A new NYYC/RYS Transatlantic Race

New York to the Lizard event to take place next year

The Transatlantic Race 2011 and Atlantic Ocean Racing Series 2011 were announced today by their organisers: the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron, in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Storm Trysail Club.

The Transatlantic Race, from Newport, RI to the Lizard, west of Plymouth, England, will offer staggered starts from June 26th-July 3rd, 2011 , and is for Racing, Racing/Cruising and Classic monohull yachts with a minimum LOA of 40 feet. The minimum crew number is four. There are no maximums.

A separate class for racer/cruisers will be offered for Superyachts with LOA greater than 100 feet. Other class assignments will be determined by the yachts that are participating. The Transatlantic Race 2011 is principally for yachts rated under IRC, but level-racing classes such as Volvo Open 70, IMOCA 60 and Class40 may be included at the discretion of the organising yacht clubs.

The New York Yacht Club at its Harbour Court Clubhouse in Newport, RI, and the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, England will welcome participating yachts at scheduled events on departure and arrival.

Prizes will be awarded for class and division finishes, for individual and team entries and will be suitable for a race of this magnitude. Corrected times and line honors will be recognized.

The race will be subject to the current Racing Rules of Sailing, the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCAS) and the 2010-2011 ISAF Offshore Special Regulations, Category 1.

The New York Yacht Club, Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal Ocean Racing Club and Storm Trysail Club, also announce a complementary companion series: the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series 2011, in concert with the following clubs: Royal Malta Yacht Club, Carolina Yacht Club, Annapolis Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Montego Bay Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club, Naval Academy Sailing Squadron, Jamaica Yachting Association, Charleston Ocean Racing Association and Antigua Yacht Club.

There will be eight races in the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series. Three races, including the Transatlantic Race 2011, will be required to qualify. Races will be weighted equally with the exception of the Transatlantic Race 2011 that will be weighted 1.5 times. Cox-Sprague points will be awarded within individual races in the series to accommodate differences in fleet sizes. A yacht will be scored in the series using its two best finishes in addition to the Transatlantic Race 2011.

The eight qualifying races and their starting dates are:

Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race February 5, 2011
RORC Caribbean 600 February 21, 2011
Ft. Lauderdale to Charleston Race end March/early April, 2011
Annapolis to Newport Race June 3, 2011
Transatlantic Race 2011 June 26 through July 3, 2011
Rolex Fastnet Race August 14, 2011
Biscay Race September, 2011
Rolex Middle Sea Race October 22, 2011

Participation in each qualifying race will be subject to the NOR and Sailing Instructions as established by that race’s sponsoring yacht club or clubs. Yacht clubs may enter teams in the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series and will accordingly be included as participating yacht clubs.

Prizes will be awarded for individual and team entries and will be suitable for a series of this magnitude. The Atlantic Ocean Racing Trophy will be awarded to the overall winner.

Yacht owners, skippers or charterers interested in participating in the Transatlantic Race 2011 alone or as part of the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series - or those needing further information -- should contact:

Brad Dellenbaugh, New York Yacht Club Sailing Office, 5 Halidon Ave. Newport, RI USA 02840
+1(401) 846-9633 dellenbaugh@nyyc.org

Trisha Lewington, Royal Yacht Squadron, The Castle, Cowes, Isle of Wight  PO31 7QT. UK
+44(0)1983 292191 Fax +44(0)1983 200253 

Ian Loffhagen, Royal Ocean Racing Club, 20 St James's Place, London SW1A 1NN UK
+44 (0)207 493 2248 racing@rorc.org.ukmail@rys.org.uk

Marcy Trenholm, Storm Trysail Club, 1 Woodbine Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538 USA
+1(914) 834-8857  Fax +1(914) 834-6484 stormtry@aol.com