DaimlerChrysler
North Atlantic Challenge
SECOND
FLEET SET TO DEPART JUNE 21
Newport,
R.I. (June 19, 2003) – The second group
of entries in the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic
Challenge are set to depart Newport this coming
Saturday, June 21 on the 3,600 nautical mile race
to Cuxhaven, Germany. The first group started
on June 14. The larger, faster boats will join
them in this first-ever race across the North
Atlantic, around Fair Isles and into the river
Elbe for the finish. The five boats are Zephyrus
V, a maxZ86; HSH Nordbank (formerly Morning Glory);
Team888 (formerly Kingfisher); UCA, a maxiracer;
and Windrose, the 152-foot schooner. The race
commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Hamburgischer
Verein Seefahrt, a long-standing sailing club
based in Hamburg.
As
in the first start, the New York Yacht Club race
committee will set the starting line off historic
Fort Adams.
Zephyrus
V, owned and skippered by Robert McNeil of San
Francisco, Calif., is potentially the fastest
boat overall in the race. With a rating of 1.693m
the 87-foot (26.50 meters), high-tech maxZ86 yacht
is stocked with veteran ocean racers. The crew,
led by McNeil and John Bertrand, an Olympic silver
medallist and America’s Cup veteran, includes
Guillermo Altadill, Ola Astradsson, Glen Attrill,
Neil Cox, Peter Doriean, Sidney Gavignet, Brian
MacInnes, Gordon Maguire, Anthony Nossiter, Andrew
Scott, Fred Serafin, Mark Sims, Justin Slattery,
Matt Wachowicz and Ian Moore, who served as a
navigator aboard illbruck.
The
brand new 85-foot (26 meter) UCA, owned by Klaus
Murmann (former president of the Employers Association),
will sail with the experience of six circumnavigations.
Tim Kröger, who was part of the French America’s
Cup team Le Défi, brings experience from
two around the world races. Four times around
the globe sailor and navigator on UCA will be
the well-known Juan Vila from Spain. “Juan
was our first choice,” said Murmann. “He
read the Gulf Stream very well in the transat-leg
so that illbruck could set the 24-hour record.
That experience will count in the DaimlerChrysler
North Atlantic Challenge.”
The
closest match might develop between UCA and the
80-foot (24 meters) Morning Glory, now named HSH
Nordbank. It was chartered from SAP boss Hasso
Plattner, who broke records in the Cape-to-Rio
and in the Sydney-Hobart races.
Skippered
by Admiral’s Cup sailor Walter Meier-Kothe
of Germany, the fast yacht is a maxi racer like
UCA, but without water ballast or a canting keel.
The yachting journalist and Admiral’s Cup
sailor Erik von Krause will do the navigation
onboard.
Perhaps
one of the most striking yachts to compete is
Windrose. Built in 2001 for offshore passages,
it is a combination of old-world elegance and
high-tech performance.
All
yachts are equipped with InmarSat D+ tracking
devices and regularly updated positions will be
broadcast on the event website www.dcnac.de.
About
the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge
The DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge 2003
is an offshore sailing race to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the Hamburgischer Verein
Seefahrt, a long-standing sailing club based in
Hamburg, GER. Over 60 of the world's most exotic
racing yachts are expected to compete in this
once-in-a-lifetime test of endurance and skill.
The race will start on June 14 and 21, 2003 from
Newport, R.I., USA and travel 3,600 nautical miles
across the North Atlantic Ocean, north of the
British Isles to Cuxhaven, GER, and on to Hamburg
on the river Elbe. The event organizer will host
a maritime festival from July 4-12 in Hamburg
with daily social activities to coincide with
the finish of the race. The race is organized
by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Hamburg with
the support of the New York Yacht Club. Other
sponsors include Holsten Brewery, Deutsche Bank,
SAP, World of TUI, Hanseboot International Boat
Show from Hamburg, and Marinepool.
Additional
information and news about the DaimlerChrysler
North Atlantic Challenge is available on the Internet
at: www.DCNAC.de
