The Transatlantic Race 2015, organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron and the New York Yacht Club, in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Storm Trysail Club charts a 2,796 nautical mile course from Newport, R.I., to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, England.
This year three separate starts – June 28, July 1 and July 5 – will feature up to 50 boats covering the spectrum from 40 feet in length to superyachts, and modern racing machines to 100-year-old classics
Pre-start activities will take place at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, while awards will be presented at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Castle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight.
With 15 months still to go until the first gun is fired from Castle Hill in Newport, R.I., more than 20 boats have entered and nearly 70 others have expressed interest.
The fleet for 2015 is expected to be almost double the 26 boats that competed in the race in 2011.
“We’re extremely pleased with the significant early interest in this race,” says Royal Yacht Squadron’s Rear Commodore Yachting David Aisher. “The history of the transatlantic race dates back to the birth of recreational ocean racing in the late 1800s. More than a century later, it remains one of the ultimate tests of yachting skill.”