About Us:
Atlantic Challenge USA is a nonprofit organization based in Belfast, Maine that brings young people and adults together across generations through hands-on maritime experiences rooted in traditional seamanship. We are part of Atlantic Challenge International, a global network of community boatbuilding, rowing, and sailing programs that use 18th-century Bantry Bay gigs; boats designed for teamwork, leadership training, and skill building.
In essence, we build boats, and inside those boats, we build people and communities. From trees shaped by the hands, spirits, and minds of boatbuilders, our Bantry Bay gigs become containers for transformation. In them, we grow stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. Working together in the boat, our participants learn to lead and to follow, to be of service, and to attune to wind, weather, boat, and crew.
Our programs invite people of all ages and backgrounds to row, sail, sing, camp, and live simply together. Working as a crew, participants learn to lead and to follow, to listen and communicate, and to attune themselves to the needs of the boat, the conditions, and each other. In this interdependent environment, confidence deepens, empathy grows, and a greater sense of belonging emerges.
Atlantic Challenge USA's Leadership:
Arista Holden
Executive Director
Belfast, Maine
Arista Holden is a licensed captain who has been teaching sailing since the age of 15, beginning in Rockport, Maine and continuing with organizations including Outward Bound, NOLS, the Nova Scotia Sea School, the WoodenBoat School, Morse Alpha Expeditions, the schooner Mary Day, and the Viking vessel Polaris. She first joined Atlantic Challenge as a crew member on the Russian team during the 2002 Contest in Rockland, Maine. Since 2010, Arista has trained the Atlantic Challenge USA team and led Bantry Bay gig programs. She became a founding board member of Atlantic Challenge USA in 2019 and now serves as Executive Director.
Erin Ferree
President
Riverside, Rhode Island
Erin Ferree came to Atlantic Challenge through her colleague Mary Evans, who ran a Bantry Bay gig program in Warren, Rhode Island from 2012 to 2018. Erin and her husband, Andrew, became regular participants in weekly rows and sails on Narragansett Bay. Erin manages participant registration and communications, oversees financial record-keeping, and facilitates monthly board meetings.
Mary Barnes
Secretary
Sedgwick, Maine
Mary Barnes became involved with Atlantic Challenge in the late 1990s when her son participated in several Contests. She has served on a variety of nonprofit boards and played a key role in organizing and volunteering for the 2024 Contest in Belfast. Mary is also an accomplished oil painter.
Marlee Luehman
Treasurer
Hope, Maine
Marlee Luehman has worked for over 20 years in a range of educational settings, including public and private schools and as a developmental therapist for young children. She strongly believes in the power of social-emotional connection within nurturing learning environments and embraces the arts as a pathway to meaningful and deep engagement. Marlee’s daughter has participated in Atlantic Challenge programs for several years.
Chrisso Rheault
Cushing, Maine
Chrisso remembers the first Bantry Bay gigs launched at the Rockport Apprenticeshop in 1986 and attended many traditional boat launchings as a youth. A knowledgeable sailor, wooden boat historian, and skilled maintainer of traditional craft, he frequently advises others on boat ownership and care. Chrisso regularly assists Atlantic Challenge USA with towing, and hauling the gigs and occasionally with powerboat repairs.
Neal Drake
Cranston, Rhode Island
Neal Drake became involved with the Atlantic Challenge program in Orleans, Massachusetts in the early 2000s as a teenager and began participating in Contests in 2006. He now serves as Head of the Events Committee for Atlantic Challenge International and plays an integral role in managing race operations and safety during Contests. Neal is also a civil engineer.
Elijah Boulware
New York, New York
Elijah Boulware joined Atlantic Challenge USA as a participant in 2021 at age 14 and has remained actively involved in the program since. They are a crew member of Team USA preparing to compete in the 2026 Atlantic Challenge International Contest of Seamanship in Roskilde, Denmark. Elijah currently attends Oberlin College.
