CTCF Celebrates 30 Years with a Newport Yacht Race
Last Updated: September 9, 2026 | ⏱ 5 min
30+ Years, Three Yachts, and a Few Things We’ve Learned Along the Way
There’s a moment aboard a 12-Meter yacht when the sail fills, the boat leans hard into the water, and everyone on deck stops being a client, employee, vendor, or partner.
You become crew.
Earlier this month, we brought together Coast to Coast Fulfillment’s clients, partners, and team members in Newport, Rhode Island, to celebrate 30+ years in business with the inaugural Coast to Coast Cup: an afternoon racing three restored America’s Cup 12-Meter yachts on Narragansett Bay.
It was certainly more memorable than a traditional anniversary dinner. But somewhere between grinding winches, racing across Narragansett Bay, and discovering just how competitive a “friendly” competition could get, the day also felt surprisingly fitting for a company celebrating more than three decades in fulfillment.
After 30+ years, you learn a few things.
1. The Best Partnerships Don’t Feel Transactional
Fulfillment is, by nature, transactional. Orders come in. Products go out. Inventory moves. Data gets exchanged.
But the relationships behind those transactions shouldn’t feel that way.
Some of the clients and partners who joined us in Newport have worked with Coast to Coast Fulfillment for more than 20 years. Bringing everyone together outside the warehouse was a reminder of something that has shaped the way we’ve done business from the beginning: the strongest partnerships are built on more than a service agreement.
Partnerships are built by understanding each other’s businesses. By communicating when things are going well — and especially when they aren’t. By solving problems together. And, over time, by developing the kind of trust that makes each side feel like an extension of the other’s team.
For one afternoon in Newport, we got to trade order files, inventory reports, and emails for sails, winches, and a little friendly competition.
We think both kinds of teamwork matter.
2. The Playbook Will Change. You Have to Change With It.
The fulfillment business we entered more than 30 years ago looks very different from the one we operate in today.
Over the years, we’ve watched eCommerce transform the way people shop, retail requirements become increasingly complex, consumer expectations accelerate, technology reshape warehouse operations, and our clients expand into sales channels that didn’t exist when Coast to Coast Fulfillment first opened its doors.
Our business has had to evolve right alongside them.
30+ years in business hasn’t come from following the same playbook. It has required knowing which things are worth holding onto — and being willing to rethink the rest.
The same was true on the water. You could start with a strategy, but the wind didn’t particularly care about it. Conditions changed, other boats got in the way, and the crew had to respond.
In sailing and in fulfillment, having a plan matters. Knowing when to adjust it matters just as much.
3. The People Around You Are What Make a Milestone Worth Celebrating
More than three decades in business is the result of a lot of people pulling in the same direction.
Our story has been shaped by the employees who have helped build the company, the clients who have trusted us with their brands, and the partners who have worked alongside us through countless projects, launches, busy seasons, challenges, and successes.
That was ultimately why we wanted to celebrate this milestone the way we did.
Looking around the boats that afternoon, we saw people representing different companies, industries, and chapters of Coast to Coast Fulfillment’s history — many of whom would probably never have met one another if we hadn’t put them on a sailboat together.
For a company that spends most days focused on what needs to ship next, it was pretty special to stop for an afternoon and appreciate just how many people have played a part in getting us here.
The Inaugural Coast to Coast Cup
Of course, we couldn’t bring everyone to Newport without introducing a little competition.
Through America’s Cup Charters, our group boarded three restored 12-Meter America’s Cup yachts — Nefertiti (UA-19), Heritage (US-23), and American Eagle (US-21) — and joined their professional crews for an afternoon of racing on Narragansett Bay.
These weren’t replicas. The historic 12-Meters were built during the era when Newport served as the home of the America’s Cup, giving our group the chance to sail aboard a piece of the city’s racing history.
We divided into three crews, received a crash course in our respective jobs aboard the boats, and headed onto the bay for what had been advertised as a friendly competition.
After two races, American Eagle took home the inaugural Coast to Coast Cup. We’ll spare Nefertiti and Heritage a detailed accounting of the final standings.
More importantly, everyone made it back to the dock still speaking to one another.
We’ll call that a successful first year.
A Few Highlights From the Day
From racing across Narragansett Bay to celebrating afterward in downtown Newport, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to mark the occasion.
To every employee, client, and partner who has been part of the Coast to Coast story over the past three decades: thank you. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built together, grateful for the relationships we’ve made along the way, and excited about where we’re headed next.
30+ years down. Plenty more ahead.
And perhaps a Coast to Coast Cup rematch somewhere along the way.
Looking for a fulfillment partner for your company’s next chapter?
Coast to Coast Fulfillment is a Rhode Island-based third-party logistics provider (3PL), providing eCommerce, retail/B2B, and marketplace fulfillment for growing brands. Our Northeast Corridor location puts products within 1–2 day ground shipping of more than 60 million people, backed by 24-hour click-to-ship times and 99.5% order accuracy.
If you’re looking for a fulfillment partner that can support your business as it grows, we’d love to start a conversation.