By Laurie Fullerton
Hamilton BERMUDA, August 19, 2013 - For match race sailors, the coveted King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Argo Group Gold Cup, is a golden road to one of sailing’s holy grails, the America’s Cup. The legacy of this event has its unique rewards as we witness the return this year of Sir Ben Ainslie. He’ll join four other previous Gold Cup winners along with nine of the top ten skippers in the ISAF Open rankings and all of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour Cardholder skippers.
This year will be the 63rd staging of races for the King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy and the 6th with Argo Group’s support as title sponsor. Since the event was reformatted for match racing in 1985, the King Edward VII Gold Cup trophy has been held aloft by four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand (seven times), four-time Olympic gold medalist Ainslie of the United Kingdom (twice), and the youngest America’s Cup winner- James Spithill of Australia.
Mark Watson III, President and CEO of Argo Group is understandably excited about 2013.“This will be our sixth year as title sponsor of this classic match race sailed for the spectacular King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy. Argo Group is proud to see this world class slate of skippers and crews coming to Bermuda again this year.
“Each year we have something new and this year we will move the Family Festival of Sail to the Sunday before racing starts. Skippers and crews will be registering, but the day’s focus will be on introducing young Bermudians and their families to our maritime history and watersports through the festival. The Argo Group Gold Cup finals will be the best and only show in town a week later. The younger generation of competitors always presents a tough challenge to the stars of the past during the Argo Group Gold Cup competition which makes this race especially exciting.”
Ainslie, who is the most successful sailor in Olympic history, won the Cup consecutively in 2009 and 2010. His classic approach to sailing Bermuda’s IODs, and his style and grace on and off the water have made him a true fan favorite here in Bermuda. The spectator fleet swells whenever he is on the racecourse. In a previous interview, Ainslie expressed his special affinity with the Gold Cup event, enjoying its traditions, the International One Design and especially the friends he has made here.
“We feel lucky because we love this venue,” said Ainslie. “We like the boats and they are challenging. The atmosphere is great and we have a lot of friends here. We are returning this year to focus attention on the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF) that has been established since Bart’s tragic death in San Francisco this year. The Ben Ainslie Racing Team, called BART, is racing in the Argo Group Gold Cup to raise awareness for this worthwhile cause in memory of our late friend and fellow sailor. Bart and the charity are the reason we are racing, as well as the reason we are getting the band back together.
Ainslie’s ties to Bermuda go back to junior sailing. He first competed in Bermuda in 1995 winning the ISAF Youth Worlds Single Handed title. During the 2008 Argo Group Gold Cup, Ainslie was the skipper and Simpson was the team advisor. The team spent a lot of time talking to the young Optimist sailors gathered in Bermuda from around the world.
Ben spoke of Bart in a recent article in the Daily Telegraph saying, “Our friendship stretched right back to when we were boys coming up through the ranks. We started out against each other in Optimists… me, Iain Percy, Bart and a lot of the other sailors still going strong today, guys like Nick Rogers and Chris Draper. We grew up together.”
Ben's crew from 2008 returns to Bermuda once again and includes the current Skipper of the Artemis America's Cup Team and double Olympic Gold Medalist Iain Percy. Iain will be Tactician and Mainsheet Trimmer. Multiple Gold Cup Winner Christian Kamp will be jib trimmer and Ben's former Team Origin bowman Matt Cornwall, affectionately known as "Catflap" throughout the yachting world will be aboard.
The return of Sir Ben Ainslie to Bermuda for the 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup adds a touch of high drama to this star studded event. He has been off the Tour since 2010 and will challenge the fleet. It is a full slate of eight Alpari World Match Racing Tour Card Holders and the four other past Tour champions who will be on hand heading up the two groups of teams in the qualifying round robin. Joining them on the event ladder will be eight other top ranked skippers and some up and coming teams including four automatic qualifiers.
