Atlantic Cup, Olympics, Finns—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 20 May 2014 The double-handed Atlantic Cup has earned a fine reputation as one of America’s most important shorthanded regattas. The competing fleet of Class 40 raceboats began their adventure in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 10, and sprinted some 648 nautical miles up the coast to New York City. Then, on Saturday, May 17, the fleet began their final distance push to Newport, Rhode Island, which went down as the fastest elapsed-time run from New York to Newport in the race’s 11-year history.

According to reports, inside, Jeffrey MacFarlane and co-skipper Jake Arcand, racing aboard MacFarlane’s Class 40, took top honors in the second offshore leg. Impressively, Michael Hennessy and Rob Windsor, racing aboard Hennessy’s 'Dragon', finished within a minute and twenty seconds of the leg winners, while Joe Harris, Patrick O’Connor, racing aboard Harris’ 'Gryphon Solo 2' rounded out the leg podium.

Get the full multi-media report, inside this issue, and stay tuned to the website for more news from the Atlantic Cup’s final weekend of buoy racing in Newport, as it unfurls.

In Olympic sailing news, Brazil has made international headlines with their announcement that the 2016 Olympic Games Brazil will not be able to fulfill its promises of clean water for the sailing and rowing portions of the Games. According to reports, Guanabara Bay-where these events are set to take place-is currently sewage- and garbage-choked, with 800,000 tons of effluent running into the river system that feeds the Bay each day.

'Even if the necessary resources to implement sanitation systems in the waterways mentioned were released, it would not be possible to plan and implement all the projects within a timeframe that would make a significant difference in the water quality in Guanabara Bay by the 2016 Olympics,' wrote Carlos Francisco Portinho, Rio's state environment secretary, in a letter to Aldo Rebelo, Sports Minister, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Get the full report on Brazil’s massive water-quality problem, inside this issue, and stay tuned to the website for more news about the 2016 Olympic Games Brazil, as it becomes known.

In America’s Cup news, the long silence continues as the Protocol, the design rule, and news of the venue have still not been released, despite early estimates that these documents would be made public in March. Inside this issue, Sail-World.com’s America’s Cup editor, Richard Gladwell, takes a hard look at the current Cup situation and ponders if the 35th America’s Cup has lost its direction.

'Certainly there does not seem to be any hurry to get a Protocol out, or Venue named for the event,' writes Gladwell. 'Already eight months have passed. The Protocol for the 34th America's Cup was announced seven months after the conclusion of the 33rd Match-and that came off the back of a two and a half year Court case and the accompanying acrimony, which all but destroyed the event.'

Get Gladwell’s full America’s Cup report, inside this issue, and stay tuned for more Cup-related news, as it becomes known.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, skipper Alex Roepers and his teammates aboard his Farr 40, 'Plenty', have taken top honors at the Farr 40 North Americans, which just wrapped up racing at the Long Beach Yacht Club, followed by Helmut Jahn’s 'Flash Gordon 6' and John Demourkas’ 'Groovederci'.

'In one word it feels fantastic to be the North American champion. It’s been a long haul for me,' said Roepers. 'I started in the class in 2007 and this is the first major win for team 'Plenty'. To finally put it together to win this event is fantastic.'

Speaking of SoCal sailing, U.S. Finn sailor Caleb Paine won the Finn North Americans, which just concluded racing at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, after match-racing Canada’s Greg Douglas during the event’s final two fleet races. 'If I made him count his ninth [place finish], it would change everything,' Paine said about sailing against Douglas in the final two races of the regatta. 'We've been sailing against each other since we were kids. It's a lasting friendship.' More, inside.

Also inside, get the latest news from the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the Kiteboard Youth and Masters World Championships.

May the four winds blow you safely home,