Under The Crane | Atlantis WeatherGear Blog

On August 7th, 2010 Sag Harbor Express released the following article, nicely written by Andrew Rudansky.

Weather Gear Company, Once Started in Sag Harbor, Returns to the South Fork

It's a sailor's life

By Andrew Rudansky

“In the late-1970s a small store opened up in Sag Harbor catering especially to the sailors and fishermen in the area. That store, Atlantis WeatherGear, provided apparel and sportswear to east end sailors for almost ten years. Originally an export from Boston, the small company was eventually bought out by a bigger corporation and closed up shop. Now, after thirty years, several owners and various east coast locations Atlantis WeatherGear in partnership with the brand Peter Elliot has finally reopened a store in the Hamptons.
The new store, Atlantis by Peter Elliot, opened up shop at 50 Jobs Lane, Southampton the weekend before Memorial Day.
Chaz Bertrand, owner of Atlantis WeatherGear, and Eliot Rabin, owner of the high-end Manhattan clothing boutique company Peter Elliot, partnered up to create the new Southampton store, offering products from both companies’ clothing lines in the store. Rabin did say however that the majority of the products are from Atlantis WeatherGear and only some of the offerings were from his company.
As one would expect, much has changed in the decades since the Atlantis WeatherGear’s humble beginnings out in Sag Harbor during the 1970s. For one, the newest owners from Marblehead, Massachusetts, who bought the company in 2007, have geared the company towards their own competitive sailing backgrounds, offering new products for the serious sailor.
“Chaz and the boys at Atlantis, they are true, true sailors. They go all the way back to America’s Cup, and Bill Lynn, one of Chaz’s partners, is a [World Champion and internationally ranked] sailor,” said Rabin. Atlantis WeatherGear has taken this love of competitive sailing and designed their products around this passion.
“Atlantis WeatherGear’s sailing and sportswear has been engineered so that it is as waterproof as a garment can get,” said Rabin, “these are high tech working fabrics that have a tendency to remain dry, even in [strong heavy weather conditions].”
The people at Atlantis are so confident in their products that they have recently become the official apparel provider for the US National Sailing Team, outfitting the team with Atlantis’ high quality sailing gear for each of their high profile races. Atlantis WeatherGear also hopes to support the US team in their run in the 2012 Olympics in London.
The Peter Elliot brand has also distinguished itself as a heavy-hitter in the apparel industry, with three trendy boutiques in Manhattan. Rabin said he selected clothing from his Manhattan stores that were the most water-friendly for the new store in Southampton.
So far Atlantis by Peter Elliot offers mostly men’s and boy’s clothing, but they do intend on introducing a woman’s line for the store as well.
According to Rabin the store has been doing well in its first few months.
“I can’t complain,” he said about recent sales, chalking up his success to the high quality of his products. “I think people have discovered both the Atlantis brand and the Peter Elliot brand, and it seems to jive pretty good together.” Even though the partnership between Peter Elliot and Atlantis is relatively new, both are contemplating opening up a second Atlantis by Peter Elliot store.
“If we continue to do well in Southampton it would be very possible for us to jump over into Sag Harbor,” said Rabin. Bill Lynn at Atlantis said his company would be happy to expand into Sag Harbor. Both camps were enthusiastic at the prospect of taking Atlantis back to Sag Harbor, a long time nautical hub in New York.
“I had a meeting in Sag Harbor the other day and I like the town,” said Rabin, who cautioned that any plans for expansion were currently in the preliminary stages. He did say that he had already spoken to a local real estate agency about available locations in the village. The plans for a second store in the village of Sag Harbor would be similar in design to the current store in Southampton.
Sag Harbor has for years been a commercial center built around the sea, with a rich history of commercial shipping and whaling. The village’s economy is still highly dependent on the water, mostly through revenue from boating and tourism.
“We have a product that is built for a specific purpose, being on the water,” said Rabin; a seemingly perfect fit for this waterside village.”

http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/community/weather-gear-company-once-started-in-sag-harbor-returns-to-the-south-fork-8809

Well done Andrew! See you around town.

Well hello there!

As we make our way through the middle of this wonderful summer, we thought it might be fun to explore with some of our new friends. Down in Southampton NY, where our brand new Atlantis by Peter Elliot flagship store is quickly becoming a staple on Jobs Lane, Plum TV has taken interest. Check out the video and watch the segment on Plum Daily, featured here: http://www.plumtv.com/videos/plum-daily-hamptons-july-18-2010/index.html

Michael is wearing the Microburst Vest, a lightweight breathable, water/windproof layer, great for the beach, boat, or golf course. Clemency checks a TKO Watch, a sporty water resistant, colorful time piece.

Plum TV operates at various locations around the country and is self-branded as a luxury lifestyle network, catering to the hard-to-reach demographic, and helping viewers to discover the best places, experiences, and products in the worlds of entertainment, fashion, food, and sports.

Like Atlantis WeatherGear, Plum is committed to new discovery.

