Hamilton, Bermuda: Sept. 13, 2012 – With the first day of racing at the 2012 Argo Group Gold Cup less than three weeks away, the 7th and penultimate stage of the Alpari World Mach Racing Tour is set to showcase the most international teams ever at a single Tour event. Ten of the skippers are newcomers to Bermuda and will be new to sailing the classic International One Design Class sloops, challenging boats that even the most experienced sailors find difficult to master.
International teams entered this year represent five continents — North and South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe. Teams hail from 16 countries that include three skippers from Sweden, and two each from Bermuda, Great Britain and New Zealand. Other skippers come to Bermuda from the Canada, the USA, the US Virgin Islands, Brazil, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, and Russia. Complete team information is available here.
"We have a fantastic entry of two ISAF Match Racing World Champions, Tour Card Holders and some of the top teams from around the world," said Chairman Brian Billings, "we are confident that this will be another fantastic event for the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. We have 22 of the 24 entry slots filled to date."
"We'll have a lot of new faces, two previous Argo Group Gold Cup champions and a host of others who have performed well in past years," Billings added. "The current top two on the Tour will be aboard, but they will challenged in every race. They will need to sail smart and fast to carry through and put their name on the King Edward VII Gold Cup and put the $50,000 first-place purse in their pocket."
"We'll have a lot of new faces, two previous Argo Group Gold Cup champions and a host of others who have performed well in past years," Billings added. "The current top two on the Tour will be aboard, but they will be challenged in every race. They will need to sail smart and fast to carry through and put their name on the King Edward VII Gold Cup and put the $50,000 first-place purse in their pocket."
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) of Mekonomen Sailing Team currently leads Ian Williams (GBR) of Team GAC Pindar on the Tour leaderboard by 6-points and the pair will be top seeds at the event. Johnie Berntsson's (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team, now 8th on the Tour, will head a group of other top competitors including Staffan Lindberg (FIN) ranked 13th by ISAF, Taylor Canfield (ISV) of Team CMRC and William Tiller (NZL) tied at 15th under ISAF, Eric Monnin's (SUI) Swiss Match Racing Team is 17th and newcomer Marek Stanczyk (POL) rounds out the top 20 under ISAF rankings.
Two teams represent Bermuda. Blythe Walker Team RenRe has been in the money several times—including a 4th in 2007 and a 7th in 2009 and he is seriously looking for a better finish in 2012. Lance Fraser first sailed in the Gold Cup as a Bermuda high school student in 2010, the youngest entry ever. He is back for his third try and hopes it will be the charm.
Final registration for the Argo Group Gold Cup opens Sunday September 30th, and practice sessions are scheduled for Monday October 1st. Racing begins the next day and continues with the finals and petite finals scheduled for Sunday October 7th. The finals, scheduled for 14:00 local time (ADT/GMT-3) will be televised live and online. The schedule will be available pre-event at www.wmrt.com/live and on http://www.argogroupgoldcup.com/.
Other highlights for the week include the RenRe Junior Gold Cup, which features the top Optimist Dinghy sailors from over a dozen countries racing against a contingent of Bermuda's best young sailors. This 'Championship of Champions' celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2012. The annual Family Festival of Sail is also scheduled for Sunday October 7th in Barr's Bay Park adjacent to Royal Bermuda YC and is open to all.
October is a perfect month to vacation in Bermuda and the Argo Group Gold Cup is a showcase event culminating in the finals weekend October 5th-7th. Special rates for Gold Cup week are available at the Hamilton Princess Hotel. Please use the special code ARGO0912_001 when booking rooms. http://www.fairmont.com/hamilton-bermuda/ This year will mark the 62nd staging of the King Edward VII Gold Cup, with previous winners including some of the greatest names ever to match race. Since the event was reformatted to be an event under the Match Racing Association in 1985, multiple winners include Chris Dickson (NZL), Russell Coutts (NZL), Peter Gilmour (AUS), and Ben Ainslie (GBR).
The 2012 Argo Group Gold Cup runs from October 2nd with Finals scheduled for October 7th. Spectator friendly racing is held in Hamilton Harbour, adjacent to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Marina, a spectacular attraction for tourists and Bermuda residents alike.
The Argo Group Gold Cup is the penultimate seventh stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, in which the teams compete for the ISAF Match Racing World Championship. Match racing for The King Edward VII Gold Cup is recognized as one of the classic heritage events on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour.
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
Argo Group Contact:
Lisa Scannell VP - Mkting & Communications
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1 (617) 478 5206
Mobile: +1 (857) 205 9668
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Contact:
Nicole Butterworth, Sailing Secretary
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (441) 295 2214 Ex 105
Fax:(441) 295 6361
Alpari World Match Racing Tour Contact:
Audrey Lakai
Mobile: + 6 012 502 2206
Email: [email protected]
Alpari World Match Racing Tour Press Information
Capitalize: Leigh Ireland
Tel: +44 (0) 207 940 1700
Mobile: +44 (0) 7545 503 579
Email: [email protected]
About Argo Group:
Working Together to Serve Specialty Markets
Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII), is an international provider of specialty property and casualty insurance, reinsurance and managed risk solutions. The companies that make up Argo Group share a firm commitment to working together with our independent agents and wholesale and retail brokerage partners to deliver innovative products for niche markets.
Argo Group clients and shareholders alike benefit from our deep understanding of the markets we serve, our ability to manage through all insurance cycles, our well developed and prudent risk management practices and controls, and our track record of growth and profitability. Through our operating companies, we offer a comprehensive line of high-quality products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims-handling needs of our clients in four business segments: Excess and Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, International Specialty and Syndicate 1200 at Lloyd's.
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.
Organization-wide, our strategy—easy to define and rewarding to deploy—is to grow hand-in-hand with our clients.
About Bermuda
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 Alpari World Match Racing Tour
The Alpari World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the leading professional sailing series featuring nine World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with "Special Event" status.
The World Tour awards over US$1.75million in prize money with points awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the "ISAF Match Racing World Champion". The prize fund includes a US$500,000 overall prize pool for the top nine teams in the Championship.
Events take place in identically supplied racing yachts to place the focus on teamwork and skill. Racing takes place close to the shore so that spectators and fans can follow the racing in a virtual on-the-water stadium.
Media and television highlights coverage reaches in excess of 183 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.wmrt.com
About Alpari
With a history dating back to 1998, the Alpari companies are among the world's fastest growing providers of online Forex trading services. The companies provide cutting edge technology, low-cost trading, comprehensive market research tools, advanced educational programes and world-class customer service.
The association of Alpari companies has offices in over 20 countries. Locations include London, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai, Moscow, Mumbai and Frankfurt. Combined, the companies look after over 170,000 active trading accounts, generating monthly trading volumes in excess of USD210 billion and employ over 630 people worldwide.*
*May 2011.