Barcelona and New York Organize the First Attempt at a Sailing Record Between the Two Cities

NEW YORK, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Two cities, two boats and 3900 nautical miles to sail. In April, New York City and Barcelona will strengthen their sporting and cultural ties even further with a new oceanic challenge. The NY-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record will establish a record for sailing between the two cities. Organized by the Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB) along with the collaboration of the New York City Sports Commission, the event will make New York and Barcelona the first Atlantic and Mediterranean cities to join forces in creating their own record attempt.

Pere Alcober, Sports Councillor for Barcelona City Council and president of the Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB) today announced the NY-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record at the Barcelona Town Hall. The regatta will start at the Ambrose Light mark at Sandy Hook, New Jersey between April 5th and the 12th and will arrive at the W Hotel in the port of Barcelona between April 20th and the 30th. The exact departure date will be determined by weather conditions that the sailors consider most suitable for the fastest crossing. Besides the NYC Sports Commission, the project involves the New York Yacht Club and the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona.

The two boats competing to set the record will be the IMOCA Open 60s Estrella Damm and W Hotels, two sister vessels each with one Spanish and one North American skipper on board, making the transatlantic competition completely equal.

Barcelona City Hall Sports Councillor Pere Alcober explained: "This new transoceanic challenge is an important part of the FNOB's main objective, which is to encourage high-profile projects in the world of offshore sailing, such as the Barcelona World Race. Besides the sporting element the new NY-BCN record also has important cultural and educational aspects."

Avelino Pi exhibit and Robert Llimos sculpture are part of the cultural program

To strengthen the ties between New York City and Barcelona the South Street Seaport Museum in New York will host the exhibition "Avelino Pi, fotografo olimpico" (Avelino Pi, Olympic photographer), which focuses on offshore sailing and includes thirty of the pioneering artist's works. Produced by the FNOB and the Fundacio Barcelona Olimpica, the exhibition will be shown from March 25th to the end of April.

The finishing touch of the cultural program is the trophy that will be awarded to the winner of the race, which is a reproduction of Robert Llimos' sculpture Miraestels. An exhibition showcasing documents and audiovisual materials about the NY-BCN record will be held in New York's World Financial District from March 25th to April 4th.

Students from New York and Barcelona participate in the educational program

The NY-BCN Transoceanic Sailing Record will include an extensive educational program aimed at promoting the culture of sailing to first and second year students at schools throughout Barcelona and New York City. The program will involve classroom activities, the ability to follow the race online, videoconferences with the sailors, exchanges between schools from both cities and in-person meetings with the skippers.

In January the web site www.ny-bcn.org was launched, where it will be possible to closely follow the competition on a daily basis from start to finish. The web site will also publish the latest news and up-to-date reports throughout the challenge, expert weather analysis, position charts, videos and photographs of the boats.

About the Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB)

The Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica de Barcelona (FNOB) was established in 2005 with the aim of enhancing awareness of the culture of the sea. To achieve this objective, the FNOB, whose partners are the Barcelona City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, the Port and the Fira de Barcelona, created the Barcelona World Race, a non-stop round-the-world two crew sailing regatta, whose second edition will start on 31 December 2010.

About the New York City Sports Commission

Created in 1986 for the New York Town Hall, the New York City Sports Commission is a municipal organization responsible for attracting, creating, and promoting sporting events to foster the development of amateur and professional sports throughout the City's five boroughs, to provide its residents and visitors with a range of attractive sports events, and to promote the city's economy.

SOURCE Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB)