Gryphon Solo 2 wins Atlantic Cup first Leg

New York, NY (May 14, 2014) – With a fleet of five Class 40s competing in The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing, it was Gryphon Solo 2 skippered by Joe Harris and Patrick O’Connor that crossed the finish line first at 05:20:10 ET on Wednesday, May 14.

Gryphon Solo 2 completed the 642 nautical mile first off-shore leg of the Atlantic Cup from Charleston, S.C. to New York Harbor with an elapsed time of 89:15:10. The race, the most sustainable sailing event in the United States, saw USA’s Gryphon Solo 2 finish 15 minutes 5 seconds ahead of Dragon (89:30:05), followed by the team of Pleiad Racing (89:37:20).

The race began at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 10th from the Charleston Maritime Center, which saw teams from the USA, compete extremely closely for the three-day, first leg. The teams left Charleston harbor with double-reefed mains in 20-25 knots of breeze. JeffreyMacFarlane.com jumped out in front after the start, but Gryphon Solo 2 moved ahead when the spinnakers went up. The fleet left Charleston on a fast passage to Cape Hatteras, which in the first night brought squalls across the course.

JeffreyMacFarlane.com damaged their primary spinnaker, which proved to be costly for the remainder of the race. After Cape Hatteras the fleet encountered 24 hours of light fluky wind as a frontal passage passed over the area towards the east. The front three boats of Dragon, Pleiad and Gryphon Solo 2 were in sight of each other for the first two days of the race with lead changes occurring on multiple occasions.

As the teams approached the New Jersey coastline, Dragon and Pleiad headed for the coastline in search of wind. Gryphon Solo 2 made a move toward the east, which proved critical when the new breeze came in as it allowed them to overtake the leaders. Coming into NY Harbor, Gryphon Solo 2 was defending a .1 nm lead and was 300 yards away from the finish line in a very fickle breeze.

The breeze shut off allowing Pleiad to catch up and both teams battled to reach the finish in a windless, current against them situation for over three hours. Dragon, who was 9nm behind, closed the gap and also fought the fickle, current situation. All three teams had multiple approaches to the finish line before they were able to actually finish. Gryphon Solo 2 ultimately was able to sail past the line and allow the current to take them back down to duck across the finish.

The leading three teams traded positions in the run up to New York where ultimately first through third were separated by a mere 22 minutes.

“We had the most bizarre finish. I’ve never seen anything like this happen. We would come in close, run out of wind and get pushed back. This happened three times and then Pleiad showed up to the party; they approached the finish multiple times and the same thing happened, and then Dragon showed up. We were able to sail over to New Jersey to get a little breeze and sail up past the mark before dipping back in to cross the line. For two years of racing in the Atlantic Cup I haven’t won a leg so this is a really great feeling,” said Gryphon Solo 2 skipper Joe Harris.

“For me it feels awesome to win, I’ve been around the Atlantic Cup for four years and this was my first year racing so to come out and get a win in the first leg is fantastic,” said Gryphon Solo 2 co-skipper Patrick O’Connor.

Photos of the first teams to finish: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pn0vow854slul30/AAANVxtkj-u1iMVDJc46uwH0a

Race website: www.atlanticcup.org
Tracking: http://yb.tl/ac2014

PROVISIONAL RESULTS FROM THE FIRST LEG OF THE 2014 ATLANTIC CUP
1. #106 Gryphon Solo 2 – USA (Joe Harris, Patrick O’Connnor), 89:15:10, 10 points
2. #54 Dragon – USA (Michael Hennessy, Rob Windsor), 89:30:05, 8 points
3. #39 Pleiad Racing – USA (Ed Cesare, Chad Corning), 89:37:20, 6 points
4. #116 JeffreyMacFarlane.com – USA (Jeff MacFarlane, Jake Arcaand), 92:46:11, 4 points
5. #25 Flatline – CAN (Kyle Hubley, Frederic de Mesel), DNS, 0 points

*Due to technical difficulties, #25 – Flatline was unable to make the start in Charleston, SC, but will join the fleet in New York City. Flatline will be scored as DNS (did not start) and be given 0 points for the first leg. The first leg represents one third of the scoring for the overall Atlantic Cup, so Flatline is still in contention once they join the fleet.

SCORING SYSTEM
Points & Prize Money
Scoring for the 2014 Atlantic Cup will be based upon a “High Point” scoring system. Each boat’s overall score will equal the total points earned in both offshore legs plus points earned from the inshore races. At the conclusion of the event, the boat with the total highest score will be declared the winner.

