On Friday at the New York Yacht Club, Ashley Perrin and Merfyn Owen received the 2023 Royal Cruising Club Trophy from the Commodore of the CCA (Cruising Club of America). The trophy was awarded “For their extended circumnavigation and excellent cruise of Newfoundland by way of Greenland and Labrador in Santana, a Capo 30.”

Ashley Perrin and Merfyn Owen's Santana, a Capo 30 in Greenland

In 2019 the couple raced and then cruised Santana, their 30’ Carl Schumacher design from Maine to St Johns NL. They returned early in the 2020 season sailing in fog and ice to northern Newfoundland, before crossing the Labrador Sea on an expedition to the west coast of Greenland.

The CCA 2023 Royal Cruising Club Trophy was awarded to Ashley Perrin and Merfyn Owenfor extended circumnavigation and excellent cruise of Newfoundland by way of Greenland and Labrador in Santana, a Capo 30.

Trapped by Covid ashore in Nuuk for two winters, Santana returned across a cold, icy, and grey Davis Strait to Labrador and south to northwest Newfoundland. The last part of the circumnavigation was completed last year. This time, a pleasant summer cruise down the Straits of Belle Isle and west along the remote southern coast of Newfoundland.

The New York Yacht Club is back in the next America’s Cup, as its trustees this week approved a challenge for the 37th edition of sailing’s most prestigious trophy.

“We are extremely excited to continue our quest to regain the America’s Cup with American Magic,” says NYYC Commodore Paul M Zabetakis, MD.

“Upon receiving the Protocol for the 37th match, we were pleased to find that it contains elements advocated for by the club last spring.

“In addition, the Executive Committee recently received a new proposal from Doug DeVos and Hap Fauth, American Magic principals and club members, that warranted reconsidering our earlier decision to pause our pursuit of AC37.”

The New York Yacht Club created the America’s Cup and successfully defended it 25 times before losing the Auld Mug to Australia II and the Royal Perth Yacht Club in 1983.

In the years since, the NYYC has challenged for the trophy four times. The most recent challenge, represented by American Magic, ended prematurely when the team was knocked out of the Prada Cup Challenger Selection Series in Auckland last January.

Discussions regarding the club’s next challenge started shortly after Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the Cup last March, and a challenge was submitted in May before announcing 2020 Bermuda Cup winners Stars+Stripes as its representative team.

However, due to what it cited as “a lack of clarity” regarding the rules, timing and venue for the next match, the club decided in October to withdraw its challenge.

But the club now says that “a renewed mutual desire to have American Magic sail on behalf of the club and commit to a campaign for at least two consecutive America’s Cup cycles” prompted the club and team to join forces for the 37th America’s Cup.

NYYC Commodore Paul M Zabetakis, MD | Credit: Dan Nerney

“While the result in Auckland was not what we had hoped for, skipper Terry Hutchinson and the entire team were tremendous ambassadors for the club and displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the campaign,” Zabetakis says.

“The America’s Cup remains the highest peak in sailing and one of the most difficult challenges in the world of sport. The lessons learned during our previous campaign, combined with American Magic’s physical and intellectual assets and a commitment to multiple cycles, will ensure this challenge a strong chance to claim sailing’s ultimate prize.”

While winning remains the primary goal, it’s not the only focal point of the campaign, the commodore says.

“The club’s involvement in AC37 must advance our foundational initiatives, including the development of America’s youth sailing talent and a commitment to increasing diversity within our sport.

“We will also continue to push for changes to the structure of the competition that can make the event more accessible to challengers, fans and corporate partners.”

The team and the club await the announcement within the next few months of the venue and schedule for the 37th America’s Cup. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Cork is still in the race for hosting rights as a technical team visited recently to assess the city’s infrastructure.

New York Yacht Club has withdrawn its challenge for the America’s Cup in 2024, according to Marine Industry News.

