5 sources · updated 3 Nov 2026
The Atlantic Cup is billed as the first and only professional sailing race in the United States dedicated to the Class40. It was created by Manuka Sports Event Management, a company based in Newport, Rhode Island, from a business plan drawn up by Hugh Piggin, a New Zealand-born sailor living in Newport, and Julianna Barbieri, who came from sports broadcasting. The first edition was sailed in 2011.
The event has three stages: two double-handed offshore legs, then an inshore series in which crews of up to six may sail. Points are awarded for each race, and the team with the lowest combined total is crowned champion.
The course has changed several times. In 2011 the fleet started in New York City and finished in Newport, which also hosted the inshore series. From 2012 the start moved to Charleston, South Carolina: through 2014 a 648-mile first leg led to New York, followed by a 231-mile leg to Newport. From 2016 the second leg was stretched to 360 miles, finishing in Portland, Maine. In 2024 the race went 704 miles from Charleston to Newport, then from Newport to Portland, which hosted a new coastal series.
The Atlantic Cup also made its mark on sustainability: the 2012 race is described as the first carbon-neutral sailing race in the United States (single-use plastic bottles banned, recycling and water-filtration stations), and the 2016 edition as the first US sporting event compliant with the ISO 20121 standard. Its winners include Cutlass / 11th Hour Racing in 2011, Mare in 2012, Tales II in 2016 and Alberto Riva's Acrobatica in 2024, which also won both offshore legs.