Great Britain’s team to challenge for the 2008 Rolex Commodores’ Cup is complete.
A tough mix of inshore and offshore racing, the Rolex Commodores’ Cup pits teams comprising one boat in three specified class bands against one another to accrue overall team points. The three-boat team with the lowest overall points total is crowned champions.
As in 2006, RYA Team GBR will have four teams, totaling 12 boats, entered in the event.
And following previous announcements regarding the selections of the first two teams that will represent RYA Team GBR at this summer’s Cup regatta, six more boats across the three event classes have been invited to complete the British entry.
Which boats will race in which three-boat team will now be considered by RYA selectors over the course of three Solent-based events, plus the RORC De Guingand Bowl offshore event, between now and the start of the Rolex Commodores’ Cup on Sunday 29 June.
The final team combinations will be announced following the RORC IRC Nationals in mid-June.
The latest Class One boats to be recruited to RYA Team GBR are Poppy of Portland Marina (John Dean) and Dark and Steamy (Nick & Anne Haigh), who recently finished second and first respectively at the Raymarine Warsash Big Boat Spring Championship.
Meanwhile, there will be a true family affair in Class Two as Jim Macgregor helms Premier Flair with daughters Skandia Team GBR Yngling sailor Lucy and Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme member Nicky among the crew. British Soldier (Mike Lawrence) is the other latest Class Two addition.
Prime Suspect (David & Gill Richards) and Jaguar of Burnham (Adrian Lower) have the nod to make up the Class Three entries.
Iain Macdonald-Smith, chairman of the RYA’s Rolex Commodores’ Cup Selection Committee, explained: “We haven’t had any light wind conditions during the trials so we have nominated four events, including the RORC De Guingand Bowl offshore event, so that we can go on evaluating, coaching and training and generally work towards raising the performance of all our teams for the Rolex Commodores’ Cup.
“This process will culminate at the RORC IRC Nationals. With the French and Irish also expected at the IRC Nationals, we will be able to get a much better handle on the strength of the opposition and we will all be trying to win the Nationals to get the upper hand going into the main event a fortnight later.”
Two years ago, the French team France Blue held off a strong challenge from Ireland to take the honours ahead of 12 other teams from a total of six nations.
But having relinquished the title they won for the second time in 2004, Great Britain will be hoping one of their four teams will be able to wrestle the silverware back this year.
The first team selected for RYA Team GBR comprises Fair Dos VII (John Shepherd) in Class One, Erivale (Jerry Otter) in Class Two and Quokka (Peter Rutter) in Class Three while a Northern-based team consisting of boats from Scotland, North West England and Northern Ireland is made up of Novus Arca (Kelly/Brammall-chartered) in Class One, Sail4Cancer (Nigel Biggs) in Class Two and Exaltation (David McFarlane) in Class Three.
All 12 British boats are now under the direction of RYA Commodores’ Cup Team Manager David Atkinson.
Organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), are anticipating some 15 teams will take to the waters off Cowes for the ninth biennial Rolex Commodores’ Cup from Sunday 29 June to Sunday 6 July.
For further information regarding RYA Team GBR contact David Atkinson at [email protected] or for more details about the 2008 Rolex Commodores’ Cup visit www.rorc.org/comcup