Atlantis by Peter Elliot featured on Plum Daily

With our good friends over at Flagship Adventures, we took the opportunity to meet the lovely Lacey Wilson, Miss Massachusetts, for a quick gear talk and a fast paced adventure by boat around Boston Harbor. It was a pleasure working with all involved, and special thanks to Lacey, who we’ll be voting for at the next pageant…

Here’s the scoop from Style Boston:

In a competitive battle of wits and stamina, the boys and girls teams race around the mysterious Boston Harbor Islands in search of the answers to the “fun tasks”, which Flagship Adventures prepared for the hunt.  After a spirited day out at the islands, the teams return to toast to their success and determine the winner of the styleboston battle.  Let’s just say one team member doesn’t win without swimming with the jellyfish first!”

Miss Massachusetts Lacey Wilson and the ladies from Flagship Adventures, in their Microburst Vests.

Check out the action at:

http://www.necn.com/06/30/10/Detour-Flagship-Adventures/landing_styleboston.html?blockID=263511&feedID=4416

Well, hello there everyone!

The Southampton located Atlantis flagship store is now fully stocked, open, and ready for you to come check it out!! Drop by to say hello, get the weather & tide reports, talk sailing & boating, and see what we’ve got to offer. Newest members of the crew are Native Shoes and TKO Watches – fun, comfortable, and great looking on the water and in the sun.

Located at 50 Jobs Lane, Southampton.

We’re open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: 11AM to 7PM. Saturday: 10AM to 7PM. Sunday: 10AM to 6PM. On Tuesday’s we’re out sailing, picnicking, at the beach, or just cruising around taking it all in. C’mon summer!!

The pop-up store has long been an interest of ours. So when, Elliot Rabin of Peter Elliot, Manhattan approached us last fall about opening an Atlantis WeatherGear store in the NYC area we thought, “wow, what a cool idea!” We kept up conversation and a good eye and ear out to lease openings in hopes of finding a location by sailing season…

…Then, this spring, still in contact with Peter Elliot, we began searching for summer retail locations in the Hamptons, a bit more of a fit with our brand image of casual discovery on the water than the not so casual tempo of inner New York City.

As we decided on a firm opening date, we jokingly compared the process to one of those reality TV shows, as if we were part of “How to Build a Store in 2 Weeks”! Sleeves rolled up, we got to work, building and installing shelves, creating changing room curtains, painting the outside store front and door, setting up the point of purchase electronics…

So without further ado, we opened our first store last weekend, as Atlantis by Peter Elliot.

Check out the pictures detailing the build-out from the empty shell space to a finished retail store!

When we first came into the space the store now occupies, it was bare white walls, white floor, and reeked heavily of new paint. After several mapping out missions to the Southampton Village, first we installed shelves, then added the checkout counter, interior decorations, and finally the merchandise.

The store offers each of the Atlantis products including Men’s & Women’s Aegis, Grand Prix Softshell Jackets & Vests, Microburst Jackets & Vests, G3 Jackets & Vests, as well as Numbers Softshell Jackets, Tech Tees, and Hats. Also, at the store we are unveiling the first piece of our lifestyle line, the Helmsman Pullover, a ¼ Zip Cotton Pima sweater.

From Peter Elliot, we are offering a number of cotton, linen, and cashmere lifestyle products, ranging from blazers, sweaters, long sleeve polos, pocket squares, and ties. Finally, the store displays a range of shades by Kaenon Sunglasses.

We are working with various programs around Long Island to create a ‘community’ for sailors and boaters to gather as well, so come check us out! Stop by, hang up your jacket, and say hello. There is much to see!

This morning, looking out the office windows, what did we spy? Why, the beautiful Nellie, 1903 Herreshoff built gaff cutter! Lying peacefully at the end of the dock, she looked well conditioned and lively, despite the long and adventurous path of her life.

Nathanael G. Herreshoff, naval architect and engineer, with older brother John Brown Herreshoff, produced between 1893 and 1920 a succession of undefeated America’s Cup boats. Out of Bristol, RI, Herreshoff Mfg. Co.’s early work centered on steam-powered vessels, but by the 1890s the brothers began focusing on the yacht designs that would win their firm world renown. This fame also earned N. Herreshoff the title “Wizard of Bristol”. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. built its reputation chiefly on the sailboats it produced for America’s elite, including Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt III, & John Pierpont Morgan.

Herreshoff is credited with being perhaps the most innovative sailboat designer of all time. His designs were notably graceful, impeccably designed, and speedy. Due to his many accomplishments, Herreshoff was among the few people ever to be made an honorary member of the New York Yacht Club, where his name is listed before England’s King George V and the Prince of Wales. As his fame spread around the world, the period of his greatest activity – from 1890 to 1920 – became known as the “Herreshoff Era”, so greatly did his personality and the yachts he designed dominate the sport.

