The Pineapple Cup

The Pineapple Cup Race

A premier selection of worthy craft and crew are once again preparing to test their seafaring mettle against anything that nature and man can throw at them during an 811 nautical mile race from Port Everglades, Florida to Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The battle of skill and endurance set to begin on February 6 will pit newcomers against veterans, and both against the ocean. For the victors, the honour of holding aloft the prized Pineapple Cup, and for all, the warmth and hospitality of the very festive Jamaicans.

Established in 1961, the Pineapple Cup race has been eagerly and hotly contested by participants with some very impressive credentials. Return contenders Ted Turner, Sir Peter Blake and Roy Disney are just three illustrious names to have appeared on previous winners boards, with Ted Turner having accomplished the feat on three occasions with three different boats. According to Ken Batzer, the chairman of the Pineapple Cup race, part of what keeps the big names from returning is the fact that land can be sighted for almost the entire contest, offering some magnificent scenery. There is also the record of 2 days, 10 hours, 24 minutes and 42 seconds set in 2005 by Titan 12 just begging to be broken.

The Pineapple Cup race is open to various divisions and classes of ocean racing boats that are skippered by a member of a recognised yacht club or national authority. The largest competitor in the 2015 race will be the 72-foot Shockwave that previously won the overall honours, as well as coming top in her division. With many of the other boats measuring a mere 40 feet, the Pineapple Cup race will certainly provide the measure of the men in charge of plotting their course to the finish line.

One contender who is more than willing to get into the ring with the bigger boys is Michael Hennessey who lost both of his ‘kites’ with 300 miles still to go in 2013. As a lover of boxing analogies, he has prepared the same boat for, what he hopes, will be a triumphant rematch against heavy hitters like the Donnybrook this year. At the very least, competitors will be vying for the Jamaica Tourist Board Log Award, which will go to the boat that has the most interesting entries in its log. Should no laurels be won, there are the post-race week-long celebrations as solace.