Under starters orders

The final line-up for the Rolex Transatlantic Race

At 1410EDT tomorrow, the first start gun will fire for the 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Challenge, the latest in a series of transatlantic races run by the New York Yacht Club since 1866. This year’s event celebrates the centenary of yacht owner Wilson Marshall and skipper Charlie Barr’s record-breaking race for the Kaiser’s Cup aboard the schooner Atlantic.

As in 1905, the start line for the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge will be approximately 15 miles south of New York Harbour. But while that race began from the Ambrose Lightship, the 2005 event begins on a start line between its replacement, the Ambrose Light Tower (2.5 miles southeast from the position of the original lightship) at the north end of the line, and a committee boat positioned 0.5 miles due south (true). The line is positioned this way, rather than perpendicular to the wind in the more conventional manner, to comply with the World Sailing Speed Record Council’s rules for the New York to the Lizard transatlantic passage record.

Competing are 20 yachts ranging from 70-250 feet (21.3m-76m), divided into three divisions: Grand Prix, Performance Cruising and Classics. The Performance Cruising yachts comprise the bulk of the fleet and are being divided into two classes. Tomorrow’s first gun at 1410 EDT will mark the departure of the Grand Prix Class 1, followed at ten-minute intervals by Performance Cruising division Class 2, Performance Cruising division Class 3 and, finally, at 1440, Classic Class 4.

The line-up, by division:

Grand Prix

Boat	Owner/charterer	Skipper	Navigator	Nat	LOA (ft)	Type	Built
MARI CHA IV	Robert Miller, RYS	Robert Miller	Jef d'Etiveaud	GBR/HK	140	Super maxi	2003
MAXIMUS	Charles Brown/Bill Buckley	Charles Brown	Mike Quilter	NZ	100	Greg Elliott Super maxi	2005
CARRERA	Joseph Dockery, NYYC	Simon Davidson	Ian Moore	USA	81	Reichel Pugh sloop	2000

- Mari-Cha IV, 140ft (43m). Robert Miller’s state-of-the-art maxi schooner is the present holder of the west-to-east transatlantic passage record. Steered by New Zealand Volvo Ocean Race skipper Mike Sanderson, the crew are looking to break not only Atlantic’s race record but also their own passage record and, in the process, recover` their recently lost 24-hour monohull record. Among the crew are VIPs such as Miller's son-in-laws HRH Prince Pavlos of Greece and Chris Getty and Commodore of the RYS Lord Amherst. More average mortals on board include Mike Sanderson and his ABN AMRO crew Rob Greenhalgh, Brad Jackson, Jan Dekker, Sidney Gavinet and Roy Heiner along with former Elvis and Frank Sinatra bodyguard/ex Assa Abloy crewman Mike Howard.



- Maximus, 100ft (30.5m). The line-honours rival for Mari-Cha is the newly launched yacht of New Zealand lawyer Charles Brown and engineer Bill Buckley. She is fitted with a wing mast and a canting lifting keel. Her crew includes numerous America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veterans such as navigator Mike Quilter, Jeff Scott, Richard Bouzaid and Erle Williams.



- Carrera, 81ft (24.7m). Owner Joseph Dockery is hoping for a handicap win in this class. His crew is packed with US racing stars among them Ken Read, Chris Larson, Tony Rey, Ricky Deppe, Jeff Brock while Ian Moore is navigating.


Performance Cruising

Boat	Owner/charterer	Skipper	Navigator	Nat	LOA (ft)	Type	Built
TIARA	Jonathan Leitersdorf/Thierry Lombard	Pascal Pellat-Finet		SUI	178	Dubois cruising sloop	2004
DRUMBEAT	n/a	Julien Spier	Adrienne Cahalan	GBR	174	Dubois cruising sloop (ex-Salperton)
WINDROSE OF AMSTERDAM	Chris GonGriepe	Nick Hailey	Gerry Dijkstra	NED	140	Schooner	2001
SARIYAH	Cortwright Wetherill Jnr, NYYC		Bill Biewenga	USA	131	S&S ketch	1994
WHISPER	John J. 'Hap' Fauth, NYYC	Stuart Shattuck		USA	116	Ted Fontaine sloop	2003
SOJANA	Peter Harrison, UK	Marc Fitzgerald	Graham Sunderland	UK	115	Farr cruising ketch	2003
ANEMOS	Steve Frank, NYYC	Richard Foster	Peter Kelly	USA	112	Swan 112	1999
LEOPARD	Mike Slade, RTYC	Chris Sherlock	Julian Salter	GBR	90	Reichel Pugh sloop	2000
SELINI	n/a	Alaistair Tait		USA	80	Swan ketch	2000
TEMPEST	Bugs Bear and William Hubbard III		Michael Lawson	USA	80	S&S ketch	1971/90
OCEAN PHOENIX	Jose Aguinaga	Charlie Carlow			77	Rob Humphries sloop	1996
PALAWAN	Joe Hoopes, NYYC	Stephen Lawson		USA	75	Little Harbor sloop	1991
STAY CALM	Clarke Murphy, NYYC	Jamie Small	Mike Broughton	USA	70	Swan 70	2001

- Tiara, 178ft (54.3m). This giant Ed Dubois sloop, owned by Israeli businessman and venture capitalist Jonathan Leitersdorf, has been chartered to Swiss banker Thierry Lombard with a group from the Societe Nautique de Geneve.

