Atlantic Cup adds experienced skippers to final leg

by Jeff Pomeroy on 25 May 2012 The 2012 Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing, the first carbon-neutral sailing event in the United States, has announced additional crew members with a wealth of sailing experience that will be joining the premier U.S. sailing event for its final leg - inshore series racing in Narragansett Bay in Newport, R.I. this Saturday and Sunday (May 26 – 27). Currently only four points separates race-leading Mare (GER) from Bodacious Dream (Second place, USA) and Campaign De France (Third place, FRA).

Competitors were awarded points equivalent to double their finishing position in the two offshore legs, with a maximum of 20 points awarded for finishing. For the inshore races points are designated based on each boat's finishing position (first through 14th). The total of both offshore legs, combined with a boat's best four of five scheduled races in Newport's inshore series, will determine a boat's total score. The boat with the overall lowest point total will be crowned the 2012 Atlantic Cup Champion.

For the inshore series teams will now use a crew of six for the five races held in Newport. Races will be held from 11am-3pm in Narragansett Bay with the start/finish line being just off Fort Adams. Immediately following the inshore series the event will culminate at the Newport Shipyard with a Prize Giving Party to disperse the $30,000 purse, one of the largest in U.S. sailing. The Prize Giving Party is open to the public, however tickets are required for entry. Tickets can be purchased online.

Additional Inshore Series Atlantic Cup Competitors include:

Number 17 Transport Coherence:

- Pedro Amengual and Waldo Garrido - members of the crew for the Swan 56 Clem, winner of the Fastnet, Caribbean 600. Amengual and Garrido also placed second in the Middle Sea Race

- Gonzalo Romagosa – former sailmaker in Alinghi's America's Cup team

Number twenty Sevenstar Yacht Transport (Will use an entirely female crew):

- Jamie Haines – Professional Rigger and Co-Captain of the TP52 Interlodge

-Joan Touchette-Porter - member of America3, the 1994-95 America's Cup Team. Sailed the sixth leg of the 97-98 Whitbred on EF Education

Number 54 Dragon:

- Stan Schreyer - co-skipper on Estrella Damm when they set the NYC-Barcelona Record. Member of the Tommy Hilfiger Team that won the Extreme 40 Sailing Series. Schreyer, a Little America's Cup project manager for Cogito, was a U.S. Olympic Coach and a Collegiate All-American

- Robbie Dean - Two-time British American Cup Champion and Collegiate All-American

- Ned Jones - Multiple National and World Championships in the Shields Class. Jones is the current Northeastern University, and former U.S. Naval Academy, Sailing Head Coach

Number 105 Eole Generation GDF Suez:

- Dawn Riley – Long Island, NY-based Riley was the first woman to manage an entire America’s Cup syndicate as well as the first American, male or female, to sail in three America’s Cups and two Whitbread Round the World races

Number 106 – Gryphon Solo 2:

- Phip Hallowell – professional rigger and sailor for Rig Pro. In the 80’s he was part of the Pro Racing Circuit racing on the Chattanooga Choo. Hallowell has competed in 14 Bermuda Races, three Trans Atlantics and numerous Key West Race Weeks

- Charlie Enright – in High School won the U.S. and British Team Race Nationals, and raced for Brown University in college. Won the 2010 Newport-Bermuda Race. Raced on Morning Light as a driver and trimmer

Number 109 Bureau Veritas:

- P.J. Schaffer - Engineer at Hall Spars, 22 years of racing on Narragansett Bay, second at Olympic trials in the Tornado in 1996 and 2000, J24 World Champion

- Ashley Perrin – Sailing since she was 13, Perrin has 65,000 ocean miles to her credit, including two Transatlantics, five Fastnets and three Pacific Crossings

Number 115 Mare:

- Carsten Kemmling – from Hamburg, Germany, three–time German National Match Racing Champion

- Phil Garland – Bristol, R.I. native and owner of Hall Spars, one of the world's premier spar manufactures, which also was responsible for creating Puma's mast for the Volvo Ocean Race

- Tony Pierce – Newport native, previous winner of 12 Meter Worlds

Number 116 Icarus Racing:

- Jonny Goldsberry – 49er champion and member of the US Men’s sailing Olympic Team

- Ben Quatromoni – crew member on the TP52 Powerplay

Number 118 Bodacious Dream:

- Jay Cross – three-time Canadian Olympic Sailing Team Member

- Christer Still – North American Rep for Baltic Yachts and has headed up the EF Language Whitbred Campaign.

Provisional combined point standings after first two legs of offshore Competition:

Total Points

Number 115 Mare – GER (Jörg Riechers, Ryan Breymaier) 6
Number 118 Bodacious Dream – USA (Dave Rearick, Matt Scharl) 8
Number 101 Campagne De France – FRA (Halvard Mabire, Miranda Merron) 10
Number 106 Gryphon Solo 2 – USA (Joe Harris, Tristan Mougline) 22
Number 116 Icarus Racing – USA (Tim Fetsch, Ben Poucher) 26
Number 105 Eole Generation – GDF SUEZ – FRA (Sebastien Rogues, Jeffrey McFarlane) 28
Number 30 Initiatives – USA (Emma Creighton/Rob Windsor) 30
Number 109 Talan-Bureau Veritas – FRA (Stephane Le Diraison, Jesse Naimark-Rowse) 32
Number 20 Sevenstar Yacht Transport -FRA (Jean Edouard-Criquioche, Anna-Maria Renkin) 32
Number 54 Dragon – USA (Michael Hennessy, Merf Owen) 34
Number 17 Transport Cohérence – FRA (Benoît Jouandet, Jorge Madden) 36
Number 73 Toothface – USA (Mike Dreese, Ken Luczynski) 36
Number 85 Groupe Picoty – FRA (Jacques Fournier, Jean Christophe 'JC' Caso) 40
Number 113 Partouche – FRA (Christophe Coatnoan, Ari Sebag) 40
Number 90 *40 Degrees – GBR (Hannah Jenner, Peter Harding) 52

*40 Degrees retired during Leg 1 after suffering a broken mast and did not start offshore leg 2.

Atlantic Cup website