Atlantic Challenge USA is a nonprofit organization based in Belfast, Maine that brings young people and adults together across generations through hands-on maritime experiences rooted in traditional seamanship. We are part of Atlantic Challenge International, a global network of community boatbuilding, rowing, and sailing programs that use 18th-century Bantry Bay gigs; boats designed for teamwork, leadership training, and skill building.
In essence, we build boats, and inside those boats, we build people and communities. From trees shaped by the hands, spirits, and minds of boatbuilders, our Bantry Bay gigs become containers for transformation. In them, we grow stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. Working together in the boat, our participants learn to lead and to follow, to be of service, and to attune to wind, weather, boat, and crew.
Our programs invite people of all ages and backgrounds to row, sail, sing, camp, and live simply together. Working as a crew, participants learn to lead and to follow, to listen and communicate, and to attune themselves to the needs of the boat, the conditions, and each other. In this interdependent environment, confidence deepens, empathy grows, and a greater sense of belonging emerges.
Atlantic Challenge USA's Leadership:
Arista Holden
Executive Director
Belfast, Maine
Arista Holden is a licensed captain who has been teaching sailing since the age of 15, beginning in Rockport, Maine and continuing with organizations including Outward Bound, NOLS, the Nova Scotia Sea School, the WoodenBoat School, Morse Alpha Expeditions, the schooner Mary Day, and the Viking vessel Polaris. She first joined Atlantic Challenge as a crew member on the Russian team during the 2002 Contest in Rockland, Maine. Since 2010, Arista has trained the Atlantic Challenge USA team and led Bantry Bay gig programs. She became a founding board member of Atlantic Challenge USA in 2019 and now serves as Executive Director.
Erin Ferree
President
Riverside, Rhode Island
Erin Ferree came to Atlantic Challenge through her colleague Mary Evans, who ran a Bantry Bay gig program in Warren, Rhode Island from 2012 to 2018. Erin and her husband, Andrew, became regular participants in weekly rows and sails on Narragansett Bay. Erin manages participant registration and communications, oversees financial record-keeping, and facilitates monthly board meetings.
Mary Barnes
Secretary
Sedgwick, Maine
Mary Barnes became involved with Atlantic Challenge in the late 1990s when her son participated in several Contests. She has served on a variety of nonprofit boards and played a key role in organizing and volunteering for the 2024 Contest in Belfast. Mary is also an accomplished oil painter.
Marlee Luehman
Treasurer
Hope, Maine
Marlee Luehman has worked for over 20 years in a range of educational settings, including public and private schools and as a developmental therapist for young children. She strongly believes in the power of social-emotional connection within nurturing learning environments and embraces the arts as a pathway to meaningful and deep engagement. Marlee’s daughter has participated in Atlantic Challenge programs for several years.
Chrisso Rheault
Cushing, Maine
Chrisso remembers the first Bantry Bay gigs launched at the Rockport Apprenticeshop in 1986 and attended many traditional boat launchings as a youth. A knowledgeable sailor, wooden boat historian, and skilled maintainer of traditional craft, he frequently advises others on boat ownership and care. Chrisso regularly assists Atlantic Challenge USA with towing, and hauling the gigs and occasionally with powerboat repairs.
Neal Drake
Cranston, Rhode Island
Neal Drake became involved with the Atlantic Challenge program in Orleans, Massachusetts in the early 2000s as a teenager and began participating in Contests in 2006. He now serves as Head of the Events Committee for Atlantic Challenge International and plays an integral role in managing race operations and safety during Contests. Neal is also a civil engineer.
Elijah Boulware
New York, New York
Elijah Boulware joined Atlantic Challenge USA as a participant in 2021 at age 14 and has remained actively involved in the program since. They are a crew member of Team USA preparing to compete in the 2026 Atlantic Challenge International Contest of Seamanship in Roskilde, Denmark. Elijah currently attends Oberlin College.