Rolex Transatlantic Challenge 2005 ready to begin - can the transatlantic record stand for a century?
from On the Water (265 articles)
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Image Gallery ( 11 images )The second Bennett trophy, the Brenton Reef Challenge Cup - left -- is the elapsed-time trophy for the Performance Cruising Division. The latest winner of this trophy, which shows a statue of Columbus standing beside a globe, was George Lindemann's schooner Adela in the Spirit of Tradition Division of the 1997 Atlantic Challenge Cup.
The third Bennett trophy, the Cape May Challenge Cup, last photo, is the elapsed-time trophy for the Grand Prix Division. This piece is a striking example of a more modern design concept at the threshold of American artistic experimentation in the 1870s. Tiffany & Co. has cited the Cape May Challenge Cup as a groundbreaking example of its silver work during this time. This trophy was last won by J. Craig Venter's Sorcerer in the Contemporary Division in the 1997 Atlantic Challenge Cup.
These trophies and other perpetual trophies from the club's collection, including the Sayre Cup, awarded to the yacht to set the Fastest Elapsed time from New York to the Needles, will be presented at a prize-giving on the Royal Yacht Squadron grounds following the race. The winners' names and yachts will be suitably engraved on the perpetual trophies, and they will be on permanent display in the New York Yacht Club.
The winners will receive Rolex timepieces as well as keeper trophies that will represent the perpetual trophies on display.
Favourite for the race is the 140-foot (42.7m) carbon-fibre canting-keel Mari-Cha IV, skippered by Robert Miller, of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. In October 2003, when the boat was brand new, it set the west-to-east transatlantic passage record in six days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds.
During this record-breaking crossing, Robert Miller and his crew also shattered the 24-hour distance record by sailing 525.7 nautical miles. Writing about these two feats, the Wall Street Journal headlined its article: "Bob Miller Wanted the World's Fastest Sailboat -- And He May Have It."
The entered yachts, from largest to smallest, are:
o Stad Amsterdam, 252 feet (77m) three-masted clipper ship, chartered by members of the Storm Trysail Club, designed by Gerard Dijkstra & Partners, launched in 2000 as the first clipper ship built in 130 years; Stad Amsterdam is pictured in the main photo on this page.
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