Invitation process for stage 9 of the Tour is underway
Hamilton, Bermuda (26 June 2009) - The invitation process for the Argo Group Gold Cup is now underway. The 24 team event will comprise of the eight World Match Racing Tour Card holders, winners of the two qualifier events in the United States and Bermuda and 14 invites handed out by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
At right: Mark E. Watson III (L), president and chief executive officer of Argo Group and Ralph Richardson (R) Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club share the limelight with the King Edward VII Gold Cup trophy. The competition is the oldest match-racing tournament in the world for one-design yachts.
The RBYC, organizer of the Argo Group Gold Cup sailing for the King Edward VII Gold Cup, has confirmed the dates for October 6-11, 2009. The Argo Group Gold Cup is the penultimate event of the ten-stage World Match Racing Tour. Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd, an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in niche areas of the property and casualty market, returns as title sponsor this year.
The event features a unique 24-team format, the largest entry on the World Match Racing Tour. In addition to the eight Tour Card holders, two teams are selected from a pair of qualifying events, the Knickerbocker Cup and the Bermuda National Match Race Championship. The remaining 14 teams are selected by application and invitation from the top international match-racing sailors on the ISAF ranking list. The extra number of teams compared to other Tour events gives more opportunities for up and coming competitors to take on the world’s best fighting it out for the $100,000 prize purse. The Notice of Race and invite application information is available now at www.bermudagoldcup.com or teams can contact Audrey Pope at the RBYC Sailing Office, [email protected].
In announcing their second year of title sponsorship Mark E. Watson III, President and Chief Executive Officer of Argo Group said, “Argo Group is proud to announce our sponsorship of the Argo Group Gold Cup match race tournament once again. The Gold Cup and Argo Group continue to make a perfect match. We both strive for excellence. Racing for the King Edward VII Gold Cup is a great tradition in Bermuda and attracts some of the world’s best yachtsmen.
“Sailing is Bermuda’s unofficial national sport. While hundreds of young people are currently involved in sailing, we believe there is a huge opportunity to increase those numbers. Sailing promotes self-reliance, discipline and team work – all traits that parents want their children to develop in order to be self-sufficient adults. It’s a great character-builder. In Bermuda you can sail year-round and it’s great fun.”
Watson concluded, “Once again, we look forward to working in partnership with the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club to make this year’s event one of the best ever. We will also be supporting the second Bermuda Festival of Sail planned for the finals weekend of the Argo Group Gold Cup. The Festival is designed to reach out to the broad Bermuda public and introduce them to the fun of sailing”
Commodore Ralph Richardson, thanked Argo for their support and said, “Match Racing for The King Edward VII Gold Cup is recognized as a premier event on the World Match Racing Tour. It has always been a highlight for sailors and attracts the top sailors in the International Sailing Federation’s and World Tour’s rankings. In 2008 we brought sailing to all Bermudians with the first Festival of Sail. That will be bigger and better in 2009.”
In addition to Argo Group, key sponsors include The Bermuda Department of Tourism as official host, Guy Carpenter, Renaissance Re and Bacardi. Of note, Renaissance Re will once again sponsor the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup International Optimist Dinghy regatta sailed in Bermuda’s Great Sound.
About the Argo Group Gold Cup: bermudagoldcup.com
Stage 9 of the World Match Race Tour
The Argo Group Gold Cup, sailed for the King Edward VII Gold Cup, is now stage 9 of the World Match Race Tour, the ISAF match-racing world championship. The Bermuda classic is the oldest match-racing competition in the world for one-design yachts. The trophy presented to the winning team was originally given at the Tri-Centenary Regatta at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1907 by King Edward VII in commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of the first permanent settlement in America. C. Sherman Hoyt, a renowned American sailor, won the regatta and was presented with this now historic cup.
Through the years Bermuda has won the Cup 21 times, the United States 17 times, New Zealand 10 times, Australia 5 times, the United Kingdom 3 times, and in 2002 Denmark claimed the King Edward VII Gold Cup for the first time. The 2006 winner was Ian Williams (UK) who defeated a fleet including the 2005 winner, Luna Rosa Skipper James Spithill, who in that year had shut out Russell Coutts’ incredible string of wins. Mathieu Richard of France became the third consecutive first-time winner of the King Edward VII Gold Cup in 2007. In 2008 the cup went to Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson and his Berntsson Racing Team in the final 3-1 victory over Adam Minoprio’s Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Team.
