Brooklyn Boro

Atlantic Cup races in New York Harbor, leaves mark on Brooklyn

Earendil, Eagle Win In Dramatic Fashion

June 7, 2016 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle
All of the Atlantic Cup’s racing sailboats docked between Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Piers 5 and 6. Eagle photos by Cody Brooks
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It was a tough day at the office for the Brooklyn Eagle on Thursday afternoon.

On an 82-degree day with not a cloud in the sky, the Eagle had the pleasure of taking part in the Atlantic Cup’s Pro Am race throughout New York Harbor. We would be embarking on Earendil, a French ship skippered by Catherine Pourre and Antoine Carpentier.  

The Atlantic Cup is an intense, two-man crew offshore race held on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. every two years. Eight teams from four different countries took part in this year’s competition.

The teams started in Charleston, South Carolina on May 28, finished the first leg in Brooklyn Bridge Park on May 31 and left for Portland, Maine on Saturday for the final leg of the race, which was completed on Monday.

This was the first time in the competition’s history that the boats docked in Brooklyn, as Brooklyn Bridge Park now boasts One°15 Brooklyn Marina.

Prior to leaving Brooklyn, the teams took part in the Pro Am race, an event in which professional sailors and amateur ones race together. Although no points were at stake, that didn’t take away the competitive edge of the race.

After departing from Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 basin, the Pro Am race started just off of Lower Manhattan. The boats sailed throughout the harbor in front of Ellis Island as the Statue of Liberty looked down upon us. The boats made their way along the coast of Red Hook, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge before turning around in front of the Verrazano Bridge.

On the final leg of the race, it was Earendil and the Spanish team Tales II going head-to-head. The Spaniards had a narrow lead in the final stretch, but Earendil and the Eagle sneaked ahead at the last minute to win in dramatic fashion.

On Saturday, Brooklyn bid farewell to the Atlantic Cup fleet. While the boats are no longer physically here, the competition left its mark on Kings County.

In addition to being a sailing race, the Atlantic Cup is constantly striving to better each city it stops in. The Atlantic Cup boasts a strong sustainability message, gives back to kids, donates to local charities and helps connect each city’s constituents with its water sources.

In terms of sustainability, the entire race is carbon neutral, meaning each team tracks, calculates and offsets its carbon footprint. The teams make sure to recycle and compost, and each boat is equipped with an alternative energy source. Those sources include solar panels and hydro generators so that the boats can create electricity without using diesel fuel.

“We have an education component as well, because to be able to continue to enjoy sailing and be able to have these races, we need our planet to be healthy and we need the oceans to be healthy,” said co-founder of the Atlantic Cup Julianna Barbieri.

“As sailors and as people who promote sailing events, we need to make the public aware that there’s a lot happening in our oceans and the oceans are very much connected to our livelihood as a species, and it’s important that we do all that we can to protect them,” Barbieri continued.  

In each city it stops in, the Atlantic Cup also hosts a kid’s day. On Friday, roughly 100 kids from Brooklyn and Manhattan schools came down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to see the boats, meet the teams, ask questions, learn about sailing, use survival gear and learn about alternative energy sources on the boats.

The Atlantic Cup also partnered with the Warrior Sailing program, a nonprofit charity that teaches sailing to retired and active wounded military veterans. Through sailing, the veterans are able to pursue a passion and live better lives. The Atlantic Cup raised more than $10,000 for the program during its stop in Brooklyn.

“Some of the warriors that were with us have gone through the basic training camps, they’ve gone on to advanced training camps and they’ve really taken to sailing,” Barbieri told the Eagle. “They have more opportunities to get involved with the sport, and we’ve benefited as well in that they help us with waste management and they learn a little bit about regatta management as well.”

Lastly, the Atlantic Cup brought awareness to New York Harbor and forged a better relationship with the water and the borough’s residents.

“It’s really fascinating. Whenever I’m on the water, I always think about, especially going up the East River, [how] it’s really industrial,” said Barbieri. “You realize the city was settled in the center because the rivers were the highways at the time, so you had to have all your industrial infrastructure on the rivers. So, for a population, it pushed us more into the city’s center of the island as opposed to having that accessibility.

“Now, with Brooklyn Bridge Park and a lot of the greenways that they’re building around Manhattan, people are getting the opportunity to enjoy the waterfront a bit more. We’re really happy to bring an event to the city where people can come and check it out and enjoy the amazing views and all the waterways that surround the city.”

“It’s part of the marina’s mission to expand the people’s awareness of New York Harbor as a place and a resource that they can use,” General Manager of One°15 Brooklyn Marina Tim O’Brien told the Eagle. “New York became the city that it is because it’s one of the most protected and beautiful harbors in the world. Most people in Brooklyn and New York City more generally do not have the sense that they live on or near the water.

“We have created an access point through the marina but now also with our partnership with Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Pier 6 basin to bring events in here that are creating visibility, that are growing events and that are doing all the right things such as the Atlantic Cup. The Atlantic Cup is extremely forward thinking. They’re doing all the right things and they’re pushing the envelope in a really positive way.”

 

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