- Drumbeat, 174 feet (53.0m). Although a near sistership to Tiara, the former Salperton is ketch-rigged and may perform better off the wind. Meteorologist Adrienne Cahalan (AUS) is on board as navigator with designer Ed Dubois (GBR). Tiara vs. Drumbeat will be a good race to watch not only on the water but also in the Cordon Bleu cookery contest.

- Windrose of Amsterdam, 140 feet (46.3m). Chris Gongriepe’s spirit of tradition schooner has sailed this course twice before. She holds the WSSRC Performance Certificate for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a two-masted schooner. Navigator on board will be Windrose's designer Gerry Dijkstra.

- Sariyah, 131 feet (39.9m). The cruising ketch is from the drawing boards of famous U.S. naval architects Sparkman & Stephens. In the 1997 Transatlantic Challenge, it was second to finish and second in its class. Serving as tactician is the USA’s 2002 470 Olympic gold medalist Kevin Burnham, while navigating is Bill Biewenga and the crew line-up includes the familiar form of Peter Harken.

- Whisper, 116 feet (35.4m). John "Hap" Fauth’s Ted Hood-designed sloop includes among its crew Ted Hood, Jr. and his 18-year-old son Alex.

- Sojana, 115 feet (35m). This Farr cruising ketch belongs to former British America’s Cup challenger Peter Harrison (GBR) and will have several of Harrison’s GBR Challenge crew on board such as Chris Main and Mal Parker.

- Anemos, 112 feet (34.1m). This Swan is chartered by NYYC member Steve Frank (Darien, Conn., USA)

- Leopard, 90 feet (29.9m). This Reichel/Pugh sloop is owned by British property developer Mike Slade (GBR). Her crew comprises another all-star cast the Salter brothers Jules and Guy, Gordon McGuire, Simon Fry, Tim Powell, David Allan Williams, Led Pritchard and John Caulcutt.

- Selini, 80 feet (24.4m). This Swan ketch, owned by Colin McGill, is new to the racing scene but counts towering former GBR Challenge sailor George Skuodas among its crew.

- Tempest, 80 feet (24.4m). Arthur Bugs Baer and William Hubbard III’s have chartered this Sparkman & Stephens ketch, which performed well under Baer’s guidance two years ago in the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge, crossing the line in third.

- Ocean Phoenix, 77 feet (23.6m). This Rob Humphries-designed sloop is owned by Spain's Jose Aguinaga.

- Palawan, 75 foot (22.9m). This Ted Hood-designed sloop is owned by NYYC member Joe Hoopes, who won his class in the Bermuda Race. Hoopes was selected to carry an Olympic message of peace across the ocean. The message came from Salt Lake City, Utah, the host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and is to be delivered to Torino, Italy, host of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

- Stay Calm, 70 feet (21.3m). This Swan is chartered to New Yorker Clarke Murphy. Its crew includes former GBR Challenger Ian Budgen and round Britain record holder France's Jean Philippe Chomette.

Classics

Boat	Owner/charterer	Skipper	Navigator	Nat	LOA (ft)	Type	Built
STAD AMSTERDAM	Storm Trysail Club			USA	250	Dijkstra Clipper ship	2000
SUMURUN	Bob Towbin, NYYC	Armin Fischer	John Watkins	USA	94	Fife ketch	1914
NORDWIND	Dr Hans Albrecht	Jim Teague		GER	88	Gruber ketch	1938
MARIELLA	Carlo Falcone, Antigua YC			ANT	80	Alfred Milne designed/Fife built yawl	1938

- Stad Amsterdam, 249 feet (76m). This contemporary square-rigged clipper ship was designed by Gerry Dijkstra (NED). She has been chartered to the Storm Trysail Club, who will have 40 members aboard sailing, including eight husband-wife teams. In addition, there are 28 permanent crew members on board.

- Sumurun, 94 feet (28.7m). Owned by Rolex Transatlantic Challenge Chair A. Robert Towbin (New York, N.Y.), this 1914 Fife design won her class in the NYYC’s 1997 Transatlantic Race and recently won at Antigua Classics Week.

- Nordwind, 88 feet (26.8m). Built in 1938, this beauty is owned by Dr Hans Albrecht (SUI).

- Mariella, 80 feet (24.4m). Built in 1938, Mariella is owned by Italian Carlo Falcone but sails under the flag of Antigua, where Falcone makes his home.


The course

The course for the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge takes these 20 yachts eastward across the North Atlantic to the south coast of the UK and two finish lines: one off Cornwall’s Lizard Point, the second at the Needles at the westernmost end of the Isle of Wight. The distance the boats will sail from the Ambrose Light to the Lizard is approximately 2,900 miles, followed by an extra 150 miles to the Needles.

After the finish, the yachts will be welcomed in Cowes by the Royal Yacht Squadron. From the 11-13 June, a series of social events and the Rolex Race Around the Isle of Wight will bring the race to a spectacular conclusion. One highlight of the weekend will be the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge prize-giving at Osborne House on Sunday 12 June. The Rolex Race around the Isle of Wight on Monday 13 June, will take the fleet clockwise around the island and over the same course made famous by the yacht America in 1851.