The club had backed American Magic — which counted Irish sailor, and previous cup winner, Revelin Minihane among its crew — in its challenge for the Auld Mug in Auckland earlier this year.

But a crash that nearly sunk the boat took them out of the running for the Prada Cup, which was won by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The Italian team were beaten in the cup race by the home side Team Emirates New Zealand.

In May this year the NYCC submitted its challenge along with an “evolutionary” draft Protocol for the event, including confirmation of AC75 as the one-design class. It later announced 2020 Bermuda Gold Cup winners Stars+Stripes as its representative team.

Meanwhile, Dubai and Cork remain in the running to host the 37th America’s Cup after Valencia’s withdrawal, but as previously reported on Afloat.ie, a second Spanish bid is in the works. An announcement is expected later this week.

Update: Late on Tuesday (19 October), the the club — based in New York City and Newport in Rhode Island — issued a statement on its decision, citing “continued uncertainty” regarding the host venue, timing and rules. NYCC Commodore Christopher J Culver is quoted as saying: 

“There are few private clubs that enjoy a stronger bond with a single competition than the New York Yacht Club does with the America’s Cup, which we founded and held for 132 years. However, we ultimately have a responsibility to act in the best interests of our membership. Given the continued uncertainty regarding the 37th America’s Cup, we have decided to pause our challenge for this edition.

“For more than six months, the New York Yacht Club along with other potential challengers have waited for clarity regarding the venue, timing and rules for the 37th America’s Cup. Time is never on the side of new teams in this great contest, but at some point, we must recognize when there simply isn’t enough of it left to build a competitive challenge.

“We will continue to advocate for what we believe to be essential changes to the structure of the America’s Cup. This evolution will retain the competition’s unmatched history and appeal while enabling it to compete on today’s increasingly competitive modern sports landscape. Our passion for this competition remains as strong as ever.

“Stars+Stripes USA, led by members Mike Buckley and Taylor Canfield, will carry forward with their plans to challenge for the 37th America’s Cup. We wish them the best of luck. They represent the future of American yachting.”

There was both disapppointment and excitement for Irish Sailing fans at the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup on Sunday when the Royal Cork Yacht Club team headed by Anthony O'Leary failed to make the top ten of the 14–boat fleet overall but confirmation from New York that a County Wicklow design is to be used for future Cup competitions might give the rub–of–the green to future Cork – or indeed Irish– campaigns.

O'Leary finished the series in 11th but previously finished as high as fifth in 2009.

The weekend event brings to a close the involvement of the Swan 42 one-design, which was instrumental in getting the regatta off the ground eight years ago. The foundation laid by the Swan 42 class will be carried forward in 2019 with the IC37. As Afloat.ie reported in May, The Club has committed to purchase a fleet of 20 identical keel boats built by Westerly Marine to a design by County Wicklow's Mark Mills (the 2009 Afloat Sailor of the Year). New York Yacht Club say this 'will ensure that the world's premiere Corinthian one-design keelboat regatta remains a must-do event for sailors around the world'.

More information on the 2019 edition will be released before the end of 2017.

In Saturday's single race, the Southern Yacht Club was as sharp as they had been in the previous 11 races, starting strongly and never wavering. SYC eventually finished second to Royal Thames in the race, and four places ahead of their only remaining competition for the overall trophy, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron from Australia. In 12 races, the Southern Yacht Club team accumulated just 34 points, the lowest winning total for a Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup by 10 points.

With a margin of 8 points over second-placed Royal Sydney to start the day, and only one race remaining, Southern Yacht Club was in a comfortable position. But light air and fog can dampen the confidence of even the most credentialed sailor. A long delay only added to the anxiety.

Southern Yacht Club was the first rookie competitor to win the Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup since the host New York Yacht Club won the inaugural competition in 2009. But the team, which was composed of veteran sailors with many significant campaigns under their collective belt, approached the regatta with the appropriate commitment. Buoyed by the membership, and especially crew member Stephen Murray Jr., the team was able to purchase a boat to train on all summer and sail in regatta.

