In the world of ocean racing, some boats wear their miles with the rugged charm of seasoned sailors, while others, like Dan Litchfield’s Hound, defy time and the elements. Launched over 50 years ago, this Aage Nielsen-designed 59-foot sloop continues to prove her mettle against much younger and technologically advanced competitors. Recent accolades, including a second-place finish in the St. David’s Lighthouse division of the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race and podium finishes in the 2023 and 2024 RORC Caribbean 600, highlight Hound’s enduring potential.
Looking ahead to 2025, Hound is gearing up for one of the most prestigious challenges in ocean racing—the Transatlantic Race 2025. This grueling 3,000-mile journey from Newport, R.I., to Cowes, England, is expected to take Hound between 10 days and two weeks to complete. With entries steadily accumulating, a fleet of over two dozen boats is anticipated for this bucket-list event.
“Ocean racing is really special to me because it’s an opportunity to get offshore,” says Litchfield, a native of New York City. “You sail all the time, you’re totally dialed in. There are no distractions, you’re with your friends. And you get to go somewhere, you have to get from point A to point B. It’s a huge challenge.”
The Transatlantic Race 2025 will set sail from Newport on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, charting a course for the southern coast of England. A virtual gate off Lizard Point offers teams a chance to challenge the course record, with the official finish at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s waterfront castle in Cowes. The race will feature various classes, including Racing, Racer/Cruiser, Non-Spinnaker, Superyacht, Multihull, Classics, and Open divisions. This historic event, a direct descendant of the first great transatlantic race that commenced in New York Harbor on December 11, 1866, will mark only the 32nd such race organized by the New York Yacht Club.
For Litchfield, this race is a return to familiar waters. “The last west-to-east transatlantic race I did was in 2003 racing Larry Huntington’s Snow Lion,” he recalls. “It was a formative experience going into adulthood, right after college, and before work. I cherish that memory and am eager for another run at this.”
Joining Litchfield aboard Hound will be Ed Cesare, the navigator from that 2003 race. Cesare, an experienced racing navigator, brings his expertise to Hound for the upcoming challenge. “Going across an ocean, there’s nothing quite like it in any boat,” says Cesare. “The west-to-east transatlantic race, in particular, is storied. The Hound is a fantastic yacht—elegant and smooth as silk in all conditions. We’ll see a range of conditions in a 3,000-mile race, and Hound is ready for them all.”
As the countdown to the Transatlantic Race 2025 begins, Hound stands as a testament to enduring craftsmanship and competitive spirit, poised to add another chapter to her storied legacy.
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