1 Record, 2 Cities, An Amazing Day In The Harbor!

Today was the official day that the Estrella Damm and the W Hotel set sail in the race to set the Transoceanic Sailing Record from New York City to Barcelona, Spain! This is a pioneering initiative, as it is the first time in sailing history that a record will be set between an Atlantic and a Mediterranean city. The beginning of the race marks the end of events and celebrations here in the United States.

One of the events that I was lucky enough to attend was the Regatta on Saturday, April 3rd, in the New York City Harbor. The Estrella Damm, designed by Custo Dalmau, and the W Hotel held two practice races with their sail boats on a gorgeous spring day in the city. I got to watch the entire race from a beautiful yacht that was stocked with Estrella Damm. It felt beyond luxurious!


Above: Jonathan Valdez taking in the sun and the Regatta! I'm on a boat!

The races were very exciting and fun to watch up close. As members of the press, we had the option of viewing the Regatta on the yacht, or getting on tiny motor boats to take in the action and get amazing shots. I decided that what I wore was not conducive to pretending I worked at the Discovery Channel slash I did not want to fall into the harbor that day. Sorry OJ&Bers, but a yacht is obviously more my speed.

The yacht followed the sailboats as the crews worked very hard to maintain the sails and speeds of the boats. I was so amazed at how quickly they could turn the boats to avoid hitting us and the other boats in the water. The teams made it look effortless, but when you looked closely at what they were doing, it was nothing less than hard work. The first race was won by the W Hotel and the second race was won by Estrella Damm by just 10 seconds!


Above: The Estrella Damm sail boat designed by Custo Dalmau.

The races provide a healthily competition to set a record. They also provide the opportunity to strengthen the connection between New York and Barcelona with a socio-cultural, educational and sporting program. There will be a constant video/image feed on the website for the initiative allowing the media and fans to follow the record on a daily basis. As part of the educational program, the Harbor School in Brooklyn, along with other schools in Barcelona, will get a chance to have a video conference to interact with the skippers during the record. The students will be able to ask questions and learn more about the sailing world.


Above: The W Hotel sail boat.

Orange Juice and Biscuits wishes both teams the best of luck as well as a safe journey! I hope that the weather is nothing less than amazing throughout the race.

Check out this video from the Regatta in the Harbor. It allows you to see just how hard these guys work to have these boats stay on the right path. You also get to see interviews and hear about the challenges the teams faced while racing in such a small area. There are also some amazing areal shots!



For more information about the NYC-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record or the educational program mentioned in this post, click here.


Above: A beautiful view of my favorite bridge during the Regatta.