The 2017 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup took place September 9 to 16 at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court, in Newport, R.I. Amateur sailors representing 14 yacht clubs from around the globe converged on Newport to race in the ultimate one-design, big-boat competition. The boats and sails are provided and the rig tune is standardised across the fleet. The Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is sponsored by Rolex, Porsche, Nautor's Swan, AIG and Helly Hansen.

Final results

1. Southern YC, USA, 34
2. Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, AUS, 46
3. Eastern Yacht Club, USA, 67
4. New York Yacht Club, USA, 74
5. Royal Thames Yacht Club, UK, 77
6. Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, HKG, 85
7. Japan Sailing Federation , JPN, 88
8. Yacht Club Argentino, ARG, 92
9. Itchenor Sailing Club, UK, 96
10. New Bedford Yacht Club, USA, 114
11. Royal Cork YC, IRL, 114
12. Royal Swedish Yacht Club, SWE, 121
13. Shelter Island Yacht Club, USA, 121
14. Royal Yacht Squadron, UK, 134

The two America’s Cup Challenges made through the Royal Yacht Squadron by Lord Dunraven of Adare in County Limerick in 1893 and 1895 both had elements of controversy writes W M Nixon. And such serious ill-feeling emerged after his challenge of 1895 that Dunraven was subsequently relieved of his Honorary Membership of the defending New York Yacht Club, an extreme and unprecedented step which led to international diplomatic moves to smooth the waters between the UK and the US.

Dunraven – who had been introduced to sailing by the great John Jameson aboard the famous racing cutter Irex in Dublin Bay in the 1880s – made his challenges with large cutters designed by the renowned G L Watson. And the 1893 matter of potential friction was successfully resolved when Dunraven’s contention that there should not be an inshore course option was successfully upheld in order to ensure truer wind conditions.

The G L Watson-designed Valkyrie II (left) racing against Vigilant in the 1893 America’s Cup. Valkyrie II was a near-sister of the Royal cutter Britannia which was built the same year

But with the second challenge by the 129ft Valkyrie III in 1895 at New York harbour, he became so incensed by what he felt was the intrusion of the huge spectator fleet into the racing area that he made a formal complaint about about it. And after Valkyrie III was held responsible for minor collision in the second race for which which he tended to blame the spectator fleet, he withdrew from the series with further grievances.

Both the Dunraven challenges ended in defeat, though he was only beaten by 40 seconds in the final race of 1893, with Valkyrie II starting to perform to her true potential. But they had successfully raised the standard of yacht raced in the America’s Cup to a much higher technical level. However, the 1895 effort ended not only in defeat, but with a high level of acrimony which lasted until this year, with the Dunraven challenges almost air-brushed out of some histories of the America’s Cup.

Yet as time has passed a greater realization has developed of Dunraven’s other achievements, for he was a man of many talents – for instance, he successfully co-chaired the Conference which brought Land Act settlement to Ireland in 1903. And some historians of the America’s Cup feel that in the hectic world of the 1890s, the American defenders may have come down a little too heavily on a Challenger who became very isolated in his efforts in 1895 after he had begun to look like a contender in 1893.

Certainly when the next series was held in 1899 – with Sir Thomas Lipton challenging through the Royal Ulster Yacht Cub with Shamrock I – the race area was rigorously patrolled by the US Navy to keep spectator vessels well away. And in later stagings of this pinnacle of world sailing, cognisance was also taken of Dunraven’s feeling that the course should be moved further away from the adverse effects of land upon wind behaviour.

So in this year of 2016, a year in which America seems to be increasingly mired with internal political controversy, it’s good to know that during the summer Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven (1841-1926) was finally inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame for his contribution to course-setting protocols, and his pioneering of the Golden Era when huge yet technically-advanced yachts raced for the Holy Grail of international sailing.

