Mare, a German Class40 skippered by Jörg Riechers (Hamburg, GER) with co-skippers Ryan Breymaier and Charles Euvrete, dominated the 2012 Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing, winning three of the five inshore races and finishing second in the other two heats, en route to topping a record setting international fleet of 15 Class40 yachts.
Mare was equally impressive during the offshore competition, besting the field during the Offshore Leg (Charleston, SC to New York, NY), and finishing second in the Sprint Leg (New York to Newport, RI) behind overall Atlantic Cup runner-up Bodacious Dream, co-skippered by Dave Rearick (Chesterton, IN) and Matt Scharl (Clarkston, MI).
Mare finished with 11 total combined points for the Offshore Leg, Sprint Leg and Inshore Series in Narragansett Bay. Bodacious Dream finished with 27 total points. With the victory Mare claimed the champion’s share, $15,000, of the $30,000 overall prize purse, one of the largest in sailing in the United States.
Only three points separated the remaining top-five finishers, with Gryphon Solo 2, co-skippered by Joe Harris (South Hamilton, MA) and Tristan Mougline (Boston, MA; 39 points) in third, winning a tiebreaker with Campagne de France (FRA), co-skippered by Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron (39) in fourth. Initiatives, co-skippered by Emma Creighton (Deer Isle, ME) and Rob Windsor, (Centerport, NY; 42) finished fifth.
“I’m very happy winning,” said Mare co-skipper Jörg Riechers. “It was a great event. We thought it would be a close battle between us and Talan Bureau Veritas, but as it turned out Bodacious Dream was our stiffest competition and they raced a terrific race.”
“This has been a terrific event, and we couldn’t be happier in our first race,” said Bodacious Dream co-skipper Dave Rearick. “We will take some of this prize money and donate back to The Atlantic Cup so we can support this great event and keep racing!”
“I was thrilled that we made third,” said Gryphon Solo 2 co-skipper Joe Harris. We were clinging by our fingernails and we managed to pull it out, which is fantastic!”
“The Atlantic Cup congratulates Mare on their well-earned victory over a record-setting international field of 15 Class40 boats,” said Race Director Hugh Piggin. “We are very proud of the top-notch sailing, ecological efforts and sportsmanship exhibited by all of the teams and appreciate the contributions from our sponsors, volunteers and staff in making the event a success on all fronts.”
The 2012 Atlantic Cup featured an international fleet of 15 boats from the USA, France, Germany and Great Britain, the most Class40s to ever compete in the United States. Teams set sail from Charleston, SC on Friday, May 11 on the 642-nautical mile Offshore Leg to New York City. The Atlantic Cup VIP Pro-Am Race was sailed in New York Harbor on Friday, May 18.
The 231-nautical mile Sprint Leg from New York to Newport (also double-handed) started on May 19. The third phase of the competition, the two-day Inshore Series, was sailed (with a crew of six) on Narragansett Bay the weekend of May 26 & 27.
Atlantic Cup Green Initiatives
The Atlantic Cup is the first carbon-neutral sailing event in the United States. Working with Presenting Sponsor 11th Hour Racing and Race Partner Sailors for the Sea, Atlantic Cup Race Management strove to achieve carbon neutrality and promote environmental awareness to fans and teams alike.
The mission of 11th Hour Racing, a Newport, RI-based non-profit organization, is to provide a visible platform to engage the global sailing community in efforts to protect the waters for our sport and recreation, and to advance the maritime industry to reflect an understanding that our good life on land depends on the health of the oceans.
Sailors for the Sea, also headquartered in Newport, is a non-profit organization that educates and engages the boating community in the worldwide protection of the oceans. Their signature program, Clean Regattas, is a third party certification program that helps regattas, yacht clubs and sailing programs achieve higher environmental standards. The Atlantic Cup is striving for Gold level certification.
Manuka Sports Event Management set up recycling stations in Charleston, New York and Newport, as well as on-site water filling stations so teams and guests could fill their canteens. Local area students had an opportunity to attend educational workshops to meet the teams, tour the boats, and learn about how making small differences in our everyday lives contributes to a greener, healthier planet for everyone. Additionally, post-race carbon offsets will be purchased to achieve carbon neutrality.
Each team used alternative energy sources, including fuel cells, solar panels and hydrogenerators to charge their batteries, and burned biodiesel fuel when powering to and from the docks. They were also required to use their boats’ water tanks and reusable canteens, to recycle any waste from the offshore and inshore stages, and to use environmentally friendly cleaning products to wash down their boats.
In addition to Title Sponsor 11th Hour Racing, the 2012 Atlantic Cup was supported by Race Partners Atlantis Weathergear, Billy Black Photography, The Boomer Esiason Foundation, Class40, IonEarth, Green Mountain Energy, Newport Biodiesel, Newport Shipyard, Pyrat Rums,
Sailors for the Sea, WindCheck and Zip 2 Water. For more information, visit atlanticcup.org.
