Sir Ben Ainslie drives the classic IOD to weather in the Semi Finals at the ARGO Group Gold Cup 2010. Ainslie comes fresh from the America’s Cup victory to try for his 3rd win in Bermuda’s classic match race.
Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion Ian Williams (UK) racing Eric Monnin (SUI) during the 2012 Argo Group Gold Cup.
Taylor Canfield (USVI) with his USone crew leading Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team during the 2012 Argo Group Gold cup
Taylor Cranfield and his crew – victors in the 2012 Argo Group Gold Cup
The King Edward VII Gold Cup
Ian Williams and Ben Ainslie approach the weather mark as Minoprio and Hansen head downwind in the 2010 Argo Group Gold Cup
“We are returning to Bermuda this year,” Ben Ainslie said, “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.”
Hamilton BERMUDA, October 1, 2013 – Sir Ben Ainslie (UK) will be sailing next week for the Ben Ainslie Racing Team (BART) sponsored by Argo Group. He returns to match racing in Bermuda fresh from the rush of Team Oracle’s America’s Cup history making comeback. The British hero will have to change gears big time as he steps aboard the classic International One Design (IOD) sloops sailed in Bermuda’s Argo Group Gold Cup Oct 8-13.
Stepping from the Team Oracle 40 knot foiling multihull to IODs with full keels, he’ll compete against the world’s best match racers in the top 11 skippers in the ISAF Open Rankings. He faces the 8 Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) Cardholders. All these skippers in the Gold Cup have match-raced traditional monohulls all year, at about 10 knots max. Ainslie did get in some practice with the IOD fleet in San Francisco, but the proof will be in the racing on Hamilton Harbour.
“It probably would take the multihull AC72 30 seconds to get from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club side of Hamilton Harbour to the Salt Kettle on the South shore. It’s a bit different with the IOD,” Ainslie remarked. “I’ll have to shift gears. It will be a lot of fun.”
“The IODs are great boats for match racing. We always love going to Bermuda for the boats and the style of racing.”
Taylor Canfield from the US Virgin Islands— now sailing Team USone out of the Chicago Match Race Center— returns as defending Champion in this the 63rd match for the coveted King Edward VII Gold Cup, the Golden Grail on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT). Canfield ranks #1 on ISAF’s list. He is 2nd behind Ian Williams (UK), GAC Pindar, on the AWMRT leaderboard for the ISAF World Championship. Williams stands 2nd under ISAF.
Ainslie and the 11 top ranked teams will also test their fortune against 8 more up-and-coming skippers and previous top performers returning to the circuit in Bermuda. It won’t be an easy road to the podium and to lifting the Gold Cup in victory for his third time. Will it be the charm?
As the most successful sailor in Olympic history, Ainslie stands tall. He won the Gold Cup consecutively in 2009 and 2010.
“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 the America’s Cup practice racing 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 success in Bermuda goes back to his junior years. He won the ISAF Youth Worlds Single Handed title in 1995. During the 2008 Argo Group Gold Cup, Ainslie was the skipper and Simpson was the team advisor. The team took time then to encourage the young Optimist sailors gathered in Bermuda from around the world for the Renaissance Re Jr Gold Cup.
This year Ainslie and double Olympic Gold Iain Percy, now CEO of Artemis Racing, will hold a half-day clinic on Saturday Oct 5th with young advanced Optimist sailors enrolled in the RBYC Sailing Academy. Then Team BART steps aboard an IOD to match up against the new Bermuda National Match Racing Champion Joshua Greenslade in some practice racing.
“I’m going to be spending some time with the local Optimist kids and that’s something all of us are always fond of,” he said. “Certainly I learned sailing in the Optimist and I always try to help out with the young kids. it should be good fun and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Ben’s entire crew from 2008 returns to Bermuda. Percy 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 will also be aboard.
Sir Ben Ainslie’s return to Bermuda for the 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup adds high drama to this star studded event. He has been off the Tour since 2010, but will challenge the fleet.
All eight Alpari World Match Racing Tour Card Holders and the four other past Tour champions will be on hand heading up the two 10-team groups in the qualifying round robin. Joining them on the event ladder will be eight other top ranked skippers and those up and coming teams including some automatic qualifiers.
Will a rising star or a top ranker hoist the Cup in 2013? Speed, smarts and lady luck will tell the tale. Get ready for top match racing in the 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup.
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 Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel.http://www.fairmont.com/hamilton-bermuda/
This year will mark the 63rd 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: talbot@talbotwilson.com
SKYPE: talbotwilson
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Contact:
Nicole Butterworth, Sailing Secretary
Email: sailingoffice@rbyc.bm
Tel: (441) 295 2214 Ex 105
Fax:(441) 295 6361
Argo Group Contact:
Lisa Scannell VP – Mkting & Communications
Tel: +1 (617) 478 5206
Mobile: +1 (857) 205 9668
Alpari World Match Racing Tour Contact:
James Pleasance.
Mobile: +44 7711 130886
Email: jamespleasance@wmrt.com
Alpari World Match Racing Tour Press Information:
Vicky Pounds, Media & Communications Manager
Mobile: +44 7921 020845
Email: vickypounds@wmrt.com
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.
www.argolimited.com
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 athttp://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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