From across the globe, members of the Cruising Club of America (CCA) assembled at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan to recognise their outstanding sailors of 2015 during the international organisation’s Annual Awards Dinner earlier this month.

Representing a broad array of sailing achievements, the recipients of the 2015 Blue Water Medal and the Blue Water Medal “Without Date,” Far Horizons Award, Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship and the Richard S. Nye Trophy were celebrated for their accomplishments.

2015 Blue Water Medal and Blue Water Medal “Without Date”

The Cruising Club of America presented British sailors Tom and Vicky Jackson its 2015 Blue Water Medal, established in 1923 to recognise examples of meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the seas. The Jacksons were rewarded for their extensive racing and cruising, over more than 34 years aboard their 40’ Sparkman & Stephens-designed Sunstone.

The Cruising Club of America presented Jon Sanders of Perth, Australia, its Blue Water Medal “Without Date.” The medal recognises examples of meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the seas and has only been awarded seven times to recognize a variety of achievements. Sanders has made nine circumnavigations – eight of them solo, including a single “three times around” voyage, and one crewed – and has made a lifetime of significant contributions to sailing.

Far Horizons Award

The 2015 Far Horizons Award was presented to Kaspar and Trisha Schibli, of Victoria, British Columbia, in recognition of their extensive offshore cruising, especially their current multi-ocean cruise. 

Richard S. Nye Trophy

The 2015 Richard S. Nye Trophy was presented to John E. Sanford of Tiburon, Calif., for meritorious service to the CCA and the San Francisco Station over a period of 34 years. 

Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship

The 2015 Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship was presented to Canadian cruisers George Juri and Grit Chiu for their lifesaving rescue in critical conditions of a man found floating offshore who had been in the water for four days following the sinking of a work barge off Phuket. 

Royal Cork helmsman and Afloat Sailor of the Year Anthony O'Leary has assembled his crew for this week's Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup based on their performance on his winning Ker 40, Antix. A previous 5-8-4 record at this event indicates that while the Irish team infrequently sails one-design boats of the size of the Swan 42s used for the Invitational Cup, they are strong competitors within reach of the prize.

The first race is scheduled for 1100 each day starting tomorrow. Racing is scheduled to take place on Narragansett Bay, north of Gould Island, or on Rhode Island Sound, south of Brenton Point Park. The racing location will be picked each morning. The regatta is hosted out of the New York Yacht Club at Harbour Court.

It is a testament to the ideals of Corinthian competition, and the camaraderie associated with the sport that for the fourth edition of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, six of the 17 entered yacht club teams will be welcomed back as four-time veterans of this highly-regarded event, including O'Leary's Irish team.

Hailing from all corners of the globe, the returning teams - Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the Japan Sailing Federation, Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (ESP), the Royal Yacht Squadron (GBR) and the two-time defending champion, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club - are drawn by the intensity of the on-the-water competition which is enhanced by notable social events held at Harbour Court, New York Yacht Club's iconic clubhouse overlooking Newport harbour.

The 2015 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup welcomes competitors from the following yachts clubs: the Royal Yacht Squadron (GBR), Japan Sailing Federation (JPN), Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (ESP), Royal Canadian Yacht Club (CAN), Royal Cork Yacht Club (IRL), Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (HKG), Royal Thames Yacht Club (GBR), Yacht Club Argentino (ARG), Yacht Club Italiano (ITA), Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (AUS), Royal Swedish Yacht Club (SWE), Eastern Yacht Club (USA), Itchenor Sailing Club (GBR), Middle Harbour Yacht Club (USA), Newport Harbour Yacht Club (USA), Seattle Yacht Club (USA) and New York Yacht Club (USA).

#Etchells – Malahide trio David, Richard and Samantha Burrows have had a mid–fleet start to their Etchells World Championships bid in New York yesterday. The sole Irish contenders placed 66 and 26 in the first two races in the 95–boat fleet in near perfect sailing conditions off Newport, R.I. Full results here.