The Argo Group Gold Cup is the 9th out of 10 events on the 2009 World Match Race Tour’s World Championship schedule. It is sailed in Hamilton Harbour adjacent to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The venue brings world-class match racing close to shore where spectators can easily see the competition.
The 24 invited crews include eight official “World Tour Card” teams and two winners of qualifying events, the Knickerbocker Cup and the Bermuda National Match Race Championship. Teams will be divided into three groups of 8 to sail a round robin elimination series Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The leading 8 skippers go on to the Quarter and Semi Finals, to be sailed on Friday and Saturday respectively.
The Finals take place on Sunday with the top two teams in a ‘first to three points’ head to head battle and the losing semi finalists in a ‘first to two points’ Petite Final. Between the second and third races, the course is taken over for the final race of the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup, which will have been underway simultaneously since Thursday in the Great Sound.
The King Edward VII Gold Cup was a founding member of the World Match Racing Tour. The tour is a series of international events. It has extensive television coverage and worldwide promotion. The one-hour television broadcast of the 2008 event appeared in November on Eurosport, ESPN, Versus Network, the Sky network and other regional broadcasters. This network reaches more than 300 million homes in 90 countries. An exciting summary video of all the tour events can be viewed at www.worldmatchracingtour.com
About Argo Group: www.argolimited.com/index.aspx
Global. Powerful. Committed.
Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII), is an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. We offer a full line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in three arenas: Excess and Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, and International Specialty.
Argo Group clients and shareholders alike benefit from our commitment to specialization, deep expertise and dynamic relationships, creating a winning combination for mutual success.
At Argo Group, we've built a company with a fundamental purpose of securing the future and a straightforward vision to achieve outstanding results realized together.
Yes, we specialize in the products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in International Specialty, Excess and Surplus Lines and Commercial Specialty. But what does it mean to us as an organization to be an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products?
It means creating a tangible excitement with our desire to excel. Holding to our deeply rooted ethics and trust of each other's potential, to give us the daily confidence to do the right thing. Maintaining unwavering interest in the clients we serve, to forge long-lasting connections. And never to lose our trademark combination of intellectual curiosity and creative zeal, which brings bold, far-reaching ideas to our clients as they evolve their own thriving businesses.
Organization-wide, our strategy—easy to define and rewarding to deploy—is to grow hand-in-hand with our clients.
About The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club: http://www.rbyc.bm
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is a private Club and is the third oldest club holding a Royal Warrant outside the British Isles. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club was established on the 1st of November 1844 by a party of thirty gentlemen, consisting largely of officers in the British Army. There are now approximately 850 resident and non-resident members.
About the World Match Racing Tour: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com
- The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional sailing series featuring 10 World Championship events across the globe.
- The World Tour is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with “Special Event” status.
- The World Tour awards over US$1million in prize money.
- Points are awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the season ending ‘ISAF Match Racing World Champion.’
- Events utilize the same “match race” format used in the America’s Cup with racing taking place in identically supplied racing yachts which places a focus on teamwork and skill.
- Racing takes place close to the shore for the general public to follow the races as virtual on-the-water stadiums.
- Media and television highlights coverage reaches over 500 million households in excess of 90 countries around the world.
- World Match Racing Tour sponsors include Line 7, Pindar, Custom House, Travel Places, Wedgwood and Sail.TV.
For information on the World Match Racing Tour:
Yvonne Reid Force 10 Marketing
Tel: +44 (0) 1590 679613 Mob: +44 (0) 7809 149268
Email: [email protected]Website: www.worldmatchracingtour.com
For Argo Group Gold Cup Media Contact:
Talbot Wilson, Talbot Wilson & Associates, Inc.
Tel: +1 (850)432-8170 Fax: +1 (850)432-8050 Mob: +1 (850)217-7138
Email: [email protected]
SKYPE: talbotwilson
For Argo Group
John Narraway
Email: [email protected]
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
email: [email protected]
Tel: (441) 295 2214 Ex 105
Fax:(441) 295 6361