To determine the podium winners, the “High Point” scoring system combines all three legs of the race into the boat’s overall score. The points for individual race scores are based upon the number of entrants (unless disqualified or retiring after finishing). The points for each leg are allotted as follows; 1st place will be awarded points equal to the number of entrants, 2nd place points equal the number of entrants minus 1, 3rd place points equal the number of entrants minus 2, 4th place points equal the number of entrants minus 3, and so on.

For two the offshore legs, points awarded will be weighted by a factor of 2. For each inshore series, points will be weighted by a factor of one. The inshore series will consist of a maximum of five races, should four or less inshore races be completed; all races will count toward the boat’s overall score. If five inshore series are completed, a boats overall score will consist of the four best inshore races. In the event of a score tie between two or more boats, the tie will be broken in favor of the boat with the most points earned amongst the two offshore legs.

The competitors have a chance to win prize money in all portions of the race. The $15,000 purse will be split between the three legs with $5,000 available per leg. The prize money for each leg will be divided as follows: 1stwill receive $2,000, 2nd, $1,500, 3rd, $1,000 and 4th place receives $500.

Some Additional 2014 Atlantic Cup highlights include:
Kids Day in each city:
The Atlantic Cup offers the chance for kids to get an up close look at the boats and meet the sailors in Charleston (May 9) New York (May 15) and Newport (May 22). More info on Atlantic Cup Kids: http://www.atlanticcup.org/kids

Viewing Opportunities in each city:
The Atlantic Cup will have opportunities for spectators to watch the beginning of each leg live on-shore in Charleston (Saturday, May 10, 12 p.m. ET) New York (Saturday, May 17, 12 p.m. ET), and the two day inshore racing final leg in Newport (Saturday/Sunday, May 24/25, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET). The fleet will be docked in NY Harbor until the Pro-Am Race on May 16 and start of leg to Newport, RI on May 17.

Water Week NYC
Water Week NYC is a new event co-created by Manuka Sports Event Management and E3Think. Designed to bring business leaders together to strategize on some of the biggest water challenges NYC is facing, Water Week NYC’s inaugural event takes place during the Atlantic Cup’s New York stopover. Hoboken, NJ Mayor Dawn Zimmer will give the keynote address. David Rockefeller, Jr. of the Rockefeller Foundation and Sailors for the Sea will give closing remarks. More information http://www.waterweeknyc.com/

Living on the Edge 2.0 sponsored by Hornblower Cruises & Events on Thursday, May 15:
On Thursday May 15, the Atlantic Cup and 11th Hour Racing will present “Living on the Edge 2.0,” which will take place in NYC from 6-9 p.m. The event will feature a panel of distinguished speakers committed to technological change on the water. Grist.org founder Chip Giller will moderate the event with opening marks being given by Wendy Schmidt, The Schmidt Family Foundation & 11th Hour Racing. Richard Jenkins, Co-Founder & CEO of Saildrone, Ryan Williams, Director of Sustainability for Method, Cameron Clark, VP and General Manager of Hornblower Cruises and Events are panelists. Tickets are $50/ticket and are available for purchase.

newportFILM Screening on May 22:
The Atlantic Cup in association with newportFILM will present a special newportFILM Outdoors event, “Shipyard Shorts: A Collection of Adventure & Eco Docs”, at the Newport Shipyard on Thursday, May 22. A cocktail reception and meet and greet with Atlantic Cup skippers and boats will start at 7:15PM ($20 ticket price, reception + film screening) & the film will begin at sunset, approximately 8:15PM ($5 suggested donation, film screening only). Click here for more information

Newport Bay Weekend & Atlantic Cup Course Wide Shoreline Cleanup:
During the inshore races, spectators will have the chance to participate in the Newport Bay Weekend with local business and non-profits showcasing Narrangansett Bay on May 24 and 25. Clean Ocean Access will be leading a course wide cleanup from Pell Bridge to Beavertail (in Jamestown) and Castle Hill (in Newport). Along with Clean Ocean Access other Rhode Island non-profits will facilitate the clean up including: Clean Bays, Aquidneck Land Trust, Save the Bay, and Green Drinks of Newport. The event aims to have 500 volunteers. Click here for more information.

About the 2014 Atlantic Cup
The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing is a dedicated professional Class 40 race held annually in the U.S. that focuses on being environmentally responsible and aims to be completely carbon neutral. The five-team field will depart Saturday, May 10 from Charleston, South Carolina and race double-handed 685 miles offshore to New York City. Following a brief stop-over in New York, teams will depart from North Cove Marina Saturday, May 17 to race 240-miles to Newport, R.I. The Atlantic Cup is the longest offshore race along the east coast of the United States. In Newport, competitors will take part in a two-day inshore series with a crew of six. The crew with the combined highest score from all three legs will be the Atlantic Cup Champion. For more on the Atlantic Cup and its Green Initiatives, visit www.atlanticcup.org.

Report by event media.