For two-time Etchells World Champion Bill Hardesty (San Diego) it was hard to imagine a better start to the regatta. Hardesty and his team placed second in both races and lead the regatta overall, with Ante Razmilovic's Swedish Blue team (London, U.K.) in second and defending world champion Marvin Beckmann (Houston) in third. In his first visit to Newport in more than 30 years, John Bertrand (South Yarra, Australia), the America's Cup-winning skipper of Australia II, lies fourth.

It wasn't easy for anyone, however. To spread out the fleet, principle race officer Tom Duggan stretched the legs to between 2 and 3 nautical miles, with each race taking between 90 and 120 minutes. The bulk of the fleet didn't reach the dock until after 6 p.m.

"We were physically grinding it out all day," said Taylor Canfield, who serves as tactician for Hardesty. "Finishing up with a five-leg course just made it that much more grueling. Our downwind speed was great, we gained a couple of boats every run. Then we were able to catch one or two boats on the upwind."

Hardesty, who won his world titles in 2008 and 2011, Beckmann (2013), and Bertrand (2010) are all former world champions, and their experience and poise showed today. With 95 boats on the starting line and both starts run under the black flag (which means that anyone who is over the starting line early is disqualified from the race), it was a day to limit risk and avoid large mistakes. Sailors will often say before events such as this that you can't win the regatta on the first day, but you certainly can lose it.

"The goal today was to get two single-digit finishes," said Steve Hunt, Beckmann's tactician. "We did and so we're happy."

Those teams that were not so fortunate today can take some comfort in knowing that, should the regatta schedule play out as planned, they will be able to discard their worst finish from their scoreline. But those teams with one or more disappointing finishes on Day 1 are now operating with little margin for error.

The regatta will continue tomorrow through Saturday. 

2014 Etchells World Championship
Tuesday, June 24, Day 1 Preliminary Top-10 Results
(Place, Sail Number, Boat Name, Skipper, Hometown, Race 1, Race 2, Total)

1. USA 979, Line Honors, Bill Hardesty, San Diego, 2-2 4.0
2. HKG 1333, Swedish Blue, Ante Razmilovic, London, U.K., 3-6 89.0
3. USA 1378, The Martian, Marvin Beckmann, Houston, 8-3 11.0
4. AUS 1383, Triad, John Bertrand, South Yarra, Australia, 4-10 14.0
5. USA 1411, Elizabeth, Tom Carruthers, San Diego, 5-12 17.0
6. USA 1208, Gumption3, Kevin Grainger, Rye, N.Y., 6-19 25.0
7. USA 1376, Arethusa, Phil Lotz, Newport, R.I., 9-18 27.0
8. CAN 1396, Hank Lammens, Norwalk, Conn., 20/ZFP-8 28.0
9. USA 1308, KGB, Senet Bischoff & Ben Kinney, Larchmont, N.Y., 10-20 30.0
10. USA 1296, Appreciation, Jeffrey Siegal, Portsmouth, R.I., 17-17 34.0

Ireland's Sailor of the Year Anthony O'Leary will be sailing in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup as the skipper of the Irish team.

The biennial event, which puts its primary focus on Corinthian competition by virtue of allowing only non-professional sailors to compete, made its debut in 2009 to widely acclaimed success and returns to Newport this September 10-17. After a qualifying event for 24 of America's foremost yacht clubs was run during its off-year, a firm roster of 19 participating clubs was announced and it is now expected that additional entries will bring the event close to its maximum number of 24.

While several participating yacht clubs will hold a sail-off to determine their 2011 team rosters, two clubs have set the standard by confirming their team captains. Royal Cork Yacht Club will return to the event with Anthony O'Leary who led the Irish entry to a fifth-place finish in 2009; and first-time participant Clube Naval de Cascais will have Patrick Monteiro de Barros at the helm of the Portuguese team.

