The first gig, Liberté, was built at the Apprenticeshop and launched in January 1986 in Rockport, Maine.
Our founding mission, 2019:
Atlantic Challenge USA provides experiences for personal development, youth empowerment, local and international community building, seamanship skills, and connection to maritime heritage through rowing and sailing traditional boats including Bantry Bay gigs.
Atlantic Challenge USA shares the values of Atlantic Challenge International:
Atlantic Challenge USA provides experiences for personal development, youth empowerment, local and international community building, seamanship skills, and connection to maritime heritage through rowing and sailing traditional boats including Bantry Bay gigs.
Atlantic Challenge USA shares the values of Atlantic Challenge International:
- Personal Development through Challenge, Perseverance, and Self-Reliance.
- Initiative and Creativity
- Community Building and Social Responsibility
- The Spirit of Adventure
- Fitness of Mind and Body
- Vocational, Cultural, and Social Life Skills
- International Understanding and Awareness
- Interest in Local and Global Maritime Heritage
Atlantic Challenge USA Current Board of Directors:
Mary Evans - President
Riverside, Rhode Island
As a rower in High School growing up in NYC, Mary joined the Atlantic Challenge USA crew for two Contests of Seamanship, 2004 in Wales and 2006 in Genoa. She says that being on the team in Wales in 2004 remains a highlight of her life. She was a long-time cook for our summer expeditions, and a founding Board Member for AC USA in 2019.
Erin Ferree - Treasurer
Riverside, Rhode Island
Erin came to Atlantic Challenge through meeting her work colleague, Mary Evans, who was running a Bantry Bay gig program with Loyauté in 2012 in Warren, Rhode Island. She and her husband Andrew became regular participants for the weekly rows and sails in Narragansett Bay.
Laura Boehm- Secretary
Chatham, Massachusetts
Laura became involved in the last several years of the most recent summer Community Week expeditions on Greens Island with AC USA. Her love of traditional music combined with being on the island with new friends has been a joy.
Chrisso Rheault
Cushing, Maine
Chrisso remembers the first Bantry Bay gigs launched at the Rockport Apprenticeshop in 1986, among other boat launchings he attended as a youth. A knowledgeable sailor, traditional boat historian, and maintainer of wooden boats, he often advises others in buying their own.
Atlantic Challenge USA Executive Director:
Arista Holden
Belfast, Maine
Arista grew up teaching sailing from age 15 onward first in Rockport, Maine and then on to Outward Bound, NOLS, the Nova Scotia Sea School, Wooden Boat School, Morse Alpha Expeditions, the Mary Day schooner, the Viking boat Polaris, among others. She first joined Atlantic Challenge as a crew member on the Russian team during the Contest held in Rockland, Maine in 2002. She has trained the Atlantic Challenge US team and led other Bantry Bay gig programs since 2010. She was a founding Board Member for AC USA in 2019.
Mary Evans - President
Riverside, Rhode Island
As a rower in High School growing up in NYC, Mary joined the Atlantic Challenge USA crew for two Contests of Seamanship, 2004 in Wales and 2006 in Genoa. She says that being on the team in Wales in 2004 remains a highlight of her life. She was a long-time cook for our summer expeditions, and a founding Board Member for AC USA in 2019.
Erin Ferree - Treasurer
Riverside, Rhode Island
Erin came to Atlantic Challenge through meeting her work colleague, Mary Evans, who was running a Bantry Bay gig program with Loyauté in 2012 in Warren, Rhode Island. She and her husband Andrew became regular participants for the weekly rows and sails in Narragansett Bay.
Laura Boehm- Secretary
Chatham, Massachusetts
Laura became involved in the last several years of the most recent summer Community Week expeditions on Greens Island with AC USA. Her love of traditional music combined with being on the island with new friends has been a joy.
Chrisso Rheault
Cushing, Maine
Chrisso remembers the first Bantry Bay gigs launched at the Rockport Apprenticeshop in 1986, among other boat launchings he attended as a youth. A knowledgeable sailor, traditional boat historian, and maintainer of wooden boats, he often advises others in buying their own.
Atlantic Challenge USA Executive Director:
Arista Holden
Belfast, Maine
Arista grew up teaching sailing from age 15 onward first in Rockport, Maine and then on to Outward Bound, NOLS, the Nova Scotia Sea School, Wooden Boat School, Morse Alpha Expeditions, the Mary Day schooner, the Viking boat Polaris, among others. She first joined Atlantic Challenge as a crew member on the Russian team during the Contest held in Rockland, Maine in 2002. She has trained the Atlantic Challenge US team and led other Bantry Bay gig programs since 2010. She was a founding Board Member for AC USA in 2019.