History in the making

20 of the world's largest yachts to compete in anniversary of the transatlantic race for the Kaiser's Cup

On May 21, 20 of the world’s largest and fastest sailing yachts will battle their way eastward across the North Atlantic in the 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Challenge.

Run by two of the world’s oldest and most prestigious yacht clubs, the New York Yacht Club in co-operation with the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, England, the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the 1905 race for the Kaiser’s Cup. The original event came about when Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (whose reign continued through World War One before he was forced to abdicate) issued a challenge to anyone willing to race his 158ft (48.1m) yacht, Hamburg, across the North Atlantic. While transatlantic races had been held before then, the 1905 event was significant for drawing a large number of entries - 11 in total - and is remembered principally for the record time set by the race winner, Atlantic.

Owned by New York Yacht Club member Wilson Marshall, the 185ft (56.4m) three-masted schooner Atlantic was skippered by Charlie Barr, the equivalent in his day to New Zealand’s Russell Coutts. Like Coutts, Barr was an accomplished America’s Cup helmsman who by 1905 had successfully defended the America’s Cup three times, without dropping a race. With the merciless Barr behind the wheel, Atlantic sped east, passing the Lizard on England’s Cornish coast just 12 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 19 seconds after departing from New York.

Since then several boats have set west-to-east transatlantic passage records. Remarkably Atlantic's time for the passage stood for 75 years when in 1980 it was better by Eric Tabarly on the foiler trimaran Paul Ricard. At present the 141ft (43m) racing schooner Mari-Cha IV, an entrant in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge 2005, holds the transatlantic-passage record of 6 days and 17 hours, while another Chris GonGriepe's 151ft (56m) Windrose of Amsterdam holds a WSSR performance certificate for the fastest crossing by a two masted schooner with a time of 11 days 10 hours 25 minutes and 10 seconds. Currently the outright passage record of 4 days 17 hours 28 minutes and 6 seconds was set by Steve Fossett and the crew of the maxi-catamaran PlayStation in October 2001.

However all these passage records benefitted from the yacht crews being able to set their own departure date - whenever the weather was at its best for a fast passage. In a race there is not this luxury and the official race record between New York and the Lizard is recognised by the WSSRC as being Atlantic's 100 year old time, despite Adix and Adela coming close during the NYYC's Atlantic Challenge Cup in 1997.

It should be remembered Atlantic’s time was set in an era before GPS, satellite communications or even effective waterproof clothing - a time when weather forecasting was down to a skipper’s gut instinct rather than science.

Starting on 21 May, the anniversary running of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge will see 20 competing yachts racing much the same course as their forebears did 100 years ago: departing from New York, bound for the Lizard and then continuing on to Cowes, Isle of Wight. For safety, the race organisers plan to include a waypoint in the mid-Atlantic to keep the yachts clear of ice.

As with the 1905 event, the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge will be sailed by large yachts, with entries open to monohulls of 70 feet (21.3m) and longer. While the 1905 event was raced purely on elapsed time, in 2005, the entries will compete on handicap, divided into classes separating thoroughbred racers from performance cruisers and classics. The entries include a diverse range of these three types, from Robert Miller's uncompromised racer Mari-Cha IV, to luxurious performance cruisers such as Peter Harrisons Soyana and the giant Dubois sloops Whirlaway and Tiara to classics like the 94-foot (28.7m) Fife-designed Sumurun, which in 1997 won the Atlantic Challenge Cup, this race’s predecessor.

Sumurun’s owner and chair of the Race Committee, A. Robert Towbin, gave his reasons for competing in the race: "The Rolex Transatlantic Challenge allows modern day yachtsmen to compete in one of the world's oldest trans-oceanic yacht races. It is hard to conceive the hardships and perils competitors must have endured in 1905. Today modern yachts are faster and safer, but the one constant remains the North Atlantic, which has the potential to be every bit as ferocious now as it was a century ago."

The Rolex Transatlantic Challenge concludes with a weekend of activities in mid-June, including the prize giving at Osborne House on 13 June and the Rolex Race Around the Isle of Wight on 13 June.

The Rolex Transatlantic Challenge is sponsored by Rolex and by Moran Towing Corp., Sandy Hook Pilots and P&O Ports North America. The race is supported by the City of New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.