O'Leary made sporting headlines in February when he was awarded the Afloat/Irish Independent Sailor of the Year award in recognition of his on-the-water accomplishments during 2010, the highlight of which was his performance at the helm of his Ker 39 ANTIX in the Rolex Commodore's Cup that allowed Ireland to take a commanding overall win.
O'Leary is the head of a well-known sailing family from Cork that includes sons Peter, a 2008 Olympian in the Star class, and Nicholas, who was tactician for the 2009 Invitational Cup and is the only three consecutive times ISA All-Ireland Sailing Champion. Yet to set his crew list for the Invitational Cup, O'Leary has confirmed that he will draw from the crew that sailed together in the Rolex Commodores Cup which included Peter, as well as his youngest son Robert.

'We will continue to sail Antix up to mid-season in handicap fleets, as our boat is similar in characteristics to the Swan 42,' said O'Leary of his preparations for the Invitational Cup while also noting that he and his crew had not been on a Swan 42 prior to the 2009 event, or since. 'Closer to September we will focus more on one-design sailing which is really the ultimate challenge as shown in the Invitational Cup.

Apart from our not finishing on the podium, there was not a single disappointing aspect of the 2009 regatta! The entire event was a great experience - strict one-design sailing in a truly international event, superbly organized by a wonderful club.'

With a lengthy and varied sailing resume, Patrick Monteiro de Barros is a legend in sailing circles. Representing Portugal at the Olympic Games, twice in the Finn (1968, '72) and twice in the Star ('84 and '88), de Barros was awarded the Medal for Fair Play by Juan Antonio Samaranch at the 1988 Olympics in Korea after he rescued a drowning woman while on the way to a team dinner. He has twice circumnavigated the globe, dipped his toe in the America's Cup arena and was instrumental in bringing the 2007 ISAF World Sailing Championship to his homeport of Cascais, a coastal town similar in size to Newport, R.I.

To determine who will compete on the Portuguese team de Barros has established a comprehensive sailing program with some 15 days of sailing planned. In addition to chartering a 40' yacht which has features similar to the Swan 42, de Barros has also arranged to practice on a Swan 42 in France before leaving for Newport in late August. 'Our program is essentially aimed at boat handling, tactics and physical condition,' said de Barros, adding that only one of the team has previous experience on a Swan 42.

'We will have a team of 15 candidates, and we rotate some sailors in different positions. Final selection will be made in late July based on performance.'

The NYYC Swan 42 – the eighth one-design class created by NYYC since 1900 – is the competitive vehicle for the NYYC Invitational Cup. The result of a 2005 design contest with a goal of creating a Corinthian class of racer/cruiser, the NYYC Swan 42, unlike previous NYYC one-design classes, was developed to be a global class with fleets run and organized outside NYYC.

Known abroad as the Club Swan 42, today there are 50 of the keelboats globally with active one-design racing in the USA and Europe, as well as participation worldwide in IRC events. For the NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex most competitors are sailing chartered boats, while several are bringing their own. Sails are supplied by NYYC, and rigs tuned and then locked down, making the boats as one-design as possible and putting a premium on the sailors' skills.

'From its inception, it was envisioned that the NYYC Swan 42 would be used to encourage 'friendly competition' between world-class yacht clubs,' said Dr. Paul Zabetakis, president of the NYYC Swan 42 Class.

'In part due to the success of the first NYYC Invitational Cup, the class has indeed experienced a healthy growth beyond the enthusiastic support of NYYC members. That growth led to the ability of NYYC to host an Invitational Cup in 2009 that witnessed two yacht clubs bringing their own Swan 42s. This year about 19 yacht club teams will compete, and of those, five will be sailing their own boats. Clearly, the boat has exceeded the growth expectations and vision as outlined in 2005.'

