Still going strong, 50+ years later

Some boats wear ocean racing miles in the same visible manner as salty sailors. Other yachts, however, seem immune to the wear and tear of pushing hard for hundreds if not thousands of miles at a time. Dan Litchfield’s Hound is the latter.

More than 50 years since the Aage Nielsen-designed 59-foot sloop was launched, she is still going strong. A second place in the St. David’s Lighthouse division of the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race and a first and a third in the 2023 and 2024 editions, respectively, of the RORC Caribbean 600 speak to the boat’s current potential, even when matched against much younger and more advanced competitors.

In 2025, Hound will look to conquer the queen of ocean races, the Transatlantic Race 2025, 3,000 miles of North Atlantic sailing from Newport, USA to Cowes, England.

“Ocean racing is really special to me, because it’s an opportunity to get offshore,” says Litchfield, who hails from New York City. “You sail all the time, you’re totally dialed in. There are no distractions, you’re with your friends. And you get to go somewhere, you have to get from point A to point B. It’s a huge challenge.”

This won’t be first Litchfield’s first race across the pond, but a lot has changed for him since he last plied the course.

“The last west-to-east transatlantic race I did was in 2003 racing Larry Huntington’s Snow Lion,” says Litchfield. “It was a sort of a formative experience going into adulthood. It was right after college, right before work. And I sort of cherish that memory. And I’m looking to do that again. It’s time for another run at this.”

The navigator onboard Snow Lion for that race was Ed Cesare, who will be filling that role on Hound next summer.

“Going across an ocean, there’s nothing quite like it in any boat,” says Cesare. “And west to east transatlantic, in particular, is a storied race.

“The Hound is a fantastic yacht. She is in one word, elegant. Every day aboard is a little different, but every day is smooth as silk. She is a good all-arounder. The boat is quick in a big breeze and despite her displacement, or maybe because of it, steady in medium to light winds. We’ll see all of these conditions in a 3,000-mile race.”

Event information – Race details – Entry list

Transatlantic Race 2025 starts June 18 from depart Newport, RI. A virtual gate off Lizard Point will enable teams to challenge the course record for this historic passage, but the official finish will take place off the Royal Yacht Squadron’s waterfront castle in Cowes, England. T

Competitors will cover a distance of approximately 3,000 miles with IRC handicap scoring to determine the winners in each division. The 2025 edition will be the 32nd Transatlantic sailing competition organized by the New York Yacht Club.

Source: NYYC