2008 Woodie Awards
Alum Who Sailed Atlantic To Speak At Dodd Center
Eric Walsh
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News
Clay Burkhalter, a UConn alumnus who recently sailed across the Atlantic single-handedly in a race that began in France and ended in Brazil, will speak at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center tonight. Also featured will be Rod Johnstone, a UConn M.A. and designer of the boat Burkhalter raced. The speech begins at 7 p.m. and is sponsored by the UConn Sailing Club.
Burkhalter, who earned his B.A. from UConn in 1980 and his masters degree in 2,000, sailed solo his 21-foot boat, Acadia, 4,200 miles across the Atlantic in the Mini Transat race. Out of the 89 boats competing in the event, Burkhalter placed 12th-the best American finish in thirty years.
The Mini Transat, which is traditionally dominated by French sailors, has expanded its field in recent years and now includes competition from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and South Africa. Burkhalter was the fifth American to ever compete in the event.
The race began in La Rochelle, France on Sept. 18, 2007. It took Burkhalter 25 days and 10 hours to cross the finish line 4,200 miles away in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. His journey included a ten day layover in Madeira, an island off the coast of Portugal. From there, Burkhalter sailed across the equator.
During the race, a video production group filmed a documentary on the Mini Transat featuring Burkhalter. Fixed cameras were mounted to the top of Acadia's mast, capturing some of Burkhalter's experiences as he sailed the Atlantic. He is expected to present some of the footage during his speech tonight.
Burkhalter currently resides in Stonington, CT, where he and his uncle, Rod Johnstone, built the Acadia. Johnstone, a 1967 UConn grad, built the first ever J-24 racing boat, Ragtime, in his Stonington garage in 1975. Since then, he has founded J-Boats, which has built more than 5,000 J-24s in 30 different countries. Today, the J-24 is the most popular keel racing boat in the world. Johnstone will also speak during the presentation.
Contact Eric Walsh
at Eric.Walsh@UConn.edu.
Burkhalter, who earned his B.A. from UConn in 1980 and his masters degree in 2,000, sailed solo his 21-foot boat, Acadia, 4,200 miles across the Atlantic in the Mini Transat race. Out of the 89 boats competing in the event, Burkhalter placed 12th-the best American finish in thirty years.
The Mini Transat, which is traditionally dominated by French sailors, has expanded its field in recent years and now includes competition from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and South Africa. Burkhalter was the fifth American to ever compete in the event.
The race began in La Rochelle, France on Sept. 18, 2007. It took Burkhalter 25 days and 10 hours to cross the finish line 4,200 miles away in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. His journey included a ten day layover in Madeira, an island off the coast of Portugal. From there, Burkhalter sailed across the equator.
During the race, a video production group filmed a documentary on the Mini Transat featuring Burkhalter. Fixed cameras were mounted to the top of Acadia's mast, capturing some of Burkhalter's experiences as he sailed the Atlantic. He is expected to present some of the footage during his speech tonight.
Burkhalter currently resides in Stonington, CT, where he and his uncle, Rod Johnstone, built the Acadia. Johnstone, a 1967 UConn grad, built the first ever J-24 racing boat, Ragtime, in his Stonington garage in 1975. Since then, he has founded J-Boats, which has built more than 5,000 J-24s in 30 different countries. Today, the J-24 is the most popular keel racing boat in the world. Johnstone will also speak during the presentation.
Contact Eric Walsh
at Eric.Walsh@UConn.edu.
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