Mare claims Atlantic Cup victory

15 boat Class40 dust-up in the US results in victory for Jorg Reichers' team

Mare, skippered by Jörg Riechers and Ryan Breymaier (offshore) and Charles Euvrete (inshore), continued its Atlantic Cup dominance by winning three of the five inshore races, finishing second in the other two heats, en route to claiming The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing over an international fleet of 15 Class40 yachts.

Mare was equally impressive during the offshore competition, besting the field during the first offshore leg (Charleston, S.C. to N.Y. Harbour), and coming in second behind overall Atlantic Cup runner-up Bodacious Dream (USA), skippered by Dave Rearick and Matt Scharl. Mare finished with 11 points overall for the offshore legs and inshore races in Narragansett Bay ahead of Bodacious Dream on 27 points overall. With the victory Mare claims the champion’s share, US$15,000, of the $30,000 overall prize purse, one of the largest in sailing in the United States.

Only three points separated the remaining top-five finishers with Gryphon Solo 2 (USA), skippered by Joe Harris and Tristan Mougline (on 39 points) in third, winning a tiebreaker with Campagne De France (FRA), skippered by Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron, (39), in fourth, and Initiatives (USA), skippered by Emma Creighton and Rob Windsor, (42), finishing fifth.

Mare co-skipper Jörg Riechers said: “I’m very happy winning, it was a great event, we thought it would be a close battle between us and Talan Bureau Veritas, but as it turned out Bodacious Dream was our stiffest competition and they raced a terrific race.”

Bodacious Dream co-skipper Dave Rearick added: “This has been a terrific event, we couldn’t be happier in our first race. We will take some of this prize money and donate back to the Atlantic Cup so we can support this great event and keep racing!”

Gryphon Solo 2 co-skipper Joe Harris said: “The fact that we made third, I was thrilled, we were clinging by our fingernails and we managed to pull it out which is fantastic!”

Hugh Piggin, Manuka Sports Event Management Founder and Atlantic Cup Race Director commented: “The Atlantic Cup congratulates Mare on their well-earned victory over a record-setting international field of 15 Class 40 boats. We are very proud of the top-notch sailing, ecological efforts and sportsmanship exhibited by all of the teams and appreciate the contributions from our sponsors, volunteers and staff in making the event a success on all fronts.”

The 2012 Atlantic Cup, the first carbon-neutral sailing event in the United States, featured a line-up 15 boats from the USA, France, Germany and Great Britain, the most Class 40s to ever compete in the United States.