Two virtually identical yachts to this design were built by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. in 1902 and 1903, the first being Trivia for Harold S. Vanderbilt. The second was for Morton F. Plant, which he named Nellie. Both were full-keel boats based on the keel/centerboarder Azor that had come out a few months earlier. Original price for each was $6,300 – $6,400. In the biography of his father, L. Francis Herreshoff wrote, “… these three were among the nicest all-around sail boats of their size ever built.” Bought and sold upwards of ten times, Nellie raced from hand to hand, setting records and winning notable races.

NGH Hull No. 586 – Nellie (Also Ishkoodah, Ediana, Mariquita and Butterfly)

• Length Overall – 46′6″
• Length on designed waterline – 34′6″
• Displacement – 27,700
• Beam – 12′ 1″
• Draft – 7′0″
• Rig – Gaff Cutter

Azor, originally a Naushon Island-based boat for J. Malcolm Forbes, was lost in a hurricane, but Trivia is in the Herreshoff Marine Museum, and Nellie is…well, right down the gangplank.

(Information thanks to Herreshoff Museum: www.herresoff.org)

Interlodge movin' out - Photo: Leighton O'Connor

St. Thomas Yacht Club’s International Rolex Regatta is probably one of the coolest regattas we’ve had a chance to sail in.  We have to admit, we were a bit skeptical going in: race courses that zig-zag all over the place, and an IRC division that ranged from the aging maxi sleds Donnybrook and Equation all the way down to the J-122 Otra Vez.  We were sailing on the IRC 52 Interlodge, and we were a bit worried that there was only one other boat our size – Dick Oland’s IRC 52 Vela Veloce.  Well, the racing turned out to be an unexpected treat: nice consistent breeze, tight boat-for-boat racing between the sleds and the two 52s and really interesting race courses that zig-zagged around a combination of tetrahedrons, government marks and islands, putting a premium on navigation and boathandling.

The Surfline Podium @ STYC

Interlodge and Vela Veloce were joined at the hip.  Vela’s afterguard was packed with Volvo Ocean Race winners and Olympic medallists, and they sailed their boat as well as we’ve seen it sailed.  They got great starts, and they had good speed in breeze that was mostly in the low to mid-teens. We were able to catch a couple of breaks and beat them in a couple of races, but in the end, they got us by 2 points on the final day.

So the sailing was great, but what else do you need to have a great regatta?  Answer: good parties, and these are among the best.  St. Thomas Yacht Club on beautiful Cowpet Bay is a low key club right on the beach with plenty of strategically placed bars and good music.  For the awards, they set up a stage in the surfline and everyone stood around on the beach having a great time while the good folks from Rolex gave out watches to four lucky winners.  This is one everyone should have on their list.

Henry's Flag

Atlantis welcomes Charles Henry Bertrand to the team. Born 3/10 at 6:41 AM and greeted by a three-day Northeaster – must be a sign that he likes big breeze!

Living in Amsterdam? Visiting? Now is your chance to check out Atlantis up close and personal. Come see us at the Amsterdam Boat Show HISWA 2010 in the Europa Complex, March 2nd to 7th. We’re exhibiting in booth B02. Our very own Johan Offermans is running a tight ship displaying the majority of line, both technical and coastal lifestyle apparel. The new Aegis Hybrid Bibs, Jackets, and Spraytops are represented, as wells the popular Grand Prix Softshell and Microburst Jackets and Vests.

Last Wednesday night, Chaz, Bill L., & Rick had the pleasure of attending an evening sponsored by Courageous Sailing and Professioni Italiani Boston (PIB). The event hosted a visit by Vincenzo Onorato, leader of the Team Mascalzone Latino, named Challenger of the Record for the 34^th America’s Cup.

A fourth generation ship owner, with a degree in Maritime Economics, Onorato is truly a man of the sea. In 1982, he founded the ‘Moby’ ferry line, operating 36 ships on maritime routes between Italy, Sardinia, Elba, Corsica, and most recently to France, transporting five million passengers a year. President of Mascalzone Latino, the sailing team he founded in 1993, Onorato has leveraged passion and natural seafaring spirit year after year in order to compete in the sailing world’s top events, and with great success. Two America’s Cup campaigns, six World Championships (including three Farr40 Class titles in a row), Mascalzone Latino is unquestionably a world class team. In 2008, Onorato received the nomination as ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year.

Yet, despite the details of Vincenzo’s high-profile sailing career, his real purpose in coming to Boston this time was to speak of his exciting new project: The Mascalzone Latino School of Sailing (MLSS) located in Naples, Italy. Vincenzo relates, “I am the 4th generation of my family to work on the sea and it’s time for me to give back to the sea.” The school offers fresh motivation and the option of a better life to children living in rough neighborhoods of Naples and the surrounding areas. Partnering with social services agencies, the school seeks to bring children ages 8-16 onboard to learn sailing and associated life trade skills such as boat repair, piloting, rigging, and leadership.

Team Atlantis presented Onorato with a Grand Prix Softshell Jacket, embroidered with Courageous’ new logo. A truly inspiring evening!