An Adventure of a Lifetime: the Transatlantic Race 2015

Transatlantic Race

 

Whether out to set records or tick another box on the bucket list, the 41 registered entries in the Transatlantic Race 2015 all have one thing in common:  they will be undertaking the adventure of a lifetime as they sail a stretch of 2,800 nautical miles from Newport Rhode Island’s Castle Hill Light to The Lizard, the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain.

The Transatlantic Race was last held in 2011, and with 50 percent more entries set to heed the starting cannon fired at Castle Hill, one has to wonder how many of those taking on the challenging race are also heeding American writer Mark Twain’s famous words.  “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron, the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Storm Trysail Club, the race features three separate starts (June 28, July 1 and July 5) to accommodate the yachts of varying size and abilities, with a primary goal of having all boats arrive in England in close proximity to each other.  The smaller vessels will take the first start with the expectation of finishing in 15 to 20 days.  The final start will feature the speed demons that are racing to complete the passage in less than six days, 22 hours, eight minutes and two seconds – the record-setting time established by George David’s Rambler 100 in 2011.

Prior to the race, the competitors will be feted at Harbour Court, the on-the-water clubhouse of New York Yacht Club, during a series of receptions and dinners that reinforce the bond of camaraderie among these offshore adventurers and their family and friends.  At the other end of the course, the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Castle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight will host the awards presentations on July 24, a prelude to the week-long regatta that will celebrate the 200th anniversary of that club’s founding.

For a list of entrants and their respective race starts, visit http://bit.ly/1BDPZcm

Follow the Transatlantic Race on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TransatlanticRace

Photo: Rambler 100 during the Transatlantic Race 2011 where it took line honours and established the record time for the event. (Photo Credit: Lloyd Images)

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Nimbus 365 Coupe – A real long-stay cruising boat for exploring

By Andy Adams

There is no shortage of fun and exciting new boat designs hitting the market, but for the last few years these have been mainly outboard-powered day boats. Some are day cruisers; some are centre console fishing boats or designed for tow sports. A new live-aboard cabin boat has become a rare item these days.

So when I heard that Pride Marine in Orillia, Ontario, had a Nimbus 365 Coupe in the water, I jumped at the chance to get out on it.

Read More

Destinations

Tahiti—Updates from Paradise

By Zuzana Prochaska

I’ve been to Tahiti seven times—six on charter and once as crew for a couple of yachties. Over the 25 years that I’ve been visiting, it’s changed dramatically. Yet, inexplicably, it has also stayed the same.

Lounging on the flybridge of our Sunsail 454, I had time to think about this dichotomy as I toasted the nighttime skies of Bora Bora and specifically the Southern Cross, a constellation that never fails to hypnotize. As the Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982) tune reminds us:

…you understand now why you came this way.

Read More

Lifestyle