offshore leg from Charleston, South Carolina, to New York City. However, instead of following up with another offshore leg to Newport, Rhode Island, this time the fleet will sail to Portland, Maine, where a fully crewed inshore series will be held June 10-11. Be warned, though, Mike. They’ve got rocks up there too!
For more on the event, which begins May 28, visit atlanticcup.org.
Photo courtesy of Billy Black
