Manuka Sports Event Management in Newport, RI has announced plans to move the The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing to a biennial event. The 5th edition of the race will start May 21, 2016. As in previous editions, The Atlantic Cup will visit three ports along the East Coast. Host cities will be announced in the coming months. The only short-handed offshore race in the U.S. dedicated to the Class40, The Atlantic Cup was created to grow the audience for short-handed, offshore racing with hard-fought competition
© Billy Black
and exciting shore-based events while also being the most environmentally sustainable sailing race.
“The Atlantic Cup is the East Coast’s longest offshore race with a large public and commercial component to it,” said Hugh Piggin, Manuka Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “After the fourth edition this past May, we looked at various ways we could take The Atlantic Cup from where it is today to a significantly larger event. Manuka SEM decided to focus on a two-year cycle to continue to produce a first class event and time the race to coincide with the international sailing calendar. This will maximize the race experience for competitors, fans and sponsors.”
“11th Hour Racing, presenting sponsor of The Atlantic Cup, has been a supporter since the race’s inception and fully supports the decision to move to a two-year cycle,” Piggin continued. “With 11th Hour Racing’s help, The Atlantic Cup has become the leading example of an environmentally responsible sailing race. In 2016, The Atlantic Cup will continue to set the standard, implementing new and innovative solutions to enhance sailing performance, the race experience and protect the health of our waters.”
“Given the growth and strength of the Class40 fleet on the East Coast and the need for an event to bring boats north after the winter, we are also announcing the Ocean Race North (ORN) from Charleston, SC to Newport. The ORN will run in the odd years and will include the Class40s and an ORR division. ORN is slated to start May 2, 2015. As we look towards the future, we are excited to grow The Atlantic Cup, while still providing a high quality, demanding race for the sailors and exciting event for the fans.”
