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Atlantic Challenge
July 21 @ 3:00 pm - July 28 @ 3:00 pm
Contestants are young adults: all crew members must be over 15; at least half will be under 22.
The Contest events take place in the Bantry Bay gigs, which are copies of 18th-century French Navy Captain’s gigs. These vessels are 38ft long and are powered by three sails and ten oars. Each nation has their own vessel for the contest.
Lance Lee, of Rockland, Maine, co-founded the Atlantic Challenge International Contest of Seamanship with Bernard & Michelle Cadoret, of France in 1984 as a way to bring young adults of different cultures together while also preserving traditional seamanship. The first two gigs Liberté and Egalité were built at the Rockport Apprenticeshop, in Rockport, Maine and the first Contest was held in New York City in July 1986.
More than 80 gigs have been built by 16 nations for participation in Atlantic Challenge. Typically 12 nations gather for the biennial Contest of Seamanship.
There has been a Contest every two years from 1986-2018. Atlantic Challenge USA is hosting the 2024 Contest.