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January 4, 2012 – Newport, Rhode Island – Manuka Sports Event Management is pleased to announce the first four teams entered in the 2012 Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing are Dragon, Icarus Racing, Gryphon Solo 2 and Bodacious Dream. Teams Dragon and Icarus both competed in the 2011 Atlantic Cup finishing 2nd and 4th respectively. Gryphon Solo 2 and Bodacious Dream are both brand new Class 40s for which the Atlantic Cup will be their first major test.

Michael Hennessy, who completed a very challenging 2011 racing campaign, will again skipper Dragon.Following the Atlantic Cup, Hennessy competed in the Transatlantic Race and Fastnet. The U.S. representative to the Class 40 Board, Hennessy, is extremely happy to be back in the Atlantic Cup. Hennessy stated,
"I am tremendously excited to participate in the second edition of the Atlantic Cup. With the addition of the leg from Charleston to New York City, this becomes a significant test of boat and crew and we are looking forward to it. The presence of boats and skippers from Europe also adds a new element to the race and will certainly raise the level of performance that is going to be needed to secure a place on the podium. Dragon is coming prepared to win!"

Ben Poucher, 28 and Tim Fetsch, 29, skippers of Icarus Racing are the youngest duo currently entered in the Atlantic Cup. Both extremely experienced sailors, they have not stopped preparing for the Atlantic Cup since they were given loan of their boat 5 days before the start of the 2011 race. Following the completion of the 2011 Atlantic Cup, in their spare time, Poucher and Fetsch completed a full refit on Icarus and brought her up to Class compliance. Icarus Racing, is on loan from the US Merchant Marine Academy Sailing Foundation in Kings Point, NY. Poucher and Fetsch are actively putting together a full race calendar that culminates with the 2012 Atlantic Cup.
Ben Poucher:"The hard work continues to get to the start line of the Atlantic Cup. We are grateful for the USMMA sailing foundation for allowing us the opportunity to race on their Class40. The platform the Atlantic Cup has provided is allowing us to pursue our goals and we look forward to being a part of the second edition of the race this spring.
Tim Fetsch: "We still have more fund raising and promotion to do for our team to be at it's highest level possible, but our announcement in participating in the 2012 edition is another step towards the ultimate goal, Atlantic Cup champs in 2012."

Joe Harris, long a staple of short-handed US sailing scene, has a new Akilaria RC2 that he will campaign in the 2012 Atlantic Cup. Harris expected to compete in the 2011 race on his new Gryphon Solo 2 however due to the revolution in Tunisia where his boat was being built, the time frame for delivery was pushed back. After finishing the boat, Harris raced it in the Normandy Channel Race before shipping it to Newport, RI to ready it for the 2012 Atlantic Cup. Harris said,
"I am really looking forward to the Atlantic Cup 2012, as I missed the inaugural event due to some delays in the completion of my boat. I have a feeling that the fleet will be quite strong and I am looking forward to testing the new boat and my own skills and against top-flight competition. My long-term goal is to race around the world solo in the Global Ocean Race in 2013, so the Atlantic Cup provides the perfect training vehicle for that effort. My sailing partner Tristan Mouligne and I are already chomping at the bit to get the boat back in the water and get to Charleston!"

The fourth early entrant into the 2012 edition of the race is Dave Rearick on the just completed Kiwi 40FC Bodacious Dream. Rearick has been sailing and dreaming of circumnavigating the globe since childhood. Rearick, like Harris is building up to a solo entry in the 2013 Global Ocean Race and entering in the Atlantic Cup is one step closer towards fulfilling that goal. Rearick, originally from Michigan, has competed in 27 Chicago Mac Races, 7 solo Chicago Mac Races, including a record in 1998. About his entry in the Atlantic Cup Rearick said,
"We are very excited to get our first chance to compete with Bodacious Dream in the Atlantic Cup against a field of experienced and well sailed Class 40's. The Atlantic Cup promises to be great competition, camaraderie and fuel the growth of a Class 40 presence in North America."
Manuka Sports Event Management Founder and Atlantic Cup Race Director, Hugh Piggin, commented,
"It's great to have the first four entries confirmed. With the new boats in the race, the standard of competition will be very high and watching the race progress will be extremely entertaining. I'm pretty confident we will have at least eight entries and some fierce competition!"

About The Atlantic Cup

The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing is a dedicated professional Class 40 race held annually in the U.S. with a focus on running an environmentally responsible event. The 2012 edition of the Atlantic Cup starts Friday, May 11th in Charleston, South Carolina and will showcase the top Class 40 sailors in the U.S. as they race a 648 nautical mile off-shore leg double-handed from Charleston around the infamous, Cape Hatteras then north to New York City. Once in New York there will be a brief stopover before competitors start the coastal leg of the race. The coastal leg will take competitors along the same course as the 2011 race: 260 nautical miles, south out of New York to a turning mark off the New Jersey coast before heading north to Newport. Once in Newport, competitors will race a two-day, inshore series with a crew of six. The combined overall winner of both stages will be the Atlantic Cup Champion. The prize purse will be at least $30,000, making it again one of the largest purses for sailing in the United States.

Photo credit : Billy Black - Source : Atlantic Cup

Contact Atlantic Cup : Julianna Barbieri
+1-917-693-1656

Julianna@ManukaSEM.com

www.AtlanticCup.org