The Argo Group Gold Cup has also benefited -over the past ten years - from RenaissanceRe’s sponsorship of the Junior Gold Cup Optimist dinghy event. The Junior Gold Cup is credited - in part - for inspiring the 2012 Argo Group Gold Cup winner Taylor Canfield, Team USone. Canfield, 24, is a U.S. Virgin Islander who bested a field of 19-teams last year to become the first American citizen to raise the Cup aloft since his countryman Peter Holmberg won in 2001. The RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup was in its early years in 2004 when Canfield, age 13, was invited to attend and tagged along with the older and much revered Gold Cup winner Peter Holmberg of the USVI who was competing in the Gold Cup.
“I was competing on the last day of the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup and there was another competitor challenging me and we were going after a win. We started to really match race in our Optis - at age 13 - right here in Hamilton harbor. I got a taste of it then…and it did have a big influence on me as the Gold Cup was going on around us.” Canfield said.
Talented and congenial, Canfield is clearly following a passion for match racing that was ignited right here in Bermuda. He has carried that passion as a Tour Card Holder in the 2013 season. Canfield will defend his Bermuda title hot off a win in the Chicago Match Cup in his home waters. He had a second in the Korean Match Cup, a fifth in Match Race Germany but sank to eleventh in the Stena Match Cup Sweden.
Canfield stands second on the Tour coming into the Argo Group Gold Cup, tied with Adam Minoprio, Team Alpari FX (NZ). They are just nine points behind Tour Champion Ian Williams, GAC Pindar (GBR) and only one point ahead of Bjorn Hansen, eWork Sailing Team (SWE). With this unique mix of teams from America’s Cup skippers, to past Gold Cup champions to rising stars, the battle will be on in Bermuda. Will a rising star or a seasoned salt hoist the Cup? Get ready for some fantastic match racing in the 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup to tell the tale.
Visit Bermuda for the Argo Group Gold Cup
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 12th-13th. Special rates for Gold Cup week are available at the Hamilton Princess Hotel.
www.fairmont.com/hamilton-bermuda/
This year will mark the 63nd 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 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup runs from October 8th with Finals scheduled for October 13th. 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 sixth 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:
James Pleasance
Mobile: +44 7711 130886
Email: [email protected]
Alpari World Match Racing Tour Press Information:
Vicky Pounds, Media & Communications Manager
Alpari World Match Racing Tour
Mobile: +44 7921 020845
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 proper 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 (AWMRT) is the leading professional sailing series featuring seven World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with “Special Event” status.
The Alpari World Match Racing Tour awards over US$1.72million 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 Tour Bonus for the top 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 distributed by IMG. For more information, visit www.wmrt.com
2013 Alpari World Match Racing Tour Calendar:
Stage 1: May 15 - 20 - Match Race Germany, Langenargen, Germany
Stage 2: May 28 - June 2 - Korea Match Cup, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Stage 3: July 1 - 6 - Stena Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden
Stage 4: August 6 - 11 - Chicago Match Cup, Chicago, USA
Stage 5: Oct 7 - 13 - Argo Group Gold Cup, Hamilton, Bermuda
Stage 6: Dec 2 - 7 - Monsoon Cup, K.Terengganu, Malaysia
2013 Tour Card Holders:
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
About Alpari
The association of Alpari companies (“Alpari”) serves global clients from offices in over 20 countries. Locations include London, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai (Representative Office), Dubai, Moscow, Mumbai and Frankfurt.
Alpari is more than a forex broker, it’s a complete trading service, offering cutting-edge trading technology and free research and training packages. Alpari provides forex trading services worldwide on a range of cutting-edge trading platforms, including the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Alpari has been working with the developers of MT4 since the beginning and that is why we are able to offer a unique trading package on the platform. Trading accounts start from USD200 and traders can use software programmes called Expert Advisors to automate their trading.
Alpari has a dedicated global sponsorship programme because the company believes in sharing its passion with individuals, teams and supporters who value excitement, determination and loyalty as highly as we do. Our global sponsorship portfolio helps us reach out to traders and potential traders in key regions around the world.
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