11 sailboats leave South Carolina for Maine in Atlantic Cup

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Eleven sailboats representing nine countries have left Charleston, South Carolina, for the Atlantic Cup, a 1,000-nautical mile race to Maine.

The two-person teams in their 40-foot boats left on Saturday on their way to New York. They are expected to reach Portland, Maine, around June 4-10. The third and final leg is an in-port race with six-person crews.

The Atlantic Cup is the longest offshore race in the Western Atlantic.

Among those making the trip are Mike Hennessy and Rob Windsor, who have competed in every Atlantic Cup since its first edition in 2011.