After a 704-nautical mile race from Charleston to Newport it was mere minutes separating first and second place. The Italian/French duo of Alberto Riva and Jean Mare on Acrobatica captured line honors when they crossed the finish line at 07:46:16 a.m. EST in heavy fog. Their cumulative time of 67:46:16 (2 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, 16 seconds) set a new Charleston-Newport course record, far surpassing the previous best time set in 2012 by Mare (78:55:13).
Just 10 minutes and 27 seconds after Acrobatica crossed the line, Everial finished in second place. The youngest duo in the fleet, Sign for Com rounded out the podium– reaching the Newport finish at 10:00:12 a.m. EST. Following nearly two hours later was the youngest team in the fleet, Germans Melwin Fink and Lennart Burke on Sign for Com. The remaining four teams all finished within an hour of each other making for a close fought intense battle throughout the 67+ hour race.
The nearly three-day race provided all types of weather including a tumultuous 48-plus hours of thunderstorms and high winds, Gulf Stream conditions, Sargasso seaweed, and fast, downwind sailing. Upon arrival to Newport, the teams reflected on the challenging, fast-paced competition of the two plus days:
First Place Finisher Acrobatica’s Alberto Riva said, “This race was the very first time I have seen these waters and it was an adventure. It was the very first time I had been so close to a competitor [Everial] for such a large part of the race. For me, discovering we were able to match them and those conditions– it was a great discovery. I learned lots of things about Acrobatica.”
Second Place Finisher Everial’s Erwan Le Draoulec said, “The leg was really good and complete with different conditions. The start had very light winds, but with the downwind we got some good speed and from there and had to get through the storms. The race was not perfect, but it was pretty close to perfect. This boat [Everial] is made for downwind sailing so it worked pretty perfect at the end there.”
Third Place Finisher Sign for Com’s Melwin Fink said, “The race brought us so many conditions and experiences we haven’t faced on the Class40 yet, so that was great– especially against such great competition. “
Atlantic Cup Race Director, Hugh Piggin said,“It’s pretty impressive the speed that these teams have gone and how they have kept it so competitive. It has been neck in neck for nearly three days. The race featured two parts; the first 50 miles getting out of Charleston was light air and the tactical race of getting into the Gulf Stream. After Cape Hatteras it turned into a downwind drag race. The guys have had to keep the boats at 100% percent and they have been pushing them very hard.”
Unfortunately, Scowling Dragon suffered damage in the early morning hours Tuesday, May 28th. The team is fine and they are making their way toward Newport with an expected arrival late Wednesday.
The eight teams will stop in Newport through Saturday, June 1st– where their boats will be docked at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard. The public is welcome to come visit the teams during this stretch. The second leg of competition departs on June 1st at 12 p.m. just off Fort Adams with a 249-nautical mile sprint to Portland. The race culminates in Portland, Maine, capping off with a two-day coastal racing series on June 5-6th.
