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"Dedicated
to Education and International
Co-operation through
the Medium of the Sea"
‘
The Challenge’ was born on the
west side of the Atlantic at a North
Carolina small craft conference. Elegant
18th century Captain’s Gigs were
chosen for their grace, speed and simplicity.
Two boats were built and the first Contest
of Seamanship took place in 1986 between
France and the USA at the celebration
of the centenary of the Statue of Liberty
in New York harbour. Atlantic Challenge
has since grown, and member countries
now number twelve; Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Finland, France, Indonesia, Ireland,
Italy, Norway, Russia, United Kingdom
and the USA. The International Contest
of Seamanship now takes place every two
years. Member countries send a crew of
young people to the host nation, where
they engage in friendly competition,
testing skills of seamanship and fostering
international friendship.
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The
Atlantic Challenge Gigs
Small elegant boats with simple rigs were chosen, not complicated
by technical machinery or expensive hardware. They are
replicas of 18th century admirals’ barges, used by
fleets in harbour for transport between ship and shore,
and for a variety of tasks while on station. The design
was drawn from a French boat captured during the French
invasion of Ireland in 1796. Such boats were common two
centuries ago in the navies of Britain, France, Russia,
Spain and the United States, and so pose a certain universality.
Technically they are longboats but common usage and history
has led them to be know as ‘Atlantic Challenge Gigs’
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A gig has three masts
with Dipping Lugsails. The two main masts require a
crew of five, with the remaining crew attending to
the third, smaller sail and helming the vessel. The
great length of the gigs, combined with their narrow
width and large sail area, means they are capable of
great speed under sail. Gigs can easily reach speeds
of 12 knots, requiring supreme skill, teamwork and
concentration on the part of the crew. The simplicity
of the rig allows for the masts to be lowered quickly
and the gig can be rowed with ten oars, the longest
of which are 18’6” (5.6m). The gig is tremendously
manoeuvrable under oars, but is also swift, allowing
a crew to maintain a speed of 5 knots over several
miles.
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| The gigs are ideally
suited to their modern role of providing a challenge
to young people to succeed through teamwork; the smallest
job on a gig is as crucial to her operation as the
largest. Cooperation is essential. |
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Atlantic
Challenge in the United Kingdom
Atlantic Challenge UK was founded by John Kerr, a boatbuilder,
with the aid of his wife Jane. After much hard work John
raised funds, and built and launched the gig Intégrité.
A UK crew competed in the 1992 Contest at Brest in Brittany.
Intégrité has since competed in five subsequent
contests, in Canada, Ireland, Denmark, France and the USA.
In 2004 her and her crew of young people will compete at
home for the first time. In order to give more young people
the opportunity to be educated through the sea and to experience
the magic of a contest, three new gigs have been built
in the UK. At Moray in Scotland, Antrim in Northern Ireland
and most recently Pembrokeshire in Wales. These ‘community
gigs’ will give more people the chance to sail and
row these wonderful vessels. The UK crew for the 2004 challenge
has been drawn from these community boats as well as the
wider public in England, where a location for a community
gig is still being sought.
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| Atlantic Challenge UK
is an Independent registered charity which is funded
entirely by voluntary contributions from individuals,
trusts and corporate bodies. Crew-members have to raise
money towards the cost of their training as part of
their own ‘challenge’. |
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