Drama unfolded on Saturday in The Atlantic Cup’s inshore series in Newport, R.I., when Mike Hennessy and Rob Windsor’s Dragon hit a rock while leading the fleet past Beavertail Light. None of the crew were injured, but Dragon retired from racing for the rest of the inshore series with significant damage to the keel and and keel box structure.
The 2014 series concluded with Gryphon Solo 2, skippered by Joe Harris and Patrick O’Connor, winning on a tie-breaker with #116 – JeffreyMacFarlane.com. The Atlantic Cup series includes offshore legs from Charleston to New York City and from New York to Newport, ending with the final two days of inshore racing in Narragansett Bay. Per the Notice of Race, all ties are broken in favor of the boat with the most points earned on the two offshore legs, which was Gryphon Solo 2.
“It is very satisfying to win the AC in my third try and my check and trophy are now prominently displayed in my son’s bedroom,” said Harris. “Our strong offshore performance in the first two legs carried us through an OK inshore series as the light wind conditions did not favor our boat. However, we had great crew work and gained at most mark-roundings, and our reaching and running was fine—the Achilles heel was going upwind in less than 8 knots, where we were sticky. So we will have to go to work on that issue and come back next year with some solutions.”