By country, the current roster of participating teams are:

Yacht Club Argentino (ARG); Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (AUS); Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (BER); Royal Canadian Yacht Club (CAN); Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (ESP); Nyländska Jaktklubben (FIN); Itchenor Sailing Club and Royal Yacht Squadron (GBR); Royal Cork Yacht Club (IRL); Yacht Club Capri , Yacht Club Italiano and Yacht Club Punta Ala (ITA); Japan Sailing Federation (JPN); Clube Naval de Cascais (POR); Royal Cape Yacht Club (RSA); and Eastern Yacht Club (Marblehead, Mass.); Annapolis Yacht Club (Annapolis, Md.); Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Newport Beach, Calif.); and New York Yacht Club (Newport, R.I.) from the USA.

From September 10-17, 2011, the biennial event returns to NYYC's Harbour Court where at least 19 yacht club teams – representing 13 nations from six different continents – will race NYYC Swan 42s on Rhode Island Sound and Narragansett Bay. Taking cues from the halcyon days of the America's Cup, competitors must be non-professional (Corinthian) sailors; members of the yacht clubs they represent; and also be nationals of their country.

In addition to Rolex, which for 2011 and 2013 is the presenting sponsor, Sperry Top-Sider and Nautor's Swan have also returned as sponsors to enhance the experience of competitors as well as those who will be following the races.

Two big names in Irish offshore racing are among the 30-boat fleet preparing for the Transatlantic Race 2011 (TR 2011) this June. Last night the organisers, the Royal Yacht Squadron, New York Yacht Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club and Storm Trysail Club, extended the deadline to enter the Race to March 31, 2011.

Adrian Lee's Cookson 50 from Dublin Bay and the Limerick Volvo 70 skippered by Ger O' Rourke's both make the entry list although the Shannon estuary's Chieftain is described only as a 'provisional' entry. For Entry list click HERE.

With the Transatlantic fleet now over 30 entries and many new inquiries following the success of the RORC Caribbean 600 - part of the companion Atlantic Ocean Racing Series - the organisers encourage those interested to enter the TR 2011 as soon as possible to secure a spot since the Notice of Race notes a maximum of 50 yachts for the race.

The TR 2011 will cover 2,975 miles from Newport, R.I., to the Lizard in England. The focus of pre-race activities will be the New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, R.I. There will be three staggered starts from June 26 to July 3. The awards ceremony on August 9th and other post-race activities will be held at the Castle, the home of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, England.

The fleet will include IRC Racing, IRC Racer/Cruiser, Classic and Open divisions with a minimum length overall (LOA) of 40 feet and no maximum. Competition is building within several segments of the diverse fleet, notably the 100' and up range which includes Sojana, Rambler 100, ICAP Leopard, and Maltese Falcon.

Tight racing is also expected in other classes and divisions, such as yachts in the under 50' range in IRC Racing and IRC Racer/Cruiser including the Class 40s - Concise 2, Dragon, and Kamoa'e, the Rogers 46s - Shakti and Varuna, as well as British Soldier ASA, Jacqueline IV, Sasha, Dawn Star, and Carina. For a complete list of entries click here.

All race documents are available HERE.

The TR 2011 is the centerpiece of the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series (AORS), and is organized in concert with the following clubs: Royal Malta Yacht Club, Annapolis Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Montego Bay Yacht Club, Naval Academy Sailing Squadron, Jamaica Yachting Association, Antigua Yacht Club and Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo.

Two races in the AORS have been completed: the Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race and the RORC Caribbean 600. The Pineapple Cup, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. to Montego Bay, Jamaica, a distance of 811 miles, was won by Genuine Risk, a 97-foot canting keel super maxi skippered by Hugo Stenbeck. In the RORC Caribbean 600, George David's Rambler 100, took line and overall IRC honors and set the monohull record of one day, 16 hours, 20 minutes and 2 seconds for the course's 600 miles.