Cowes, England (August 12, 2011) – With the presentation of the awards this week at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight, the cast of players has taken its final bow, and the production that was the Transatlantic Race 2011 has closed to rave reviews.  The race made history with the establishment of a new record – crossing 2,975 miles of ocean from Newport, R.I. to The Lizard on the south coast of England – and was the result of a successful collaboration between the Royal Yacht Squadron (founded in 1815), the New York Yacht Club (1844), the Royal Ocean Racing Club (1925) and the Storm Trysail Club (1938).
 
A twenty-one gun salute greeted HRH the Princess Royal, President of the Royal Yachting Association, as she arrived at Cowes Castle for the official Prize Giving Reception.  The Princess Royal’s father, HRH Prince Phillip, has been the Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron for over 40 years and Princess Anne seemed very much at home as she was introduced to the honored guests before presenting the trophies.
 

Also officiating at the awards ceremony were the Commodores of the four organizing entities:  Michael Campbell of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Robert C. Towse, Jr. of the New York Yacht Club, Andrew McIrvine of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and Eric Kreuter of the Storm Trysail Club.
 

The Royal Yacht Squadron is delighted to announce the inaugural Biscay Race that forms part of the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series (AORS) in which competitors are required to take part in three races, including the Transatlantic Race (TR 2011), to qualify for a series victory. The Biscay Race is also open to any yacht only wishing to compete in this historic race.

Organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, England, with the assistance of Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo in Northern Spain, the Biscay Race will start from the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) line at midday on Sunday 11th September and finish off the yacht club in Sanxenxo. The Notice of Race and Entry Form are now available online at: www.rys.org.uk

RYS Commodore Yachting, David Aisher explains the RYS’ foray into offshore racing: “When the New York Yacht Club first announced that they wished to join with RYS, RORC and the Storm Trysail Club to form the AORS, the Royal Yacht Squadron was the only club that did not have a race that was a part of this new circuit. On the East side of the Atlantic, the RORC was the Organising Authority for the Rolex Fastnet and was also a part of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Between the two races was a large gap in the sailing calendar that we felt was an ideal opportunity for the RYS to run its first offshore race. The RYS has for many years been organising some of the best inshore regattas in the UK and for us, to be a true part of this new AORS event, we needed to show that we could also run a first rate offshore event as well. This is not an attempt to compete with the RORC or any other of the excellent offshore clubs, but is our contribution to this exciting racing series.”

Newport, R.I. USA (July 22, 2011) – As “an extended adventurous voyage,” the odyssey that is the Transatlantic Race 2011 was a defining event in ocean racing, as well as in the lives of the sailors aboard the 26 competing yachts.  The race made history with the establishment of a new record – crossing 2,975 miles of ocean from Newport, R.I. to The Lizard on the south coast of England – and was the result of a successful collaboration between the Royal Yacht Squadron (founded in 1815), the New York Yacht Club (1844), the Royal Ocean Racing Club (1925) and the Storm Trysail Club (1938).

“This race will bring together generations, to build character and to reaffirm values,” said Commodore Robert C. Towse, Jr., during the send-off celebration held at New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse two days before the first yachts departed.  “The cold North Atlantic may test that purpose, but at The Lizard finish those boats and their crews will have earned one of the hardest of sailing distinctions.”

On June 26, cannon fire from the iconic Castle Hill Lighthouse signaled the beginning of the historic ocean adventure.  It was the first of three staggered starts, implemented so that yachts ranging in size from 40’ to 289’ would finish off The Lizard in close proximity to one another.  And, over the three weeks the yachts were at sea, thousands of armchair sailors were captivated by the drama as it unfolded.  Using state-of-the-art satellite communication systems, life onboard was beamed to a global audience as the competing yachts raced across the desolate North Atlantic.  An ice gate established by the Race Committee prevented the fleet from going too far north, but sea temperatures lower than 4º Celsius were recorded during the race and sea fog obscured the sun for days on end.

Newport, R.I. USA (July 18, 2011) – Experiencing the roughest weather conditions of any yacht in the Transatlantic Race 2011, Sasha, skippered by Albrecht and Erika Peters (Munich, Germany), crossed the finish line at The Lizard at 20:10 UTC on 17 July.  At sea for over 22 days, the husband and wife team sailed their 1970 Sparkman & Stephens-designed wooden yacht with another couple, Christine Beech and Ron Melton of Picton, New Zealand.  With Sasha’s finish, all 26 of the yachts which left Newport, R.I. over the course of three staggered starts have now successfully completed the Transatlantic Race 2011.

As Sasha approached the finish, a storm took hold in the Western Approaches generating very high waves with overhanging crests; large patches of foam turning the sea white with rage; and large amounts of airborne spray that dramatically reduced visibility.