Catherine Pourre, Skipper and Owner of Earendil, Took The Gold Today on Earendil.

Hugh Piggin, Race Organizer With Catherine Pourre and Pietra Luciana, of
Erandil, Winner of The Atlantic Cup. Photo by Billy Black.  Pourre Holds up the Trophy While Luciana Holds up a Bottle of the Bubbly That He Promptly Sprayed All Over the Place!  A Battle of the Bubbly Soon Erupted!

“I’m very happy. I like Portland a lot.  It got quite windy out there.  It was almost 20 knots out there today,”  said Catherine Pourre, skipper and owner of the French Erandil moments before she and her co-skipper Pietro Luciana were handed the first place trophy.  “I’ll be back in two years,” she promised.  “We’ll do it again.”  She is the first woman to win the Atlantic Cup.  Luciana is from Venice, Italy.

Back in June of 2016, Earendil finished second to Tales 2.  Captain Botin did not return to the Atlantic Cup this year.  Erandil and Pourre won over Toothface 2 this year by only one point.

Sister ships Amhas and Toothface 2 continued their battle for second place with Toothface 2 winning by only four (4) points.  Tristan Mauligne,  co-skipper of Toothface said:  “This is the greatest race I’ve been in with so many from away in it.”

The crew of Amhas, the Portland based yacht, had to be disappointed, but captain and owner Micah Davis, did not let on.   Rob Windsor, co-skipper, quipped – “four points short!”

Stuart MacNeil, Munjoy Hill Resident and crew member of Amhas today said:  “We sailed very well this weekend.  Hopefully next time we’ll take it all!”  MacNeil is a rigger.

(NOTE:  Unfortunately, this blogger took lots of photos and then DELETED them accidentally before they were downloaded!  Ouch!)

Please visit numerous posts herein for more background information on the Atlantic Cup.