by Talbot Wilson
Hamilton, Bermuda (October 8, 2009): With Argo Group Gold Cup action delayed by light breezes on Tuesday and breakdowns in heavy winds and squalls on Wednesday, action continues Thursday to complete the Stage one, three-group round robin and the repecharge to decide the eight teams that move up the ladder toward the $50,000 first place prize or even a share of the $100,000 total purse.
Racing has been delayed at least one hour awaiting passage of a squall line associated with a frontal zone passing over Bermuda. Forecasters are predicting high winds and a chance of lightning.
Groups 2 & 3 have both completed four flights and have three more today to complete their initial round robin stage. Group 3 will complete their final three flights early then Group 2 will swap into the boats. One match will be added to each flight in Group 2 today making each flight consist of 5 matches. The fifth matches will be Group 1 competitors who missed matches Wednesday because of boat damage: Allen v. Monnin in Flight 5 Match 5, Corbett v. Monnin in Flight 6 Match 5 and Swinton v. Mirsky in Flight 7 Match 5.
The top two in each group automatically advance to the quarters while third and fourth places have one more chance in the repecharge round robin to be sailed at the end of he day, time permitting.
Crews from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and Triangle Rigging worked into the night on repairs to get ten of the classic International One Design (IOD) sailboats back into commission. Winds should moderate from the high twenties early to high teens later in the day.
Daily news highlights are available on www.sail.tv
GPS tracking is available on line. To download the race viewer go to http://www.race-trax.com/downloads/race-trax-race-viewer
Results from Day 2
GROUP 1
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 4-2
Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar sponsored by Argo Group 6-1
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 3-4
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 2-3
Eric Monnin (SUI) Search.ch 4-1
Reuben Corbett (NZL) 3-3
Robbie Allam (GBR) 1-5
Ian Evans (USA) 1-5
GROUP 2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Racing 3-1
Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K Challenge 3-1
Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin 4-0
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Alandia Sailing Team 3-1
Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team 1-3
David Perry (USA) 2-2
Rasmus Viltoft (DEN) 0-4
Paula Lewin Crews (BDA) 0-4
GROUP 3
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 4-0
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 3-1
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 3-1
Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team 2-2
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing Team 2-2
Blythe Walker (BDA) 1-3
Donald Wilson (USA) 1-3
Charlie Enright (USA) 0-4
About the Argo Group Gold Cup: bermudagoldcup.com
Stage 8 of the World Match Racing Tour
The Argo Group Gold Cup, sailed for the King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy, is now stage 8 of the World Match Racing Tour, the International Sailing Federation 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 twenty-one times, the United States seventeen 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, 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 ninth out of ten events on the 2009 World Match Racing 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 twenty-four 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 eight to sail a round robin elimination series Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The leading eight 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 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 underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. The company offers a full line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the unique coverage 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 mutual success.
Argo Group has built a company with a fundamental purpose of securing the future and a straightforward vision to achieve outstanding results realized together.
The company and all of its operating units believe that tangible excitement is created by having desire to excel. Maintaining unwavering interest in the clients it serves forges long-lasting connections. Argo Group’s trademark is a combination of intellectual curiosity and creative zeal, which brings bold, far-reaching ideas to their clients to evolve those clients’ own thriving businesses.
Organization-wide, the strategy—easy to define and rewarding to deploy—is to 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 mistakenly believe Bermuda is part of the Caribbean. In fact, the island rests hundreds of miles north of the Bahamas, a mere 650 miles east of North Carolina. Flights from New York and other eastern 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 dramatic coastline. Bermuda is famous for hospitality and sparkling pink-sand beaches. Activities include 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 many national and international competitive events.
From chic international cuisine in posh dining rooms to conch stew and local Rockfish at a roadside café, we have a taste to please every palate and budget. While Bermudians do value island tranquility, we like to have a bit of fun, too. From swanky clubs to friendly neighborhood pubs, these after-hours establishments satisfy every thirst. Cocktail in hand and warm sea breeze at your back, set sail on one of our evening cruises along our famous coastline.
For details on all the excitement and events Bermuda has to offer, call your travel agent or 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 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: 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 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