by Talbot Wilson
Hamilton, Bermuda (October 6, 2009): As predicted, tension was in the Bermuda airTuesday morning as sailing got underway in the round robin stage 1 of the Argo Group GoldCup in Bermuda, stage 8 of the World Match Racing Tour. The first match of the first flight wasbetween Damian Iehl (FRA) and Reuben Corbett (NZL). At the first leeward mark, Iehl firstluffed Corbett without rights. Then according to the umpire, Henry Menin, Iehl failed to giveroom in the mark zone and continued to break rule after rule.
Iehl was black-flagged and the match automatically went to Corbett. Menin said that Iehlhad two penalty flags flying and if he had more flags on the boat they would have pulled themout, too.
Following that display, the penalty flags flew fast and often. In the feature match of themorning between two 3-0 teams, top seed Tovar Mirsky (AUS) and Eric Monnin (SUI), Monnindrew a penalty in the pre-start dance when he was pushing Mirsky away from the line. Mirskystill got the start and held the lead all the way around the course. Monnin made a gallant effort,non-the-less. He came inside a boat length at the finish even after making his penalty turn.
Mirsky went 4-0 today and is at the top of the heap for now. He said he had some comefrom behind victories. “We started well,” the young aussie said. “It was tough sailing in the lightand shifty conditions. We were able to roll some of our competitors downwind to get the wins.In the race against Monnin he couldn’t get far enough ahead of us to make up his penaltyturn.”
That loss set Monnin at 3-1 and he had earlier defeated Ian Williams (GBR). Williams,reigning World Tour champion, is also at 3-1 following four flights. Group 3 will sail their finalthree flights of the round robin on Wednesday.
Group 2 got off to a slow start and just finished one flight before the wind shifted and wentfrom the 5-7 knot southwesterly to about 3 knots or less from the south southwest.
Bermuda favorite Paula Lewin Crews, sailing with an all woman crew, was badly beatenby Adam M inoprio (NZL) in the first flight when the wind dropped away to a whisper at herstart. Minoprio is the top ranked match racer in the world in the International sailing Federation(ISAF) rankings and second on the World Match Racing Tour.
Following that last match of Flight 1, the wind completely failed and the sailors were callback to Royal Bermuda Yacht Club to wait for the wind to come back. The committee hadhoped to get in four flights for each group on the first day but the wind gods wouldn’tcooperate.
The sailors will have their skipper’s meeting one hour earlier on Wednesday and sailingwill start an hour earlier, too. Organizers want to get racing in to finish four flights for all threegroups before foul weather expected with a front late Wednesday and into Thursday pushesthrough.
About the Argo Group Gold Cup: bermudagoldcup.com
Stage 8 of the WorldMatch Racing Tour
The Argo Group Gold Cup, sailed for the King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy, is now stage8 of the World Match Racing Tour, the International Sailing Federation match racing worldchampionship. The Bermuda classic is the oldest match racing competition in the world forone-design yachts. The trophy presented to the winning team was originally given at theTri-Centenary Regatta at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1907 by King Edward VII in commemorationof the 300th Anniversary of the first permanent settlement in America. C. Sherman Hoyt, arenowned American sailor, won the regatta and was presented with this now historic cup.
Through the years Bermuda has won the Cup twenty-one times, the United Statesseventeen times, New Zealand ten times, Australia five times, the United Kingdom three times,Sweden once 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, LunaRosa Skipper James Spithill, who in that year had shut out Russell Coutts’ incredible string ofwins. Mathieu Richard of France became the third consecutive first-time winner of the KingEdward VII Gold Cup in 2007. In 2008 the cup went to Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson and hisBerntsson Racing Team in the final 3-1 victory over Adam Minoprio’s Emirates Team NewZealand/BlackMatch Team.
The Argo Group Gold Cup is the ninth out of ten events on the 2009 World Match RacingTour’s World Championship schedule. It is sailed in Hamilton Harbour adjacent to the RoyalBermuda Yacht Club. The venue brings world-class match racing close to shore wherespectators can easily see the competition.
The twenty-four invited crews include eight official “World Tour Card” teams and twowinners of qualifying events, the Knickerbocker Cup and the Bermuda National Match RaceChampionship. Teams will be divided into three groups of eight to sail a round robinelimination series Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The leading eight skippers go on to theQuarter 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 tohead battle and the losing semi finalists in a ‘first to two points’ Petite Final. Between thesecond and third races, the course is taken over for the final race of the Renaissance ReJunior Gold Cup, which will have been underway simultaneously since Thursday in the GreatSound.
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 worldwidepromotion. The one-hour television broadcast of the 2008 event appeared in November onEurosport, ESPN, Versus Network, the Sky network and other regional broadcasters. Thisnetwork reaches more than 300 million homes in 90 countries. An exciting summary video ofall the tour events can be viewed at http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/.
About Argo Group: www.argolimited.com/index.aspx
Global. Powerful. Committed.
Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII), is an international underwriterof specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. Thecompany offers a full line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the uniquecoverage and claims handling needs of businesses in four arenas: Excess and Surplus Lines,Commercial Specialty, International Specialty and Reinsurance.
Argo Group clients and shareholders alike benefit from the commitment to specialization,deep expertise and dynamic relationships, that create a winning combination for mutualsuccess.
Argo Group has built a company with a fundamental purpose of securing the future and astraightforward vision to achieve outstanding results realized together.
The company and all of its operating units believe that tangible excitement is created byhaving desire to excel. Maintaining unwavering interest in the clients it serves forgeslong-lasting connections. Argo Group’s trademark is a combination of intellectual curiosity andcreative zeal, which brings bold, far-reaching ideas to their clients to evolve those clients’ ownthriving businesses.
Organization-wide, the strategy—easy to define and rewarding to deploy—isto grow hand-in-hand with their clients.
About Bermuda: www.bermudatourism.com
Although Bermuda is an Atlantic island paradise in its own right, many people mistakenlybelieve Bermuda is part of the Caribbean. In fact, the island rests hundreds of miles north ofthe Bahamas, a mere 650 miles east of North Carolina. Flights from New York and othereastern US cities are less than two hours. From London, direct flights are about seven hours.
All of Bermuda fits in a cozy 20.7 square miles surrounded by 75 miles of dramaticcoastline. Bermuda is famous for hospitality and sparkling pink-sand beaches. Activitiesinclude racquet sports, dramatic golfing, spectacular spas, and cultural festivals in all seasons.Of course Bermuda is famous for sailing as a destination for ocean races from Marion,Newport, and Charleston, for Cruising rallies for other East Coast ports and as host to manynational and international competitive events.
From chic international cuisine in posh dining rooms to conch stew and local Rockfish ata roadside café, we have a taste to please every palate and budget. While Bermudians dovalue island tranquility, we like to have a bit of fun, too. From swanky clubs to friendlyneighborhood pubs, these after-hours establishments satisfy every thirst. Cocktail in hand andwarm sea breeze at your back, set sail on one of our evening cruises along our famouscoastline.
For details on all the excitement and events Bermuda has to offer, call your travel agentor visit us at www.bermudatourism.com
About The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club: www.rbyc.bm
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is a private Club and is the third oldest club holding aRoyal Warrant outside the British Isles. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club was established onthe 1st of November 1844 by a party of thirty gentlemen, consisting largely of officers in theBritish Army. There are now approximately 850 resident and non-resident members.
About the World Match Racing Tour: www.worldmatchracingtour.com
- The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional sailing series featuring nine 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 10Marketing
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 Ex105 Fax:(441) 295 6361