Atlantic Cup: Spanish team Tales II dominated

Portland, ME (June 11, 2016) – Spanish team #123 Tales II, skippered by Gonzalo Botín and Pablo Santurde, captured the 2016 Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing as they dominated the offshore legs and fared well in the inshore series. #145 Eärendil, skippered by French duo Catherine Pourre and Antoine Carpentier, finished in second place and #118 Oakcliff, skippered by USA’s Liz Shaw and Libby Greenhalgh (leg one) and Hobie Ponting and Andrew O’Donnell (leg two) placed third.

The pair from Santander, Spain was impressive in both offshore and inshore competitions, besting the field during the first offshore leg (Charleston, S.C. to Brooklyn, N.Y.) and second leg (Brooklyn, N.Y. to Portland, Maine). During the inshore series, they won two out of five races, winning the Atlantic Cup with a total of 69 points.

“We are really thrilled about winning the Atlantic Cup,” said Botín. “The combination of offshore and inshore racing made it exciting and challenging, but we are really happy with the end result. The Cup is a great event and it is very important for the Class 40 to be successful all over the world, especially in America.”

For the first time in its five year history, the race finished in Portland, Maine. Spectators from near and far watched the inshore races at the Eastern Promenade and enjoyed the Atlantic Cup Race Village, which featured a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer garden, kid’s activity zone, food trucks, local merchants and live music.

Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling was on hand to award the trophies to this year’s top finishers. Remarking on the Atlantic Cup’s first visit to Portland, he said, “It was great to have the Atlantic Cup in Portland this year. The buzz around town was very strong and it was amazing to see how beautiful our harbor is and how effective it can be as an attraction for professional events. We hope that the Atlantic Cup returns to Portland in 2018!”

The Atlantic Cup, the longest offshore sailing race in the Western Atlantic and the most environmentally sustainable sailing race in the U.S., featured an international field of nine teams from the USA, Spain, France, U.K., Sweden and Canada. Nine teams started the race and seven finished; two boats dropped out due to personal reasons. The first all-female team in Atlantic Cup history competed in leg one of this year’s competition. The teams set sail from Charleston, S.C. on Saturday, May 28, stopped in Brooklyn, N.Y. for the second leg of the competition and a Pro-Am event (May 31-June 3), before departing on June 4 for the final leg of competition held in Portland, Maine, June 6-11.

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About The Atlantic Cup
The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing is, at 1,045 nautical miles, the longest offshore in the Western Atlantic. The Atlantic Cup was created and is owned by Manuka Sports Event Management. It started in 2011 as a concept event and grew to a multi-stage race. Since its inception, the Atlantic Cup has aimed to be the most environmentally responsible sailing race in the United States. The race is sailed solely in Class40s, a monohull race boat designed for shorthanded racing.

The first doublehanded leg starting May 28 takes the fleet 648 nm from Charleston, SC to Brooklyn, NY, with the second doublehanded leg starting June 4 for 360 nm to Portland, ME. The final stage on June 10-11 will have 6-person teams complete an inshore series of races in Portland.

The Atlantic Cup ran annually in May from 2011 through 2014. After 2014, the race moved to a biennial event. The course in 2011 was a sprint from New York to Newport with an inshore series in Newport. From 2012-2014, the race was a three-stage event that started in Charleston, South Carolina included a stop-over in New York City and finished in Newport, Rhode Island. In 2016, the Atlantic Cup will continue to comprise of three legs, with stop-overs in Charleston, S.C., Brooklyn, N.Y., and for the first time, Portland, Maine.

Source: Atlantic Cup