This Dragon is hungry for the Atlantic Cup by Rob Windsor

Rob Windsor is an 11th Hour Racing ambassador.  When not sailing short-handed across the Atlantic, he enjoys relaxing at his home with his family in New York. 

Another Atlantic Cup has come and gone and it appears I will have to wait another year to go for the win in America’s Sailing Race.   I returned to the event for the 3rd time. This year sailing on Michael Hennessy’s Dragon. We had some flashes of brilliance and led both of the offshore legs for a bit. While we would have liked a different result, I felt the event was stellar.

Manuka Sports and 11th Hour Racing put forth a quality regatta including several new events at each stopover. Each were fun and exciting to be a part of. In Charleston I had the pleasure of speaking to CORA (Charleston Offshore Racing Association) at their annual meeting. It was great to see the excitement in the members about having a professional offshore event in their back yard. I also gave them a little story about Dragon’s experience on the last day of Charleston Race Week. We had a scary mishap that almost put us on the rocks. A harsh reminder to be aware of your surroundings and keep your head in the game. The group proceeded to talk about their own challenging experiences and the deep connection between sailors and predictably, unpredictable weather.

In NYC, we attended Living on the Edge, a panel of scientists, journalists and sailors, discussing the fate of our oceans and what we as sailors can do to facilitate change. I enjoyed this one the most; As an 11th hour ambassador and someone who makes a living on the ocean, it was nice to hear that there are proactive individuals and communities interested in protecting our waters

In Newport, we attended newportFILM‘s screening of The Last Ocean. A film about over fishing in Antarctica and what is being done to stop it. It was an eye-opening film, shining a light on the fact that we have obviously taken all we can from the rest of the sea if we are now headed to the end of the earth to find fish. It’s scary when you think about it that way and should act as a red flag to all of us.

In the end, the event was well run and competition was close. I will be chomping at the bit for the next 11 months waiting to get back to Charleston, SC for the start of the 2014 Atlantic Cup.